Best of the West WBB power rankings: UCLA on top as Washington climbs, USC and Arizona State slip

The Best of the West offers fans a candid assessment of the top teams in the western third of the country — a collection that includes the Mountain West and the former Pac-12 schools now scattered across the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and West Coast Conference.

The rankings will be published on the Hotline weekly throughout the regular season. (Last week’s rankings)

---

Results through Monday.

1. UCLA (19-1, 9-0 Big Ten)

Last week: 1
Results: beat Purdue 96-48, won at Northwestern 80-46
NET ranking: No. 2
Up next: at Illinois (Wednesday)
Comment: Second-ranked UCLA is on a 13-game winning streak with only one close game in the run (a seven-point win over No. 11 Ohio State in late December). If the Bruins don’t trip up at Illinois, they will host No. 8 Iowa on Sunday in what could be a game for sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.

2. Washington (16-4, 6-3 Big Ten)

Last week: 4
Results: beat Penn State 81-65, won at Rutgers 76-48
NET ranking: No. 31
Up next: at Maryland (Wednesday)
Comment: Washington remains No. 25 in the AP rankings and is second here for the first time. The Huskies’ visit to Rutgers was delayed until Monday due to bad weather. They took care of business for their fourth straight win and next tackle No. 16 Maryland.

3. Stanford (15-6, 4-4 ACC)

Last week: 4
Results: lost at Cal 78-71 (OT)
NET ranking: No. 36
Up next: vs. Louisville (Thursday)
Comment: Stanford made it into overtime against its Bay Area rival thanks to Lara Somfai’s 3-pointer with seven seconds left, but Cal led throughout overtime for an upset. The Cardinal have lost three of their last four with a tough week ahead against No. 7 Louisville and Notre Dame.

4. Utah (14-6, 5-3 Big 12)

Last week: 3
Results: lost to Texas Tech 77-49
NET ranking: No. 49
Up next: vs. West Virginia (Tuesday)
Comment: Utah caught No. 21 Texas Tech at a bad time, with the Red Raiders coming off their first two losses of the season. The result wasn’t pretty with the Utes trailing 39-20 at halftime and 64-32 after three quarters. Utah still is tied for fifth in a Big 12 race that’s tightly packed after the top four.

5. Oregon (15-7, 3-6 Big Ten)

Last week: 6
Results: lost to Minnesota 65-60, beat Penn State 89-59
NET ranking: No. 25
Up next: at Rutgers (Wednesday)
Comment: Oregon crushed Penn State to end a four-game losing streak. The Ducks were boosted by 42 bench points, including 20 from Sarah Rambus. Against Minnesota, Oregon was outscored 11-0 to open the fourth quarter, then rallied within three in the final minute before losing.

6. USC (11-9, 3-6 Big Ten)

Last week: 5
Results: lost at Michigan State 74-68 and Michigan 73-67
NET ranking: No. 23
Up next: vs. Iowa (Thursday)
Comment: With two more losses to ranked opponents, USC is 1-6 in its last seven games and facing No. 8 Iowa next. The Trojans were within two of No. 13 Michigan State with 4:10 left but only scored four points thereafter. They had a 31-point third quarter against No. 9 Michigan, then scored nine in the fourth.

7. BYU (15-5, 4-4 Big 12)

Last week: 8
Results: beat Texas Tech 73-61, lost to West Virginia 91-77
NET ranking: No. 50
Up next: at Oklahoma State (Wednesday)
Comment: After upsetting No. 21 Texas Tech, the Cougars led 22nd-ranked West Virginia by 13 points early before the Mountaineers cranked up their offense. Delaney Gibb averaged 23 points in the two games. The Cougars play the first of two games against rival Utah on Saturday.

8. Arizona State (17-4, 4-4 Big 12)

Last week: 7
Results: lost at West Virginia 53-43 and Cincinnati 66-64
NET ranking: No. 47
Up next: vs. Arizona (Wednesday)
Comment: Arizona State led by 18 points in the first quarter over Cincinnati only to end up with a second straight loss for the first time all season. The Sun Devils have dropped four of their last six and might need to sweep their upcoming three-game homestand to stay in NCAA Tournament contention.

9. Colorado (13-7, 4-4 Big 12)

Last week: 9
Results: beat Oklahoma State 79-65
NET ranking: No. 52
Up next: at Kansas State (Thursday)
Comment: Colorado came up big Sunday against Oklahoma State after losing three of its previous four games. Jade Masogayo tied her career high with 22 points, and the Buffs benefited from extra practice time in a one-game week. They are now away against both Kansas schools.

10. San Diego State (15-3, 9-0 Mountain West)

Last week: 11
Results: beat San Jose State 94-66
NET ranking: No. 74
Up next: at Colorado State (Wednesday)
Comment: It was an easy week for San Diego State, which now has 11 consecutive wins and is the second hottest team in the West behind UCLA. Nala Williams had 20 points and 10 assists with no turnovers against San Jose State. The Aztecs are off to their best start in 30 years. The winning streak is their longest since 2012-13.

11. Oregon State (15-6, 7-1 WCC)

Last week: 14
Results: beat Gonzaga 92-87 (OT)
NET ranking: No. 85
Up next: vs. San Diego (Thursday)
Comment: Kennedie Shuler starred on both ends for Oregon State in a thrilling win over Gonzaga. The junior guard had 17 points, 10 steals, nine assists, five rebounds and three blocks to earn WCC Player of the Week honors. Jenna Villa’s free throws late in overtime clinched the Beavers’ victory over the Zags.

12. Gonzaga (14-7, 6-2 WCC)

Last week: 10
Results: lost at Oregon State 92-87 (OT)
NET ranking: No. 68
Up next: at San Francisco (Thursday)
Comment: With the WCC lead on the line, Gonzaga and Oregon State played a classic. Freshman Lauren Whittaker scored 37 points, one shy of the school record, and had 14 rebounds. The Zags trailed by one with 16 seconds left in overtime before the Beavers closed the door.

13. Montana State (14-5, 7-1 Big Sky)

Last week: No. 12
Results: lost at Idaho State 79-60, won at Weber State 92-72
NET ranking: No. 76
Up next: vs. Sacramento State (Thursday)
Comment: Despite being upset by Idaho State, Montana State maintains a slim lead over Idaho and Northern Colorado in the Big Sky. Idaho State “dominated every category,” Montana State coach Tricia Binford said, including a 40-23 rebounding edge.

14. UC Irvine (17-3, 8-1 Big West)

Last week: 13
Results: beat UC Riverside 74-68, lost to UC San Diego 68-66
NET ranking: No. 84
Up next: at Hawaii (Thursday)
Comment: UC Irvine’s 16-game winning streak ended Saturday when Jada Wynn missed a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining against UC San Diego. The Anteaters rallied from 10 down early in the fourth quarter to claw within range of a comeback win. Irvine is now tied with UC San Diego for the Big West lead.

15. Santa Clara (17-5, 7-2 WCC)

Last week: 11
Results: won at Seattle 93-59
NET ranking: No. 64
Up next: vs. Washington State (Thursday)
Comment: Santa Clara easily won its only game of the week and is a half game behind Oregon State in the WCC and a half game ahead of Gonzaga. The Broncos have three more winnable games before playing at Oregon State on Feb. 12.

Also considered: Cal, UNLV, Colorado State

---

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to wilnerhotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow Metcalfe on the social media platform X: @jeffmetcalfe

*** Follow Jon Wilner me on the social media platform X: @WilnerHotline