Midway through the 2022-23 season, we have gained clarity on the state of college basketball in the western third of the country.
That state is Utah.
The Beehive State has produced the best school-for-school performance of the 11 states that encompass the Mountain and Pacific Time Zones.
That’s not a gobsmacking development, because Utah has always taken basketball seriously at all levels. But the depth of quality across the Division I teams is impressive.
Five of the seven have at least twice as many wins as losses:
Brigham Young: 12-5Utah: 11-4Utah State: 13-2Utah Valley: 11-4Southern Utah: 10-5
(The other two, Utah Tech and Weber State, are just above and below .500, respectively.)
Plenty of the 57 wins generated by the quintet above have come against second- and third-tier competition. But there are several quality results, as well:
— Utah Valley won at Oregon and lost at Wake Forest by three points.
— Utah State handled Washington State and won by 18 points in the same gym (San Francisco’s) where Arizona State lost by 37.
— Brigham Young beat Creighton and Utah.
— Utah beat Arizona.
Given the current NET rankings and placements in conference standings, it’s hardly unreasonable to believe four of the seven could qualify for the NCAA Tournament via the at-large pool or by winning their league tournaments.
It’s one of several storylines to watch with two months remaining until Selection Sunday.
To the latest Best of the West rankings …
*** Disclaimer: In some cases, the order below does not reflect placement in my Associated Press top-25 ballot, which tracks with guidelines provided by the AP.
Also considered: Boise State, Brigham Young, Nevada, Santa Clara, UC Santa Barbara, UNLV and USC
(NET rankings through Wednesday’s games)
1. Arizona (13-1/2-1 Pac-12)
Results: won at Arizona State 69-60Next up: vs. Washington (Thursday)NET ranking: 4Comment: The Wildcats have five wins over Quadrant I opponents, which is tied with Kansas for the highest total in the country.
2. UCLA (13-2/4-0 Pac-12)
Results: won at WSU 67-66 and Washington 74-49Next up: vs. USC (Thursday)NET ranking: 6Comment: More than half of UCLA’s wins (eight) have come against Quadrant III and IV foes. That should change as Pac-12 games become a greater percentage of the Bruins’ overall tally.
3. Gonzaga (12-3/1-0 WCC)
Results: beat Pepperdine 111-88Next up: at San Francisco (Thursday)NET ranking: 15Comment: After watching Drew Timme average 27.3 points and shoot above 60 percent from the field in his past seven games, we’re starting to think he’s pretty good.
4. San Diego State (11-3/2-0 MW)
Results: won at UNLV 76-67Next up: at Wyoming (Saturday)NET ranking: 22Comment: SDSU’s seed in the NCAAs (assuming it qualifies) will depend partly on Ohio State’s performance in the Big Ten. The Aztecs beat OSU by 11 on a neutral court.
5. Saint Mary’s (13-4/2-0 WCC)
Results: beat San Diego 85-58 and Academy of Art 84-64, won at Santa Clara 67-64Next up: vs. Portland (Saturday)NET ranking: 12Comment: SMC’s best player is a freshman guard named Aidan Mahaney who could start for most teams in the Pac-12 but, according to 247 Sports, was only offered a scholarship by one of them (Stanford).
6. Utah (11-4/4-0 Pac-12)
Results: won at Cal 58-43 and Stanford 71-66Next up: vs. Oregon State (Thursday)NET ranking: 31Comment: Contender or pretender? An answer will be within reach Saturday evening, after the Utes host Oregon.
7. New Mexico (14-1/2-1 MW)
Results: won at Wyoming 76-75, lost at Fresno State 71-67Next up: vs. UNLV (Saturday)NET ranking: 34Comment: The Lobos were the last unbeaten team in Division I until their defense failed to make the trip to Fresno. It must have been flying Southwest.
8. Utah State (13-2/2-0 MW)
Results: beat Fresno State 67-64, won at Air Force 77-65Next up: at Boise State (Saturday)NET ranking: 20Comment: The Christmas Day victory over Washington State (in Hawaii) is gaining heft after the Cougars pushed UCLA to the brink and took down USC.
9. Arizona State (11-3/2-1)
Results: lost to Arizona 71-66Next up: vs. WSU (Thursday)NET ranking: 55Comment: The Sun Devils play superb defense. If their offensive efficiency improved just a tick — they are currently No. 123 in the Pomeroy ratings — the impact on their overall performance could be substantial.
10. Utah Valley (11-4/2-0 WAC)
Results: beat Sam Houston 80-64 and Utah Tech 71-60Next up: at UT Arlington (Thursday)NET ranking: 78Comment: For those unfamiliar, Utah Valley’s coach is Mark Madsen, the former Stanford star who spent six years on the Lakers’ staff. He could be coaching the Pac-12 eventually.
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*** 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.
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