Despite losses by the two top teams, there was not a real shake-up in the power rankings. This weekend's series between the Arizona teams and the Bay Area schools will go a long way to determine the final Pac-12 rankings.
1. Stanford (22-2, 11-1 Pac-12) Despite losing to Washington on Sunday, the No. 6 Cardinal still have a stranglehold on the conference. Led by senior forward Chiney Ogwumike, Stanford will not let one loss derail its road to glory.
2. ASU (20-4, 9-3 Pac-12) After a long stretch of winning close games, the No. 15 Sun Devils appeared to run out of gas against the Wildcats on Sunday. The veteran leadership along with the close-game experience should allow the Sun Devils to bounce back in the home stretch.
3. California (16-7, 8-4 Pac-12) The No. 22 Golden Bears' sweep in Washington last weekend will give them confidence heading into the last portion of the Pac-12 season. Losing four of six games made some people doubt Cal, but a solid finish could put the team back in a good seed come late March.
4. USC (15-9, 8-4 Pac-12) The Trojans broke a three-game losing streak with a win over rival UCLA Saturday. Senior forward Cassie Harberts' 18.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game this season have guided USC. The Trojans are on the brink of the tournament and could make it if they can impress the committee in the last few weekends.
5. Washington (13-10, 6-6 Pac-12) An upset win over Stanford brought the Huskies back to .500 in the conference, but they are just playing for positioning in the Pac-12 tournament and hoping to play spoiler for the fringe teams.
6. Washington State (12-12, 6-6 Pac-12) What happened to the Cougars? A 5-0 conference start had people believing in WSU, but six losses in the last seven games have all but derailed a once-promising season in Pullman.
7. Oregon State (15-9, 7-5 Pac-12) The backcourt duo of freshman guard Sydney Wiese and sophomore guard Jamie Weisner has carried the Beavers this season. The team has been consistently inconsistent this year, not having a winning or losing streak longer than four games.
8. Oregon (13-10, 4-8 Pac-12) Despite their high-volume scoring, the Ducks have not been able to outscore Pac-12 opponents the way they outscored teams out of conference. Despite freshman guard Chrishae Rowe and sophomore forward Jillian Alleyne each averaging more than 20 points per game, Oregon has been outscored by two points per game in the conference. 9. UCLA (11-13, 5-7 Pac-12) The Bruins had hung around .500 all season up until their recent stretch in which they lost four of their last five games, the worst stretch of the season to this point. 10. Colorado (14-9, 4-8 Pac-12) Speaking of disappointments, the Buffaloes were ranked as high as No. 11 in the AP Top 25, but an abysmal Pac-12 season has submarined Colorado out of any national conversation. 11. Utah (10-13, 3-9 Pac-12) Despite the efforts of senior forward Michelle Plouffe, who has averaged a double-double this season, the Utes have just not been very good this season. Utah has been outscored by 10 points per game in conference play and only Plouffe and freshman forward Emily Potter have consistently been productive.
12. UA (5-18, 1-11) Despite their big upset win over ASU Sunday, the Wildcats are still far removed from the rest of the Pac-12. The ASU game was UA's championship, and it did what it wanted to do: beat its rival.
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu and follow him on Twitter @Tonis_The_Tiger
