ESPN updates Pac-12 basketball power rankings

The Pac-12 has featured some of the biggest showdowns of the college basketball season thus far. From Arizona being one of the best teams in the nation, to USC and UCLA hovering around the elites, it’s been exciting to stay up late and watch the conference. As the season advances, ESPN updated their Pac-12 basketball power rankings 

To illustrate, ESPN ranks teams using their Basketball Power Index — a metric that ranks every team in the country. While it factors in a bevy of statistics, the data makes the final decision on the rankings.

Of course, the rankings are fluid. On Wednesday, there’s one Pac-12 game that could spice things up between two teams looking for a spark, as California travels to take on Oregon State.

Here are the full Pac-12 basketball power rankings, courtesy of ESPN.

Pac-12 Basketball Power Rankings:

1) Arizona Wildcats (20-2)
2) UCLA Bruins (17-4)
3) USC Trojans (20-4)
4) Washington State Cougars (14-7)
5) Oregon Ducks (15-7)
6) Stanford Cardinal (14-9)
7) Colorado Buffaloes (14-9)
8) Arizona State Sun Devils (7-14)
9) California Golden Bears (9-15)
10) Utah Utes (9-15)
11) Washington Huskies (12-9)
12) Oregon State Beavers (3-17)

First, Arizona has continued their furious ascent up the college basketball world. Since the beginning of February, there’s been no team hotter in the Pac-12, or the sport in general. The Wildcats first took care of business against the UCLA Bruins. Then, the team handily defeated the USC Trojans. Finally, they avoided upset against their in-state rivals — defeated Arizona State on the road.

Elsewhere, USC and UCLA rebounded with victories earlier this week. While USC took care of business against Pacific, UCLA defeated Stanford on the road.

Moreover, Washington State continues to climb. The Cougars have been on fire, winning their last four showdown. However, their biggest game of the season comes on Thursday — Arizona comes to town for a Pac-12 showdown.

As you can see, the stakes are heating up within the Pac-12. As the season reaches its zenith, there are plenty of twists and turns that could take place from now until March.