Pac-10 Power Rankings

1. UCLA (24-3, 12-2 Pac-10):

The Bruins almost stubbed their toes against Oregon, but recovered in time to put them away. This is going to be a tough team to beat in March — and February, too.

1. Stanford (22-4, 11-3 Pac-10):

With the Washington schools coming to town, the Cardinal should be able to pick up two wins and head into the final weekend with some steam. Brook Lopez is going to be a handful for whomever these guys face in the tournament.

1. USC (17-9, 8-6 Pac-10):

Their comeback win over Oregon propelled the Trojans to a weekend sweep, all but assuring them a spot in the big dance. They can lock things up for good with a couple wins in Arizona this weekend.

1. Washington State (21-6, 9-6 Pac-10):

More than likely, the Cougars already have enough wins to earn an at-large bid into the tournament. But this weekend’s games in the Bay Area still present a chance to improve their seed, and Saturday’s loss to Arizona proved that this team still has some weaknesses that must be fixed for anyone to consider them a legitimate threat come March.

1. Arizona State (17-9, 7-7 Pac-10):

ASU looks to be in pretty good shape after getting a huge win in Seattle, and can take a step toward punching its dance card if it can pick up at least one win this weekend over USC or UCLA. A sweep would seal the deal.

1. Arizona (17-10, 7-7 Pac-10):

Probably the Pac-10 team straddling the bubble the tightest, the Wildcats are in desperate need of at least one win this weekend. They’re going to need at least two more before the conference tournament starts, which means if they don’t get a win this weekend over UCLA or USC, they’ll have to win at Oregon (and Oregon State, but that’s a foregone conclusion) to make that happen. Two wins in four games is probably manageable, though, especially when the Beavers are involved.

1. California (15-10, 6-8 Pac-10):

Sunday night’s loss to Stanford didn’t help things, but the Bears can still make a case for an at-large bid with a sweep this weekend against WSU and UW — two teams they’ve already beaten on the road. Still, one would think that Cal has to win out to get a bid — meaning that it would need to get wins at USC and UCLA to close out the season. It’s not likely.

1. Washington (15-13, 6-9 Pac-10):

Just as quickly as things started to look up for the Huskies, they fell apart. Such is life for the Dawgs this year, who just haven’t been able to maintain any kind of legitimate momentum. And with a tough road trip against Stanford and Cal coming up followed by a trip to Pullman, it’s going to be tough for UW to find another win this season. Until the Pac-10 tournament starts, the Huskies are just playing out the string — and if they can’t find a way to win at least one of these remaining games, even the CBI will most likely look elsewhere.

1. Oregon (15-12, 6-9 Pac-10):

For some reason, people were talking about the Ducks as being a likely tournament team as recently as four days ago. That scenario can probably only come to fruition now if UO wins the Pac-10 tournament, but the best it can finish now is 9-9 in conference play. There’s an outside chance that they could still get into the NCAAs, but you’ve got to think that the Ducks did themselves in over the weekend by getting swept in L.A.

1. Oregon State (6-21, 0-15 Pac-10):

What’s left to say about this team? The Beavers followed up their worst loss of the season by suffering an even worse defeat, a 45-point beheading at the hands of UCLA. The question now isn’t whether or not they can avoid an 18-0 conference record. Can they even come within single digits of anyone? Their season finale against Oregon may be the best chance to do that, but nobody’s holding their breath on that one. The Corvallis Hilton may have to hire extra security.