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.
1. Utah State (18-2/8-1 Mountain West)
Last week: 1
Results: beat Nevada 90-69, won at Air Force 87-58
NET ranking: 31
Next up: vs. UNLV (Wednesday)
Comment: The Aggies better not overlook UNLV in anticipation of their showdown with New Mexico (Saturday) for supremacy at the midway point. To that end, the recent three-point loss in Las Vegas should assist with motivation.
2. Arizona (13-6/7-1 Big 12)
Last week: 2
Results: won at Oklahoma State 92-78, beat Colorado 78-63
NET ranking: 16
Next up: vs. Iowa State (Monday)
Comment: A lengthy stretch loaded with second-tier foes is over. Now comes a month-long gauntlet of matchups with major implications for the Big 12 race, NCAA Tournament seeding and the Wildcats’ overall confidence. Which is exactly the way the stretch run should be.
3. Gonzaga (15-6/6-2 West Coast Conference)
Last week: 3
Results: won at Portland 105-62
NET ranking: 15
Next up: vs. Oregon State (Tuesday)
Comment: No chance the Zags take OSU for granted with Saint Mary’s looming — not after their substandard defensive performance in the first matchup. (The Beavers shot 58.5 percent from the field and scored 97 points, albeit with overtime.) In fact, we foresee the visitors struggling to break 70 in Spokane.
4. UCLA (14-6/5-4 Big Ten)
Last week: 5
Results: beat Wisconsin 85-83, won at Washington 65-60
NET ranking: 33
Next up: at USC (Monday)
Comment: The Bruins are 14-2 in the Pacific Time Zone and 2-4 elsewhere. They had best become more effective travelers before the NCAAs. Only one first-round site (Seattle) is on the West Coast.
5. Saint Mary’s (18-3/8-0 West Coast Conference)
Last week: 6
Results: beat San Francisco 71-51, won at Washington State 80-75
NET ranking: 23
Next up: at Santa Clara (Wednesday)
Comment: The NET ranking is fairly remarkable considering the Gaels have no Quadrant I results on their resume. Every other team in the top 75 has at least one.
6. New Mexico (17-4/9-1 Mountain West)
Last week: 8
Results: beat Fresno State 95-67, won at UNLV 75-73
NET ranking: 56
Next up: at Utah State (Saturday)
Comment: It says a little about the Lobos and a lot about the Mountain West that they’re atop the standings but hovering in the 50s in both the performance-based and predictive metrics. And none of what it says is all that flattering.
7. Oregon (16-4/5-4 Big Ten)
Last week: 4
Results: beat Washington 82-71, lost at Minnesota 77-69
NET ranking: 27
Next up: at UCLA (Thursday)
Comment: Despite their conference record, the Ducks are tracking for a top-four seed in the NCAAs based on early-season wins over Texas A&M, San Diego State and Alabama. But a few more meh performances, like the one Saturday in Minneapolis, and they can kiss a top-four goodbye.
8. San Diego State (13-5/6-3 Mountain West)
Last week: 9
Results: won at Air Force 77-76 (OT) and Nevada 69-50
NET ranking: 41
Next up: vs. San Jose State (Tuesday)
Comment: Wayne McKinney III’s buzzer-beating layup in overtime enabled the Aztecs to avoid what would have been a Quadrant 37 defeat at Air Force. (We’re joking about the Quadrant number, of course, but not about the damage a loss in Colorado Springs would have done to SDSU’s resume.)
9. Brigham Young (13-6/4-4 Big 12)
Last week: 10
Results: won at Colorado 83-67, beat Cincinnati 80-52
NET ranking: 38
Next up: vs. Baylor (Tuesday)
Comment: Hard to make the case BYU deserves an at-large bid at this point with zero Quadrant I wins, the No. 348 non-conference strength-of-schedule (per KenPom.com) and 10 victories against Quadrant III and IV opponents.
10. Stanford (14-6/6-3 ACC)
Last week: 12
Results: beat Miami 88-51 and Florida State 78-71
NET ranking: 70
Next up: vs. Syracuse (Wednesday)
Comment: The easy explanation for Stanford’s success — an substantial upgrade in the caliber of coaching — happens to be the accurate explanation.
11. Washington State (15-7/5-4 West Coast Conference)
Last week: 7
Results: lost at Santa Clara 93-65 and to Saint Mary’s 80-75
NET ranking: 87
Next up: at Pacific (Thursday)
Comment: Tough stretch ahead for the Cougars with three in a row on the road (and four of the next five). But they finish with three of the last four at home.
12. Boise State (13-7/5-4 Mountain West)
Last week: 11
Results: lost at Colorado State 75-72
NET ranking: 52
Next up: vs. Nevada (Wednesday)
Comment: When results-based metrics like the NET and the predictive metrics are in sync — the Broncos are No. 55 in the Pomeroy Ratings — you know a team is accurately positioned. In this case, the position is on the outskirts of the NCAA bubble.
13. Colorado State (13-7/7-2 Mountain West)
Last week: Not ranked
Results: beat Boise State 75-72, won at Fresno State 69-64
NET ranking: 80
Next up: vs. Air Force
Comment: If the Rams hold their lofty ground in the Mountain West standings through a triple-whammy against New Mexico, San Diego State and Utah State, we will be deeply impressed.
14. Oregon State (16-6/6-3 West Coast Conference)
Last week: Not ranked
Results: beat Pepperdine 83-63 and Santa Clara 83-69
NET ranking: 54
Next up: at Gonzaga (Tuesday)
Comment: Pro tip: Whatever the betting line is Tuesday night, give the points.
15. Arizona State (11-8/2-6 Big 12)
Last week: Not ranked
Results: won at West Virginia 65-57, lost to Iowa State 76-61
NET ranking: 60
Next up: at Colorado (Tuesday)
Comment: Rapidly dwindling number of opportunities for the Sun Devils to collect the Quadrant I wins needed to supercharge their resume.
Also considered: Grand Canyon, Montana, Northern Colorado, Santa Clara, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, San Francisco, UNLV, USC, Utah and Utah Valley
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