Typically, taking a team that just won a championship and slotting them second in a way-too-early kind of ranking is bad business. we do it all the time, though. With Arizona losing a trio of NBA Draft picks and UCLA returning a couple of potential All-Americans, the majority Pac-12 opinion entering the year was that the Bruins would be the top team and the Wildcats the runner-up — a swapping of spots from last season.

We’re three weeks into the season and Arizona looks like it has one of the best offenses in college basketball. Again. The Wildcats have yet to finish a game shooting under 50% from the field. They’re 6-0 with a Maui Invitational title in the trophy case while the Bruins are 3-2 after getting beat up at the Main Event in Vegas.

Could UCLA still win the league as predicted? Absolutely! The Pac-12 looks weak. Were we too quick and too harsh to predict a step back from Arizona? Looks that way.

Let’s get to the weekly Power Ranking.

12. California Golden Bears

Last week: 12th
Record: 0-5

I have a feeling the Bears are about to spend the entire season here. It’s the first 0-5 start to a season in Cal’s 115-year history. Cal hadn’t even started a season 0-4 in over 20 years. This team stinks.

11. Washington State Cougars

Last week: 11th
Record: 2-2

The Cougars had nearly a week off to sit and stew over a double-digit loss to Prairie View A&M. They came out on Monday and beat Eastern Washington at home by 26 points. In the win, Jabe Mullins scored a career-high 24 points while drilling eight of his 11 shots from 3-point range. As a team, the Cougars shot 15-for-30 from 3. Considering they shot 13-for-47 in the two games prior (both losses), it felt like a law of averages kind of shooting night. No idea what this Cougar team is yet.

10. Stanford Cardinal

Last week: 6th
Record: 2-3

The Cardinal have lost to three teams ranked inside KenPom’s top 53 and have beaten two teams outside KenPom’s top 200. Spencer Jones got it rolling a bit in the 72-68 loss to Ole Miss, but Michael Jones has completely lost his touch since the 31-point outburst in the Cardinal’s opener. Guard Michael O’Connell felt like a crucial piece for Stanford this season and he played his way out of the starting lineup and onto the bench after three games, replaced in the first five by sophomore Isa Silva in the last two games. Offensive playmaking seems to be fully on Harrison Ingram right now.

9. Oregon Ducks

Last week: 4th
Record: 2-3

Sort of like Stanford, Oregon’s two wins have come against teams they absolutely shouldn’t lose to and its three losses have mostly come to teams they could afford to lose to. Afford maybe isn’t the right word. Given what we thought of this Oregon team to open the year, you would like to see it have a bit better success in marquee early-season matchups. The Ducks lost by 10 to Houston (KenPom No. 2) last Sunday and then gave up 17 triples to UConn (KenPom No. 12) in a 24-point Thanksgiving loss. There are troubling signs here with the Ducks. Guard Will Richardson is a no-show to begin the year. He’s shooting 26% on 3s and has more turnovers (20) than assists (18), and given everything else going on, he’s having to play way outside himself. Quincy Guerrier and Rivaldo Soares are both sub-25% from 3 to start the year. Keeshawn Barthelemy is in a boot and out of the rotation for at least a month. Where’s the offense coming from?

8. Colorado Buffaloes

Last week: 8th
Record: 3-3

Be for real, Colorado. Like, seriously. Be for real. The Buffs haven’t won or lost consecutive games yet. Wins over ranked teams, losses to bad teams. The Buffs followed up a win over Texas A&M last Friday with a 13-point loss to Boise State last Sunday.

7. Oregon State Beavers

Last week: 10th
Record: 3-2

At the Phil Knight Legacy tournament on Thursday, Oregon State almost did the unthinkable. The Beavers led by as many as six points and spent 19 of the game’s 40 minutes in front of No. 8 Duke. They lost 54-51, but the key stat to know from the game: Duke shot 27% from the field. Portland State is the only team so far to shoot better than 40% from the field against Oregon State. The Vikings are also the only team to have played the Beavers so far and shot better than their season average. Four other opponents have all been below. The defense was atrocious last year. So far, the Beavs are 15th nationally in effective field goal percentage allowed and are giving up less than 40% on 2-point shots. Is this going to come crashing down? Perhaps. I was still impressed by the outing against the Blue Devils.

6. Utah Utes

Last week: 9th
Record: 4-2

Utah had a late lead over Mississippi State (KenPom No. 28) at the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Wednesday but couldn’t close the deal in a tight affair. The Bulldogs walked out with a 52-49 win. Branden Carlson was held scoreless in the game, the first time that’s happened since Jan. 16, 2021. Oppnents are shooting 33% against Utah to begin the year. The Bulldogs were at 25% even in a win. The Runnin’ Utes’ defense has been stout to begin the year. A big test awaits in one week when they host Arizona — we’ll get a sense then how real this start actually is.

5. USC Trojans

Last week: 5th
Record: 4-2

USC took Tennessee to overtime but was outscored 7-0 down the stretch to lose 73-66 on Thanksgiving. A six-point win over BYU the day prior was a nice result, though. USC committed 20 turnovers — six in the overtime period — that the Vols turned into 25 points. That makes 16 a game through the first six for a USC team averaging 15 assists.

4. Washington Huskies

Last week: 7th
Record: 5-1

Keion Brooks posted a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, PJ Fuller II made a game-tying shot to force overtime, and Washington managed to work around 23 turnovers to beat Saint Mary’s 68-64 on Thanksgiving in the championship game of the Wooden Legacy. It’s a tremendous win (the Gaels sit 25th in KenPom) for a conference that should be largely embarrassed by its non-conference results so far. The Husky zone has largely been working even with the roster overhaul. UW is fifth nationally in block percentage and top-30 in 3-point defense.

3. Arizona State Sun Devils

Last week: 3rd
Record: 5-1

The Sun Devils are playing excellent defense and beating up on who they’re supposed to beat up on. Remember Colorado’s loss to Grambling? Arizona State beat that same team by 31 points. Hurley has a squad this season and I’m anxious to see how things look once conference play begins. The Sun Devils get Colorado and Stanford first, so there’s a chance to build some confidence.

2. UCLA Bruins

Last week: 1st
Record: 4-2

All five Bruin starters scored in double-digits as UCLA rebounded from back-to-back losses in Las Vegas with a 100-53 win over Pepperdine on Wednesday. Maybe more encouraging from coach Mick Cronin’s perspective was the fact the Bruins held Pepperdine to 35% shooting from the field, 23% shooting from 3, and only gave up seven free throw attempts in the entire game. I’m fascinated by the start for point guard Tyger Campbell. His scoring is up, but his shooting has dipped and his 3-point shooting has cratered. He’s also getting to the free throw line at what is by far the worst rate of his career. There has obviously been an adjustment period for Campbell as Cronin pushes him to be more of a score-first guard.

1. Arizona Wildcats

Last week: 2nd
Record: 6-0

Arizona has played six games, two of them against KenPom top-20 teams. The Wildcats are shooting 60% on the season. SIXTY PERCENT. The frontcourt partnership of Oumar Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis looks like a problem and the insertion of Courtney Ramey into the lineup has been seamless. Say it with me: We will never doubt Tommy Lloyd again.