The Pac-12 played six marquee non-conference games Sunday and Tuesday and went 4-2 in those matchups to strengthen the collective’s record against upper-tier competition.

— Stanford led the way with victories over Tennessee, which played one of its better games within a disappointing season, and No. 21 Creighton.

— Arizona rebounded from its only loss (to Kansas) with a decisive win over No. 24 Baylor.

— And Oregon dealt No. 17 Arkansas its first loss.

On the other side of the ledger, Oregon State wasn’t competitive against No. 10 LSU, and USC lost by double digits to Texas.

As a result, the Pac-12 improved to 5-8 against teams in the current Associated Press top-25 poll. That’s not world beating, but two of the losses are to unanimous No. 1 South Carolina.

Combine its five ranked teams with an 85.1 winning percentage in non-conference games — the best in the nation —  and the Pac-12 is well positioned going into Christmas break and the full-fledged start of conference play next week.

Here are the Hotline’s seventh power ratings of the 2022-23 season.

(NET rankings through Monday)

1. Stanford (12-1)

Last week: 1Results: beat Tennessee 77-70 and Creighton 72-59Next up: vs. Cal (Friday)NET ranking: 3Comment: Haley Jones, Hannah Jump and Cameron Brink combined for 23 of 24 fourth-quarter points as Stanford overcame a five-point deficit to beat Tennessee. Brink finished with 21 points and 17 rebounds and a career-tying six blocks — the best in the Pac-12 in those combined categories since Stanford’s Jayne Appel in 2007. Brink is the Pac-12 Player of the Week, tacking on a 14-point, 16-rebound performance against Creighton.

2. Utah (11-0/1-0 Pac-12)

Last week: 3Results: beat Colorado 85-58, UC Riverside 92-45 and Weber State 88-52Next up: vs. Southern Utah (Thursday)NET ranking: 6Comment: The Hotline has had UCLA at No. 2 since Thanksgiving week, but now the No. 12-ranked Utes climb one place following their dominant conference-opening win over Colorado — they are the lone remaining Pac-12 unbeaten. Utah outscored the Buffs by a combined 47-19 in the second and fourth quarters, led again by Alissa Pili (25 points in 28 minutes). Forward Peyton McFarland returned against UC Riverside in her first game since an ACL tear in the 2022 Pac-12 Tournament. The 11-0 start is one win shy of tying the best in school history.

3. UCLA (12-1/1-0)

Last week: 2Results: beat USC 59-56, Cal State Bakersfield 75-47 and Fresno State 82-48Next up: at Oregon (Dec. 30)NET ranking: 25Comment: UCLA shot 32.9 percent, including 3-of-23 from 3-point range, but still handed rival USC its first defeat. “A game like this becomes a reference point for the rest of the year,” on how to win with toughness, Bruins coach Cori Close said. UCLA dropped one place in the Hotline ratings and in the AP poll (to No. 11).

4. Oregon (10-1/1-0 Pac-12)

Last week: 4Results: beat Eastern Washington 88-38, Charleston 97-33 and Arkansas 85-78Next up: vs. Ohio State(Wednesday)NET ranking: 9Comment: Down by seven early in the fourth quarter, the Ducks outscored Arkansas 26-12 over the final 8:22 for their best non-conference win. Grace VanSlooten, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, led Oregon with 26 points, Endyia Rogers added 20, and the 6-foot-8 Phillipina Kyei pulled down 14 rebounds. Ohio State’s win over South Florida sets up a chance for the Pac-12’s first win over a top-10 team.

5. Arizona (9-1)

Last week: 5Results: beat Texas Southern 89-55 and Baylor 75-54Next up: at UT Arlington (Wednesday)NET ranking: 29Comment: Arizona’s turnaround, from the home loss to Kansas to the road win over Baylor, speaks to Adia Barnes’ coaching and the Wildcats’ ability to lean on their defense when required. Baylor committed 19 turnovers, resulting in game-deciding UA advantages in points off turnovers (25-2) and fast-break points (18-5).

6. Washington State (9-2/0-1)

Last week: 7Results: beat Jackson State 83-56 and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 75-49Next up: at Houston (Wednesday)NET ranking: 48Comment: Through Monday, Charlisse Leger-Walker was ninth nationally in scoring (22.0 points per game) after she combined for 80 points in her last three games. The Cougars move up one place in the Hotline ratings but are currently on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble in ESPN’s Bracketology, which has five Pac-12 teams in the 68-team field.

7. Oregon State (7-4/0-1)

Last week: 6Results: beat Nevada 83-56, lost to LSU 87-55Next up: vs. North Carolina Central (Dec. 27)NET ranking: 63Comment: Talia von Oelhoffen, who has family ties to Hawaii, poured in 41 points (on 17-of-20 shooting) against Nevada in Maui. But the Beavers then were outscored 30-6 in the second quarter of a lopsided loss to No. 10 LSU, taking them down one place in the Hotline ratings.

8. Colorado (9-3/0-1)

Last week: 8Results: lost to Utah 85-58, beat Alcorn State 82-47Next up: at Marquette (Wednesday)NET ranking: 41Comment: The rivalry loss to Utah was a disaster as the Buffs shot 31 percent and were outscored 44-30 in the paint and 22-9 off turnovers. “It’s hard because they score so well (Utah is No. 2 nationally in scoring),” CU coach JR Payne said. “Even if you can score, it’s hard to string together stops and scores consecutively.”

9. USC (9-2/0-1)

Last week: 9Results: lost to UCLA 59-56 and Texas 62-48Next up: vs. Saint Mary’s (Wednesday)NET ranking: 44Comment: In their first games against Power Five opponents, the Trojans lost twice but were highly competitive against UCLA (when Kadi Sissoko scored 20 points). Against Texas in Dallas, USC was hurt by 29 turnovers, leading to a 25-6 points-off-turnovers edge for the Longhorns. Rayah Marshall had a double-double in both games.

10. Arizona State (7-4)

Last week: 11Results: beat Prairie View A&M 82-67Next up: at Arizona (Dec. 29)NET ranking: 121Comment: A healthier ASU ended its three-game losing streak and moved up one place in the Hotline ratings. Freshman forward Journey Thompson made her first start, and a case can be made for 6-foot-3 Meg Newman, who produced a 12-point, 18-rebound game against Prairie View, to also be in the starting lineup.

11. Washington (9-2/1-0)

Last week: 10Results: lost to Liberty 66-54, beat SIU Edwardsville 71-40Next up: vs. Colorado (Dec. 30)NET ranking: 116Comment: The Huskies regressed offensively from their 82 points in a victory over Washington State, managing just 54 in a home loss to Liberty. Washington’s scoring average (67 ppg) is the lowest in the Pac-12, although Arizona State is at the bottom in scoring margin (-0.27 points per game).

12. California (9-2)

Last week: 12Results: beat UC San Diego 75-61 and Florida A&M 88-58Next up: at Stanford (Friday)NET ranking: 78Comment: The Bears won twice, but their strength-of-schedule (No. 260 nationally) is second-lowest in the Pac-12, ahead of only Colorado (No. 296). Four players were in double-figure scoring against UC San Diego and five against  Florida A&M, a balance that Cal needs to maintain going into the start of Pac-12 play this week.

---

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow Metcalfe on Twitter via @jeffmetcalfe

*** Follow me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.