Husky Haul Basketball Power Rankings – Week 1
By Jeff Taylor
It’s hard to develop a Power Rankings after one week of non-conference games. But, it’s my duty, so I’ll do my best. I’ll post these power rankings on Tuesdays until the football season is over, and then I’ll shift them over to their normal time slot on Mondays.
1) Washington (3-0)- Predicted wins against two decent teams puts Washington squarely near the top of the standings. Georgia State, Florida Atlantic, and Portland are no slouches. I only got to see the Portland game, but I love the long athletic look of these Huskies. The guards are so tall, they don’t seem like they should be bringing the ball up. This team has the potential to be very very good. Let’s see what happens when they hit the road to Saint Louis at the end of the week.
2) Arizona (3-0)- Say what you will about their shaky exhibition games and weak non-conference opponents to start the season. But, Arizona is 3-0, which no other Pac-12 team can claim at this point. We’ll see how this team comes together when the games get harder.
3) California (2-0)- UC Irvine was the easy part…George Washington a greater challenge, but they took care of business. It’s good for the Pac-12 that Cal is good, but I still don’t buy the hype yet. Austin Peay should also be a cakewalk.
4) UCLA (0-1)- Thanks for repping the Pac-12 so well with an embarrassing loss to Loyola Marymount. I’ve had my doubts about UCLA, especially since the big front line can only do so much if the guards can’t handle the ball and pass it. Maybe it is just an early blipp, much like Washington’s opening loss to Portland a couple of years ago before going on to win the Pac-10 championship. Maybe LMU will actually be a lot better than people think. But, this whole Reeves Nelson saga has the potentially to destroy this team’s chemistry. Ever look at UCLA’s roster and wonder why they have so many transfers, players opting early to the NBA even if there is no league to play in, and transfers in? Something weird is happening down there. Only time will tell…But, for the sake of the entire Pac-12, let’s hope the Bruins take care of business against Middle Tennessee State.
5) Oregon (0-1)- Oregon fared admirably on the road against Vanderbilt…That was until Vandy was shocked by Cleveland State. At least Oregon should be able to get on the board with Eastern Washington coming to town.
6) Oregon State (2-0)- Taking care of business against Cal St. Bakersfield was the easy part…West Alabama? Never even thought of that state as having a “westside”. Now comes the bad boys from Hofstra.
7) Stanford (2-0)- Stanford easily took care of business against Central Arkansas. It was a bit tougher against Fresno State, but they managed to hold the game. This could be a decent team able to score some upsets this year.
8) Colorado (1-0)- Colorado took care of Fort Lewis in easy fashion. Now comes dangerous Wichita State.
9) USC (1-1)- It wasn’t easy against Cal St. Northridge, but the Trojans survived. They took Nebraska into double overtime before losing a heart-breaker. The game at San Diego State looks to be a really telling opportunity to determine what kind of team USC will be this year.
10) Washington State (0-1)- They were the last Pac-12 team to get started and they don’t go for the lackies early, with a trip to The Kennel to play Gonzaga. Unfortunately, they probably could have used a tune up.
11) Arizona State (1-0)- The Sun Devils barely survived Montana State. Guess we’ll see how this develops…
12) Utah (1-0)- After being humiliated by Adams State in the exhibition game, they took on the big challenge against heralded San Diego Christian. They barely won…That Boise State game looks like a loss all over it.