The Best of the West offers fans a candid assessment of the top teams in the western third of the country — a collection that includes the Mountain West and the former Pac-12 schools now scattered across the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and West Coast Conference.
The rankings will be published weekly throughout the regular season.
(Results through Tuesday.)
1. USC (25-2, 16-1 Big Ten)
Last week: 1
Results: beat Michigan State 83-75 and Illinois 76-66
NET: No. 6
Up next: at UCLA (Saturday)
Comment: The Trojans were pushed twice at home and survived largely thanks to JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen, who each have nine games of at least 20 points. They combined for 52 against Michigan State and 44 against Illinois. USC is No. 4 in the AP poll and No. 1 in the Hotline rankings for a second straight week ahead of the rematch with UCLA (6 p.m. on Fox).
2. UCLA (26-1, 15-1 Big Ten)
Last week: 2
Results: beat Illinois 70-55, won at Iowa 67-65
NET: No. 5
Up next: at Wisconsin (Wednesday)
Comment: The No. 2-ranked Bruins averted the fate that befell USC – a loss at Iowa – by the slimmest of margins in a game tied with three seconds left, before Elina Aarnisalo hit two free throws. The Hawkeyes then missed a 3-point attempt. Lauren Betts had 22 points and 12 rebounds, her 14th double-double. She and USC’s Watkins were named co-Big Ten Players of the Week.
3. Utah (21-6, 12-4 Big 12)
Last week: 3
Results: won at Cincinnati 92-65
NET: No. 20
Up next: at West Virginia (Wednesday)
Comment: The Utes bounced back big from a home loss to No. 21 Oklahoma State with their second straight 90-point road win. Gianna Kneepkens scored 25 points with six 3-pointers, and Kennady McQueen had 17 in her school-record 139th game. Utah is third among others receiving votes outside the AP Top 25.
4. UNLV (22-5, 14-1 Mountain West)
Last week: 6
Results: won at Colorado State 69-65
NET: No. 47
Up next: vs. Boise State (Wednesday)
Comment: The Rebels clinched at least a share of the Mountain West title by completing a season sweep of Colorado State. They are three games ahead of CSU and Wyoming with three games remaining. Four players reached double figures in scoring against the Rams.
5. Cal (22-7, 10-6 Atlantic Coast Conference)
Last week: 4
Results: won at Virginia 76-70, lost at Virginia Tech 87-84
NET: No. 40
Up next: vs. Georgia Tech (Thursday)
Comment: Unable to complete an ACC road sweep, the Bears dropped one spot in the Best of the West rankings. They still are receiving AP votes in the poll. Ioanna Krimili made six 3-pointers for the 27th time in her career against Virginia and surpassed 2,500 career points.
6. Oregon (19-9, 10-7 Big Ten)
Last week: 5
Results: lost at Nebraska 94-90 (OT), beat Rutgers 77-58
NET: No. 37
Up next: at Washington (Sunday)
Comment: The Ducks are down one spot in the Best of the West after their split, which included a 12-point, third-quarter lead turning into an overtime loss in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers hit a 3-pointer to force overtime, then four more in the extra frame. Phillipina Kyei had 20 points and 25 rebounds, third most in school history, against Rutgers.
7. Montana State (25-2, 15-0 Big Sky)
Last week: 7
Results: beat Montana 98-66
NET: No. 53
Up next: vs. Portland State (Thursday)
Comment: The Bobcats blew out rival Montana for a school-record 18th consecutive win, breaking a tie with the 1987-88 and 2019-20 teams. They won by 32 points, the most ever against the Grizzlies, after only a one-point win in the first meeting Jan. 25. On the gloomy side, starters Marah Dykstra and Dylan Phillip suffered injuries.
8. Grand Canyon (25-2, 12-0 WAC)
Last week: 8
Results: won at Cal Baptist 74-56
NET: No. 63
Up next: at UT Arlington (Thursday)
Comment: The Antelopes clinched at least a share of their first WAC title with their 23rd consecutive win and 25th overall, a Division I record for the schools. They can wrap up an outright conference crown Thursday by completing a sweep over UT Arlington. GCU has not lost since Nov. 18 at Oregon.
9. Portland (26-3, 15-3 West Coast Conference)
Last week: 10
Results: beat San Diego 81-65 and Santa Clara 73-66
NET: No. 78
Up next: at San Francisco (Thursday)
Comment: The Pilots jumped Gonzaga in the Best of the West rankings after moving into a tie for first place. Alexis Mark had 23 points and 11 rebounds against Santa Clara and is the WCC’s Player of the Week. Portland needed a late 9-0 run to put away Santa Clara for its 10th straight win.
10. Gonzaga (20-9, 15-3 WCC)
Last week: 9
Results: beat Saint Mary’s 60-53, lost to San Francisco 70-68
NET: No. 115
Up next: at Pacific (Thursday)
Comment: The Zags’ 14-game winning streak ended against San Francisco, creating a tie with Portland atop the WCC with two games remaining for both. The Zags are 2-0 against Portland, the wins by a combined six points.
11. Northern Arizona (23-6, 14-2 Big Sky)
Last week: 12
Results: won at Idaho 70-65 and Eastern Washington 88-77
NET: No. 87
Up next: at Northern Colorado (Saturday)
Comment: The Lumberjacks are on a five-game winning streak but are still two games behind Montana State in the Big Sky with two left. Sophie Glancey had 25 points and 12 rebounds against Eastern Washington, her 15th double-double.
12. Arizona (18-12, 9-8 Big 12)
Last week: 13
Results: beat BYU 65-57, won at Houston 74-72 (OT), beat Texas Tech 66-57
NET: No. 59
Up next: at Arizona State (Saturday)
Comment: The Wildcats swept three lower Big 12 opponents and remained on the NCAA Tournament bubble per ESPN’s bracketology. On Tuesday, they led almost the entire second half with Paulina Paris and Montaya Dew combining for 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists off the bench.
13. Colorado (17-10, 8-8 Big 12)
Last week: 11
Results: lost to Baylor 84-62 and at Oklahoma State 82-65
NET: No. 65
Up next: vs. Arizona State (Wednesday)
Comment: Coming off two losses to ranked opponents, the Buffaloes are on the NCAA Tournament bubble, per ESPN, and in need of wins this week against two sub-.500 teams (ASU and Texas Tech). Kindyll Wetta returned from injury against Oklahoma State, but Colorado still was missing several key players.
14. Washington (16-12, 7-9 Big Ten)
Last week: Not ranked
Results: beat Rutgers 83-65, won at Nebraska 83-62
NET: 44
Up next: at Minnesota (Wednesday)
Comment: The Huskies posted two solid Big Ten victories and are among the final four teams into the NCAA Tournament field (per ESPN). And they are back in the Best of the West after a week out. Elle Ladine scored 28 points in each game.
15. Colorado State (20-8, 11-4 Mountain West)
Last week: 15
Results: beat Fresno State 68-48, lost to UNLV 69-65
NET: No. 83
Up next: at Nevada (Wednesday)
Comment: The Rams nearly upset UNLV, a quality loss that enables them to cling to the final spot ahead of Stanford, which beat Virginia Tech in overtime then lost by 20 to Virginia. Marta Leimane missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 11 seconds left as CSU’s five-game winning streak ended.
Also considered: Stanford, Hawaii and Wyoming
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