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 each Monday through the remainder of the regular season.
Three weeks from Selection Sunday, the state of Utah is tracking for three NCAA Tournament bids. Brigham Young and Utah State are nearing lock status after significant weekend victories over Arizona and San Diego State, respectively. And Utah Valley leads the WAC race, placing the Wolverines in position for an automatic bid.
Three bids to March Madness would constitute a 43 percent hit rate in a state with seven Division I programs and form the foundation for the following Hotline hypothesis:
Pound for pound — or school for school, in this instance — Utah is home to the best college basketball in the western half of the country.
It certainly isn’t California where mediocrity is pervasive. Or top-heavy states like Arizona, Oregon and Washington. Nevada and Colorado aren’t up to the competitive standard in Utah, either.
That said, the overall quality of play in the Beehive State was not on our college basketball bingo card for 2024-25:
— Brigham Young was picked ninth in the Big 12 preseason media poll with new coach Kevin Young and without last year’s leading scorer, Jaxson Robinson.
But following their victory at Arizona, the Cougars are alone in fifth place and have enough quality wins to offset their weak non-conference schedule.
If they avoid bad losses down the stretch, an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament should follow.
— Utah State was slotted sixth in the Mountain West after losing coach Danny Sprinkle (to Washington) and numerous rotation players last spring.
But the Aggies are a half-game out of first and likely would be seeded No. 8 or 9 if the tournament were selected today.
That’s more than good enough for an at-large berth if they don’t win the Mountain West’s automatic bid.
— Utah is not tracking for the NCAAs, but the Utes arguably have outperformed expectations to a greater degree than any team in the Big 12.
Pegged for last in the 16-school conference — and that forecast seemed accurate when they opened conference play with three consecutive lopsided losses — the Utes are tied for eighth place and have several winnable games remaining.
Coach Craig Smith, under pressure to succeed in his fourth season, seemingly has done enough to secure Year Five.
— Don’t forget about Utah Valley, which was projected to finish fifth in the WAC but stands alone at the top with a 1.5-game lead over preseason favorite Grand Canyon.
The Wolverines must win the conference tournament to qualify for the NCAAs, but that task seems well within reach considering they split the season series with GCU.
Three other schools in Utah have struggled this season (Weber State, Utah Tech and Southern Utah). But the breakthroughs unfolding in Provo and Logan, in particular, have elevated the overall quality of play.
This side of Texas, no state can match Utah’s performance on a school-for-school basis.
To the Best of the West …
1. Arizona (18-9/12-4 Big 12)
Last week: 1
Results: won at Baylor 74-67, lost to Brigham Young 96-95
NET ranking: 9
Next up: vs. Utah (Wednesday)
Comment: Three things, equally true about the loss to BYU: 1) It was an abysmal call by official Tony Padilla; 2) Give up 94 at home and you’re asking for trouble in the final seconds; 3) The loss won’t impact Arizona’s seed in the NCAAs by more than one line, if at all.
2. Saint Mary’s (25-4/15-1 West Coast Conference)
Last week: 4
Results: beat Portland 79-66, won at Gonzaga 74-67
NET ranking: 16
Next up: at LMU (Thursday)
Comment: Two of several firsts for the Gaels: They are back-to-back outright WCC champions (regular season) for the first time; and they swept Gonzaga for the first time since 2016. And not for nothing, they are a one-point loss at San Francisco from being undefeated in league play.
3. New Mexico (22-5/14-2 Mountain West)
Last week: 2
Results: lost at Boise State 86-78
NET ranking: 42
Next up: at San Diego State (Tuesday)
Comment: With a one-game lead in the loss column and a fairly soft finish (Air Force, UNLV and Nevada), the Lobos are effectively a victory at SDSU away from securing the No. 1 seed in the Mountain West tournament.
4. Utah State (24-4/14-3 Mountain West)
Last week: 5
Results: beat San Jose State 105-57 and San Diego State 79-71
NET ranking: 33
Next up: at Boise State (Wednesday)
Comment: Speaking of narrow margins, three of Utah’s State’s losses (UC San Diego, UNLV and the second New Mexico game) were by a total of eight points. That dearth of bad losses is one of several reasons the Aggies are approaching lock status for the NCAAs.
5. Brigham Young (19-8/10-6 Big 12)
Last week: 7
Results: beat Kansas 91-57, won at Arizona 96-95
NET ranking: 29
Next up: at Arizona State (Wednesday)
Comment: Whatever was said (or done) between the blowout loss at Cincinnati on Feb. 8 and the victory at West Virginia three days later, it has changed the season’s trajectory. The Cougars have not lost since and look like a threat for the Sweet 16.
