No. 1: Stanford (17-1, 8-0)
Perhaps there is a crack in Stanford’s near-invincible armor.
In their last game against Washington, the Cardinal played miserably in the first half, shooting a fraction above 30 percent. Although Stanford turned it around in the second half to blow out the Huskies, 65-47, the acclaimed Cardinal offense failed to manufacture points, as the feared Ogwumike sisters were shut down by the Washington defenders.
With a marquee matchup between the Bay Area rivals on Saturday, this is encouraging news for Cal. The Huskies’ defense will serve as a good blueprint to the Bears’ enormous task in containing the Ogwumikes. But unlike Washington, the Bears will have to shut both down for the full 40 minutes.
— Seung Y. Lee
No. 2: Cal (15-5, 6-2)
After narrowly topping Washington State last Sunday in a down-to-the-wire thriller, Cal kept its sole possession of second place in the rankings. Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb has built up a formidable four-player post threat that catapulted the Bears to No. 1 in the nation in rebounds. A top-10 recruiting class fronted by Brittany Boyd and Reshanda Gray has already seen major minutes and energizes the team.
The biggest selling point of the Cal team is how quickly it managed to rebuff the myth of a rebuilding year. A new coach and a roster devoid of a single senior meant a team of inexperience, yet the Bears quickly took talented bits and pieces (strong post players, fast guards) and transformed themselves into a Pac-12 threat.
Aside from having the second-best record in the conference, the team is in the midst of a six-game winning streak that No. 4 Stanford will test this Saturday.
— Annie Gerlach
No. 3: USC (10-7, 5-2)
Throughout the conference season, the Pac-12 looked to be divided into two classes, with Stanford, Cal and USC at the top. But the Trojans’ standing in the top echelon took a hit, as they lost to Oregon State in overtime at home.
After tallying 92 points against Oregon last Thursday, the Trojans’ hot offense was nowhere to be found in the second half against the Beavers, scoring only 22 points. Although USC kept Oregon State at bay to force an overtime, the Trojans’ defense collapsed in the last minute to give the Beavers a 65-61 upset. To affirm its place in the top three, USC has an important weekend coming up against Colorado and Utah.
— Seung Y. Lee
No. 4: Arizona State (13-5, 4-3)
Aside from Stanford and Cal, Arizona State has been the hottest team in the Pac-12. After starting the conference season with a 1-3 record, the Sun Devils won three straight against Oregon, Colorado and Utah. Forward Kimberly Brandon has been on fire during the streak, averaging over 15 points. If they can sweep both Washington State and Washington this weekend, they will likely leapfrog over USC for the No. 3 spot.
— Seung Y. Lee
No. 5: Colorado (14-4, 3-4)
Aside from having a grammatically incorrect mascot, the Buffaloes’ most identifiable characteristic is the fact that it is the first team in these rankings with a losing Pac-12 record. Despite a perfect early season replete with easy victories, Colorado suffered three straight losses earlier this month (to Cal, Stanford and Arizona State) to severely puncture its inflated record.
The Buffs’ main problem is the fact that they don’t have a balanced roster. The team relies heavily on standout Chucky Jeffery, who leads the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. But in each of the past three matchups, Jeffery has notched less than 10 points; predictably, her team lost two of those three games.
— Annie Gerlach
No. 6: Oregon State (12-7, 3-5)
Oregon State might be seventh on this list, but the Beavers are in the running for first in the number of excitement. Oregon State have taken part in two nail-biting overtime games, the first in the double-overtime loss to Washington State and the second in the upset win against USC last Saturday.
However, the Beavers have been all flash and no substance. As one of the five teams with three wins in its conference season, Oregon State hasn’t done anything impressive to dig themselves out of the bog of mediocrity.
— Seung Y. Lee
No. 7: Washington State (9-10, 3-4)
Who would have thought that Washington State would bring such a firecracker of a match to Haas Pavilion? Coming into Berkeley with a three-game losing streak, the Cougars gave Cal a huge surprise in the second half. Washington State, led by Jazmine Perkins, overcame an eight-point deficit in the first half to lead the game with two minutes left. If it can continue it fast-paced basketball, the Cougars would find a way to snap its currently losing streak.
— Seung Y. Lee
No. 8: Oregon (11-9, 3-5)
Oregon is perhaps most known for the “run-and-gun” style of play spearheaded by head coach Paul Westhead. The main tenet of this strategy ultimately involves playing at a fast pace: snatching a defensive board fast, transitioning down the court fast and shooting at the first possible chance. Sometimes, this can lead the team to control the tempo of the game.
But the Ducks are not the 2005 Phoenix Suns. They’re sitting toward the bottom of the conference, and Westhead’s stubborn adherence to the run-and-gun game has backfired a lot this season. The most notable examples include 20-plus point routs at the hands of Cal and Stanford, who are respectively No. 1 and No. 2 in the conference in rebounds. Besides, it’s almost impossible for a team to depend on defensive board ability when it is riding dead least in the conference.
— Annie Gerlach
No. 9: UCLA (8-10, 3-4)
How is it possible for a team like UCLA to be this good? Wait, let me amend that statement: How is it possible for a team like UCLA to have as many as three wins in the conference?
The Bruins’ conference season has yo-yoed thus far, and the only plus to that is they have yet to establish a losing streak. The team has an uncanny ability to earn close (and perhaps surprising) victories against higher-ranked opponents such as Cal. Thursday’s game against Utah should be the easiest contest of the Bruins’ season; but even then, a win will still only allow UCLA to break even on the conference season.
— Annie Gerlach
No. 10: Arizona (13-6, 2-5)
Arizona’s first Pac-12 game nearly a month ago was a disaster; the team posted its lowest point total of the season thus far, fell to rival Arizona State and watched its six-game winning streak snap abruptly end.
With a 36.5 percent success rate, the Wildcats unexpectedly lead the conference in 3-pointers. Also, junior Davellyn Whyte is second in the Pac-12 in scoring, falling just behind Stanford’s powerhouse Nnemkadi Ogwumike.
Other than that, Arizona doesn’t do anything worthy of a shout-out. The team just sort of disappears in the sea of subpar Pac-12 records.
— Annie Gerlach
No. 11: Washington (10-7, 2-5)
Misery loves company. Washington is one of three bottom-tier teams with a 2-5 Pac-12 record. Similarly to Arizona, the Huskies came into conference play with a five-game win streak, one that Oregon State promptly snapped.
From then on, Washington has been unpredictable at best, fluctuating at worst. Despite having a sizeable yet stellar player in big Regina Rogers, the Huskies have yet to establish a steady rhythm in games between Rogers’ appearances. A sweep by the NorCal schools certainly didn’t do much to bolster a sagging record, either.
— Annie Gerlach
No. 12: Utah (9-9, 2-5)
Utah generally chews the shot clock to its last seconds, in hopes of keeping the opposition’s score low. But unfortunately for the Utes and their watching-paint-dry basketball, they can’t score enough points to deliver the goods. They are tied for last in the conference with Washington and Arizona, but in style of basketball and entertainment, they are runaway choice for the worst.
— Seung Y. Lee