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. USC (26-2/17-1 Big Ten)
Last week: 1
Results: beat UCLA 80-67
NET ranking: 6
Up next: Big Ten tournament (Friday)
Comment: The Hotline promoted USC to No. 1 after the Trojans beat UCLA on Feb. 13, and they followed through with a second rivalry win to overtake the Bruins in AP Top 25. (USC is No. 2, its highest ranking since Jan. ’86). JuJu Watkins scored 23 of her 30 points in the first half as the Trojans took a 14-point lead and was named Big Ten Player of the Week for the seventh time.
2. UCLA (27-2/16-2 Big Ten)
Last week: 2
Results: won at Wisconsin 91-61, lost to USC 80-67
NET ranking: 5
Up next: Big Ten tournament (Friday)
Comment: The fourth-ranked Bruins started strong in the third quarter at home against USC, cutting a 14-point deficit to four. But the Trojans closed the third on a 9-0 run and retained control in the fourth. UCLA did have to play a road game three days earlier while USC could focus entirely on the rivalry rematch. Both schools are in position to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
3. Cal (24-7/12-6 ACC)
Last week: 5
Results: beat Georgia Tech 79-65 and Miami 82-63
NET ranking: 38
Up next: ACC tournament (Thursday)
Comment: Cal bounced back from a loss at Virginia Tech with two solid victories at home, where the Bears are 16-1 — a single-season school record for home wins. Michelle Onyiah had a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds against Miami. Cal will face the Virginia-Pitt winner in the ACC tournament’s second round, then potentially Notre Dame in the quarterfinals.
4. Utah (22-7/13-5 Big 12)
Last week: 3
Results: lost at West Virginia 75-46, beat BYU 76-73 (OT)
NET ranking: 23
Up next: Big 12 tournament (Thursday)
Comment: Off a Jenna Johnson steal late in overtime, Maty Wilke made a buzzer-beater from half court to give the Utes a season sweep over rival BYU. (That erased some of the sting from a one-sided loss to No. 16 West Virginia.) Utah will meet the Texas Tech-Kansas winner in the Big 12 tournament’s second round.
5. UNLV (24-5/16-1 Mountain West)
Last week: 4
Results: beat Boise State 83-53 and San Jose State 89-56
NET ranking: 46
Up next: at Wyoming (Wednesday)
Comment: The Rebels wrapped up a fourth consecutive Mountain West regular-season title with their win over Boise State, the first such streak since Colorado State won four in a row from 2014-17. They have an eight-game winning streak entering the regular-season finale in Laramie. Their Mountain West tournament opener is Monday. Meadow Roland is the conference’s Freshman of the Week for the fourth time.
6. Oregon (19-10/10-8 Big Ten)
Last week: 6
Results: lost at Washington 64-56
NET ranking: 40
Up next: vs. Indiana in the Big Ten tournament (Thursday)
Comment: Despite a loss in their regular-season finale, the No. 8 seed Ducks have an opening-round bye in the conference tournament before facing No. 9 Indiana. Oregon beat the Hoosiers 54-47 on Jan. 24 in Eugene, but the location shifts to Indianapolis. ESPN projects both teams as No. 10 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, so the loser could drop to the bubble.
7. Grand Canyon (27-2/14-0 WAC)
Last week: 8
Results: won at UT Arlington 72-59, beat Seattle 82-52
NET ranking: 63
Up next: at Utah Tech (Thursday)
Comment: With a 25-game winning streak — tops in the nation — and an 18-0 record at home, plus the WAC regular-season title and wins over Arizona and Arizona State, the Antelopes already have checked off many of their biggest goals. Next would be winning their final two regular-season games to reach 29, tying the 2010-11 team for the school record.