6. UCLA (20-8/11-6 Big Ten)
Last week: 3
Results: lost to Minnesota 64-61, beat Ohio State 69-61
NET ranking: 25
Next up: at Purdue (Friday)
Comment: Mick Cronin finally has company as USC coach Eric Musselman went into detail about the Big Ten logistical challenges faced by the West Coast schools and what it means for the athletes’ schedules. “We’re in the hole two-to-four games based on travel,” he told USCfootball.com.
7. Oregon (20-8/9-8 Big Ten)
Last week: 9
Results: won at Iowa 80-78 and Wisconsin 77-73 (OT)
NET ranking: 32
Next up: vs. USC (Saturday)
Comment: The Ducks will celebrate the thunderous win at Wisconsin with their longest break (seven days) of the conference season. We aren’t sure if that’s good or bad. Momentum could fade, but the week off eliminates the likelihood of any Madison hangover.
8. Boise State (19-8/11-5 Mountain West)
Last week: 8
Results: beat New Mexico 86-78, won at Nevada 70-69
NET ranking: 46
Next up: vs. Utah State (Wednesday)
Comment: The Mountain West’s schedule-maker did a first-class job stacking the stretch run with must-see games. Some of that is good fortune, but there’s also a strategic element the conference got absolutely correct.
9. Gonzaga (21-8/12-4 West Coast Conference)
Last week: 6
Results: won at Washington State 84-63, lost to Saint Mary’s 74-67
NET ranking: 10
Next up: at Santa Clara (Tuesday)
Comment: The regular-season title is out of reach, but the Bulldogs have plenty to play for. In addition to attaining the best NCAA Tournament seed possible, they need wins this week in the Bay Area to secure a bye into the WCC semifinals. Who would have ever guessed that would be an issue?
10. San Diego State (18-7/11-5 Mountain West)
Last week: 10
Results: beat Fresno State 83-60, lost at Utah State 79-71
NET ranking: 49
Next up: vs. New Mexico (Tuesday)
Comment: The analytics confirm what you see: The Aztecs are No. 10 nationally in defensive efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions) but No. 120 offensively. The former ranking is worthy of the Final Four; the latter is indicative of an NIT appearance. Mash ’em together, and you get a bubble team.
11. Colorado State (18-9/12-4 Mountain West)
Last week: 11
Results: beat Nevada 79-71, won at UNLV 61-53
NET ranking: 62
Next up: at Air Force (Tuesday)
Comment: There is much to be said for winning the games you’re supposed to win. But that can be easily offset by losing a few you shouldn’t.
12. UC San Diego (24-4/14-2 Big West)
Last week: 13
Results: won at Cal Poly 81-67, beat Hawaii 83-44
NET ranking: 36
Next up: at Cal State Northridge (Thursday)
Comment: With 30-something positions in both the NET and the KenPom ratings, plus a victory over Utah State, the Tritons are on the outskirts of the NCAA bubble. If the only loss down the stretch comes in the finals of the Big West tournament (to UC Irvine), they will be part of the at-large discussion. Unreal.
13. San Francisco (22-7/12-4 West Coast Conference)
Last week: 12
Results: beat Pacific 71-58
NET ranking: 61
Next up: at Oregon State (Wednesday)
Comment: Not sure we’d describe the mid-week trip to Corvallis as a traditional trap game, but it certainly requires USF’s full attention despite the looming season finale against Gonzaga on Saturday at the Chase Center.
14. Utah (15-12/7-9 Big 12)
Last week: 14
Results: beat Kansas State 74-69, lost at UCF 76-72
NET ranking: 73
Next up: at Arizona (Wednesday)
Comment: After the trip to Tucson, the Utes host ASU and West Virginia, then finish at BYU. Win two of those four, and coach Craig Smith will have nine conference wins — far more than most (including the Hotline) would have ever believed.
15. Santa Clara (19-10/11-5 West Coast Conference)
Last week: 15
Results: beat LMU 76-61, won at Washington State 109-79
NET ranking: 52
Next up: vs. Gonzaga (Tuesday)
Comment: With one more victory, Herb Sendek will secure his fifth-consecutive 20-win season with the Broncos (excluding 2020-21, when they played just 20 games). Santa Clara last accomplished that feat … never.
Also considered: Cal State Northridge, Grand Canyon, Montana, Northern Colorado, Stanford, UC Irvine and Utah Valley
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