Pac-12 WBB power ratings: Colorado, USC rise after high-level wins; plenty of movement elsewhere

The Buffs and Trojans each won a home game over a top-10 opponent last weekend

How long will third-ranked Colorado last as the lone remaining unbeaten team in Pac-12 play?

Perhaps not through this week with No. 5 UCLA and No. 6 USC passing through Boulder. Both are fully capable of winning a high-level road game. Truthfully, any of the five nationally-ranked Pac-12 teams could beat one of the others without much surprise.

The conference’s unpredictability — even beyond the ranked teams — makes these power ratings extremely fluid.

Last week, six teams changed places. This week, only three teams are unchanged, and the top four have been shuffled.

History is in the balance with Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer two wins away from passing Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski as the winningest coach in college basketball history.

To the power ratings …

(NET rankings through Monday.)

1. Colorado (15-1/5-0)

Last week: 3
Results: beat Cal 76-61 and Stanford 71-59
Next up: vs. UCLA (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 15
Comment: Junior guard Kindyll Wetta was a major contributor off the bench in the Buffs’ win over Stanford with 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals. Her buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the second quarter doubled CU’s halftime lead to six, followed by a 22-11 Buffs edge in the third. The showdown Friday against UCLA will be the first top-five matchup in school history.

2. USC (13-1/3-1)

Last week: 4
Result: beat UCLA 73-65
Next up: at Utah (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 12
Comment: Watkins is the AP National Player of the Week and Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for a record ninth time (in 10 weeks) following her 32-point, 10-rebound double-double against UCLA, which included 16-of-16 free throws. She also had three assists, four blocks and three steals as the Trojans dealt the first loss of the season to their rival. Watkins already has a freshman school record six 30-point games.

3. UCLA (14-1/3-1)

Last week: 1
Results: lost to USC 73-65
Next up: at Colorado (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 7
Comment: The Bruins scored a season-low 19 points in the first half at USC, then outscored the Trojans 46-39 in the second half. So they head to Colorado and Utah (Monday on ESPN2) with a better feeling than they could have had after a first defeat — especially given Charisma Osborne’s season-high 25 points.

4. Stanford (15-2/4-1)

Last week: 2
Results: beat Utah 66-64, lost to Colorado 71-59
Next up: vs. Oregon (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 3
Comment: Other than Kiki Iriafen’s 19-point performance and Brooke Demetre’s 4-of-8 day from 3-point range, Stanford was thrown off by Colorado, committing 18 turnovers that turned into 28 Buffs points. Cameron Brink only played seven minutes in the first half due to fouls but still finished with a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double. She also was limited to seven first-half minutes at Utah when Iriafen saved the day with 25 points and 16 rebounds.

5. Utah (12-5/2-3)

Last week: 5
Results: lost to Stanford 66-64, beat Cal 93-56
Next up: vs. USC (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 6
Comment: After losing three of their first four Pac-12 games by a combined 14 points (one in overtime), the Utes took their frustration out on Cal with their highest offensive output since Dec. 16. All five starters scored in double figures, led by junior guard Ines Vieira with 19 (also five assists and five steals). Utah had a stunning 66-16 edge in paint points over the Bears.

6. Oregon State (14-2/3-2)

Last week: 8
Results: beat Arizona 73-70 (2 OT) and Arizona State 92-55
Next up: at Cal (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 22
Comment: As well as Watkins played for USC, voters preferred the Beavers’ Raegan Beers for Pac-12 Player the Week for her two-game performance (while Watkins played once). The sophomore forward averaged 23.5 points and 17.5 rebounds, including a 20/20 double-double in a grinding double-overtime win over Arizona. Then she scored 27 points in 26 minutes against ASU, with another 15 boards.

7. Washington State (12-5/1-3)

Last week: 10
Results: beat Washington 72-59
Next up: vs. ASU (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 21
Comment: Like USC, the Cougars came away with a rivalry split last week thanks to a balanced offense that included three lesser-known double-figure scorers: Eleonora Villa, Beyonce Bea and Jenna Villa (no relation). That took pressure off the bigger-name veterans, especially Charlisse Leger-Walker, who scored eight. WSU again was without starting guard Astera Tuhina due to injury.

8. Arizona (10-7/2-3)

Last week: 6
Results: lost at Oregon State 73-70 (2OT) and Oregon 70-68
Next up: at Washington (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 43
Comment: With Salimatou Kourouma and Erin Tack out due to season-ending injuries, the Wildcats are down to eight healthy players and forced to play their starters heavy minutes. That contributed to a pair of losses by a combined five points last week, all of which was compounded by a weather delay returning from Oregon. Now, it’s right back to the Northwest for a team clawing to stay in NCAA Tournament contention.

9. Washington (11-4/1-3)

Last week: 9
Results: lost to Washington State 72-59
Next up: vs. Arizona (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 41
Comment: The Huskies and Cal are on the NCAA Tournament bubble in the latest ESPN Bracketology with eight Pac-12 teams in the field for now. Winning at home this week is essential for UW, which plays the five ranked Pac-12 teams in succession from Jan. 26 to Feb. 9. Dalayah Daniels scored a season-high 23 against Washington State.

10. Oregon (11-7/2-3)

Last week: 11
Results: beat Arizona State 65-53 and Arizona 70-68
Next up: at Stanford (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 91
Comment: Seven losses at this point is a lot by recent Ducks standards. They lost 12 games combined from 2018-20 in the Sabrina Ionescu era. But capping last week’s sweep with a win over Arizona might be a turning point provided that  Oregon gets turnovers under control (27 against Arizona). The Ducks outrebounded the Arizona schools by a combined margin of 86-46.

11. Cal (12-5/2-3)

Last week: 7
Results: lost to Colorado 76-61 and Utah 93-56
Next up: vs. Oregon State (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 54
Comment: Losing by 15 to Colorado is one thing but being pummeled by Utah is quite another — even given the misfortune of catching the highly motivated Utes at the wrong time. The Bears’ margin for error relative to the NCAA Tournament is even thinner than Washington’s, so the dates against the Oregon schools will be telling.

12. Arizona State (8-9/0-5)

Last week: 12
Results: lost to Oregon 65-53 and Oregon State 92-55
Next up: at Washington State (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 135
Comment: ASU is on a five-game losing streak that feels even worse after a 37-point loss in Corvallis. The Sun Devils need at least one more win to exceed their 2022-23 overall total and two Pac-12 victories to improve on that mark from last season. Where those will come from is hard to see, although there are games coming up against Cal on Jan. 28 and Feb. 23.

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