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.
(NET rankings through Monday)
1. Gonzaga (7-2)
Last week: 1
Results: lost to Kentucky 90-89 (OT)
NET ranking: 3
Next up: vs. Connecticut (Saturday)
Comment: Tough to demote the Zags for an overtime loss to Big Blue, even though they squandered a huge halftime lead. But it’s doubly difficult when none of the contenders for the top spot recorded a high-level victory to justify an upward move.
2. Arizona State (8-1)
Last week: 3
Results: Did not play
NET ranking: 34
Next up: vs. Florida (Saturday)
Comment: Any other year, we would examine the Sun Devils’ resume and, without hesitation, proclaim ASU a basketball school.
3. San Diego State (6-2)
Last week: 4
Results: beat Fresno State 84-62 and San Diego 74-57
NET ranking: 41
Next up: vs. Cal Baptist (Wednesday)
Comment: Might as well circle the Aztecs’ conference home opener in two weeks against Utah State. It could be a preview of the Mountain West championship game.
4. UCLA (8-1, 2-0 Big Ten)
Last week: 9
Results: beat Oregon 73-71
NET ranking: 14
Next up: vs. Arizona in Phoenix (Saturday)
Comment: Kudos to Arizona and UCLA officials for finding a way to continue the best basketball rivalry in the West despite the breakup of the Pac-12. The sport is better for it.
5. Oregon (9-1, 1-1 Big Ten)
Last week: 2
Results: beat USC 68-60, lost to UCLA 73-71
NET ranking: 15
Next up: vs. Stephen F Austin (Sunday)
Comment: It had to end sometime. After 22 consecutive wins by Oregon’s football and men’s basketball teams during the 2024-25 competition season, the Ducks finally lost. On the court, not the field.
6. Saint Mary’s (9-1)
Last week: 5
Results: beat Utah 72-63
NET ranking: 33
Next up: vs. Boise State (Saturday)
Comment: Easy to see the endgame: SMC will need both Utah and USC to rack up quality wins in the Big 12 and Big Ten, respectively, to bolster its resume for the NCAAs.
7. Utah State (9-0, 1-0 Mountain West)
Last week: 6
Results: beat Wyoming 70-67 and Utah Tech 92-62
NET ranking: 20
Next up: vs. South Florida (Saturday)
Comment: We aren’t prepared to count Iowa as an A-level victory for the Aggies just yet. Let’s see how the Hawkeyes fare against Iowa State on Thursday.
8. Colorado (7-2)
Last week: 7
Results: beat Colorado State 72-55
NET ranking: 81
Next up: vs. South Dakota State (Friday)
Comment: With Bellarmine following SDSU on the schedule, the Buffaloes should be 9-2 when Big 12 play begins. How many conference games will it take for their overall record to slide to .500?
9. Washington State (8-2)
Last week: 13
Results: beat Boise State 74-69
NET ranking: 66
Next up: vs. Missouri State (Saturday)
Comment: If you’re scoring at home — and we most definitely are — the Cougars have swept three duels with Mountain West opponents. That helps WSU’s resume, and it helps the WCC.
10. Arizona (4-4)
Last week: 12
Results: beat Southern Utah 102-66
NET ranking: 45
Next up: vs. UCLA in Phoenix (Saturday)
Comment: The former Pac-12 rivals are scheduled to meet in Las Vegas next season and in Los Angeles in 2027 at an undetermined site (but not Pauley Pavilion).
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11. New Mexico (7-3, 1-0 Mountain West)
Last week: 8
Results: beat San Jose State 83-77, lost to New Mexico State 89-83
NET ranking: 87
Next up: vs. Western New Mexico (Saturday)
Comment: The win over UCLA looks better and better. The loss to NMSU looks bad, any way you slice it.
12. Nevada (6-3)
Last week: 10
Results: lost to LMU 68-64
NET ranking: 59
Next up: vs. South Dakota State (Wednesday)
Comment: One bad loss won’t obliterate Nevada’s resume. But two might. The Wolf Pack cannot afford another stumble against a third-tier opponent.
13. UC Irvine (9-0, 1-0 Big West)
Last week: 14
Results: beat Cal State Bakersfield 82-66
NET ranking: 26
Next up: at Oregon State (Saturday)
Comment: Teams with a lower NET ranking than the Anteaters: Purdue, North Carolina, Arizona and Texas. It might not last, but it looks darn good right now.
14. Brigham Young (6-2)
Last week: 15
Results: Did not play
NET ranking: 61
Next up: vs. Fresno State (Wednesday)
Comment: The No. 1 recruit in the country, A.J. Dybantsa, is headed to Provo, and we aren’t talking about cross country.
15. Stanford (8-2)
Last week: Not ranked
Results: beat Cal 89-81
NET ranking: 74
Next up: vs. Merrimack (Tuesday)
Comment: Winning in Berkeley doesn’t completely offset losing at home to Cal Poly, but it helps.
Also considered: Boise State, Cal, Grand Canyon, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Oregon State, San Francisco, Southern Utah, UC Santa Barbara, Utah, Washington and Wyoming
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