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 on the Hotline weekly throughout the regular season.
1. Gonzaga (7-1)
Last week: 1
Results: beat Indiana 89-73 and Davidson 90-65
NET ranking: No. 3
Next up: vs. Kentucky
Comment: Three mammoth Saturdays await with the Wildcats (in Seattle), UConn (in New York City) and UCLA (in Inglewood). That’s 25 national championships staring back at the Zags from the opposite bench.
2. Oregon (8-0)
Last week: 2
Results: beat San Diego State 78-68 and Alabama 83-81
NET ranking: No. 14
Next up: at USC (Wednesday)
Comment: Fourth-year big man Nate Bittle (14.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game) is rewarding the Ducks for their patience — and showing why he was a five-star prospect.
3. Arizona State (8-1)
Last week: 8
Results: beat New Mexico 85-82, Saint Mary’s 68-64 and San Diego 90-53
NET ranking: No. 30
Next up: vs. Florida (Dec. 14)
Comment: The Sun Devils have an NCAA Tournament-worthy resume locked in, as long as they maintain a reasonable level of success in the Big 12. And that won’t be easy.
4. San Diego State (4-2)
Last week: 4
Results: lost to Oregon 78-68, beat Houston 73-70
NET ranking: No. 60
Next up: at Fresno State (Wednesday)
Comment: SDSU’s low NET doesn’t reflect its resume, which includes wins over Creighton and Houston and no bad losses. It’s also proof that the early-season rankings should be paid little heed.
5. Saint Mary’s (8-1)
Last week: 3
Results: beat USC 71-36, lost to Arizona State 68-64, beat UTSA 82-74
NET ranking: No. 34
Next up: at Utah (Saturday)
Comment: The Gaels’ placement here underscores the emerging strength at the top of the region. In prior years, their resume would be good enough for the No. 2 or 3 ranking.
6. Utah State (7-0)
Last week: 5
Results: beat St. Bonaventure 72-67 and North Texas 61-57
NET ranking: No. 12
Next up: vs. Wyoming (Wednesday)
Comment: It’s plug-and-play for the Aggies and their head coaches: Out goes Ryan Odom, in comes Danny Sprinkle; out goes Sprinkle, in comes Jerrod Calhoun — and the wins just keep coming.
7. Colorado (6-2)
Last week: 6
Results: beat Pacific 75-66
NET ranking: No. 92
Next up: vs. Colorado State (Saturday)
Comment: Who figured CU’s victory over the two-time defending national champions (on Nov. 26) would carry such little weight — at least for now. If UConn (5-3) gains steam during Big East play, that assessment could change.
8. New Mexico (6-2)
Last week: 11
Results: lost to Arizona State 85-82, beat USC 83-73
NET ranking: No. 66
Next up: vs. San Jose State (Wednesday)
Comment: Given the soft upcoming schedule, there is no reason the Wolf Pack should take on additional losses before Mountain West play ramps up after Christmas.
9. UCLA (7-1)
Last week: 13
Results: beat Washington 69-58
NET ranking: No. 16
Next up: at Oregon (Sunday)
Comment: Five of the Bruins’ seven wins are of the Quadrant IV (i.e., lowest) variety, and the other two count as Quad III results. No, we cannot explain their lofty NET ranking.
10. Nevada (6-2)
Last week: 9
Results: lost to Washington State 68-57
NET ranking: No. 52
Next up: at LMU (Saturday)
Comment: The Wolf Pack are currently a ‘Last Four In’ team in the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN’s Bracketology. That isn’t meaningless — it indicates they have made it through one-quarter of the season without harming their chances.
11. Cal (6-2)
Last week: 10
Results: beat Mercyhurst 81-65, lost at Missouri 98-93
NET ranking: No. 79
Next up: vs. Stanford (Saturday)
Comment: The Bears are 0-2 against SEC teams (Vanderbilt and Mizzou) with a combined record of 14-2, and they are 6-0 against everyone else.
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12. Arizona (3-4)
Last week: 7
Results: beat Davidson 104-71, lost to Oklahoma 92-87 and West Virginia 83-76
NET ranking: No. 62
Next up: vs. Southern Utah (Saturday)
Comment: On the bright side: No chance of the Wildcats peaking too early.
13. Washington State (7-2)
Last week: Not ranked
Results: beat Nevada 68-57
NET ranking: No. 70
Next up: at Boise State (Saturday)
Comment: The Cougars’ first appearance of the season in Best of the West flows directly from their first quality win of the season.
14. UC Irvine (8-0)
Last week: Not ranked
Results: beat Kennesaw State 76-59, Kent State 51-39 and Towson 67-60
NET ranking: No. 29
Next up: vs. Cal State Bakersfield (Thursday)
Comment: Starting next week (at Oregon State), the Anteaters play five consecutive road games, including an East Coast swing. Their next home date is Jan. 4.
15. Brigham Young (6-2)
Last week: Not ranked
Results: beat NC State 72-61, lost to Mississippi 96-85 and Providence 83-64
NET ranking: No. 69
Next up: vs. Fresno State (Dec. 11)
Comment: The Cougars need all three of the aforementioned opponents to have first-rate seasons because their non-conference schedule is otherwise third-rate.
Also considered: Boise State, Grand Canyon, NAU, Northern Colorado, Oregon State, San Francisco, Southern Utah, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara, Utah, Washington and Wyoming
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