8. Montana State (27-3/17-1 Big Sky)
Last week: 7
Results: beat Portland State 78-49, lost to Sacramento State 73-69, won at Idaho 67-54
NET ranking: 55
Up next: Big Sky tournament (Sunday)
Comment: The Bobcats clinched first place in the Big Sky on Monday, finishing one game ahead of Northern Arizona. They rebounded from their first loss since Dec. 7 (to Sacramento State on Saturday), to collect a victory at Idaho for their 11th consecutive road win. Montana State’s 27 wins are a school record.
9. Portland (28-3/17-3 WCC)
Last week: 9
Results: won at San Francisco 68-67 and Pacific 94-88 (OT)
NET ranking: 80
Up next: WCC tournament (Monday)
Comment: The Pilots finished as WCC regular-season co-champions and are the No. 2 tournament seed behind Gonzaga. They have a 12-game winning streak after two more nail-biting wins. The victory over Pacific came courtesy of 48 points from the foul line (out of 56 attempted). That’s the most made free throws in Division I since 2013.
10. Gonzaga (22-9/17-3 WCC)
Last week: 10
Results: won at Pacific 72-56 and Santa Clara 68-61
NET ranking: 110
Up next: WCC tournament (Monday)
Comment: As WCC co-champion, Gonzaga has claimed three straight regular-season titles and 20 overall. The Zags have won 16 of their last 17 games since a 6-8 start. Allie Turner is the WCC Freshman of the Week for the eighth time after scoring a season-high 23 against Santa Clara.
11. Northern Arizona (25-6/16-2 Big Sky)
Last week: 11
Results: won at Northern Colorado 80-70, beat Idaho State 83-71
NET ranking: 90
Up next: Big Sky tournament (Sunday)
Comment: Sophie Glancey and Taylor Feldman each scored 23 points against Idaho State on Monday as the Lumberjacks posted their seventh consecutive win and school record 25th in the regular season. Their 16-2 mark in the Big Sky is also a school best. NAU will be the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament in Boise.
12. Washington (18-12/9-9 Big Ten)
Last week: 14
Results: won at Minnesota 72-62, beat Oregon 64-56, beat Minnesota 79-65 in Big Ten tournament
NET ranking: 43
Up next: vs. Michigan in the Big Ten tournament (Thursday)
Comment: The Huskies closed the regular season on a four-game winning streak, including a victory over Oregon that secured a season split with the Ducks. They are seeded 12th in the Big Ten tournament and, with the win over Minnesota, face fifth-seeded Michigan in the second round. ESPN projects the Huskies as one of the final four teams into the NCAA Tournament.
13. Arizona (19-12/10-8 Big 12)
Last week: 12
Results: won at Arizona State 71-59
NET ranking: 56
Up next: Big 12 tournament (Thursday)
Comment: Arizona’s win over ASU, combined with Colorado’s loss to Texas Tech, gives the Wildcats a bye in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament. They will play No. 9 Colorado in the second round if the Buffaloes win Wednesday (against Houston). Montaya Dew is out for the season with a knee injury suffered Feb. 25. Arizona has won four straight and remains on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
14. Stanford (16-13/8-10 ACC)
Last week: Not ranked
Results: beat Miami 86-69 and Georgia Tech 87-82
NET ranking: 48
Up next: vs. Clemson in the ACC tournament (Wednesday)
Comment: The Cardinal are back in the Best of the West for the second time in three weeks thanks to a weekend home sweep. Stanford shot 61.4 percent against Georgia Tech to finish 14-3 at home, even in a disappointing season. A victory in the ACC tournament would put the Cardinal up against Louisville in the second round.
15. Wyoming (19-10/13-4 Mountain West)
Last week: Not ranked
Results: beat New Mexico 59-40, won at Colorado State 68-55
NET ranking: 79
Up next: vs. UNLV (Wednesday)
Comment: After four weeks just outside the Best of the West, Wyoming broke through with a road win over Colorado State (and moved into second place in the Mountain West). Allyson Fertig had 14 points and 14 rebounds against the Rams. Wyoming is 8-1 since Jan. 29.
Also considered: Colorado, Colorado State, Hawaii
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