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.
Results through Tuesday
1. USC (23-2, 13-1 Big Ten)
Last week: 2
Results: beat UCLA 71-60, won at Washington 69-64
NET ranking: 6
Up next: vs. Michigan State (Wednesday)
Comment: For the first time since Nov. 20, the fourth-ranked Trojans are back atop the Best of the West after beating undefeated UCLA and rallying from 13 down late in the third quarter to beat Washington. JuJu Watkins’ stunning line against the Bruins (38 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, eight blocks) was the first of its kind in Division I since 2000. The sophomore already has more than 1,500 career points and again is Big Ten Player of the Week.
2. UCLA (24-1, 12-1 Big Ten)
Last week: 1
Results: lost at USC 71-60, beat Michigan State 75-69
NET ranking: 5
Up next: vs. Illinois (Thursday)
Comment: The Bruins led by five against USC after three quarters, only to be outscored 24-8 in the fourth. That first loss nearly became a second when, without the injured Lauren Betts, UCLA trailed No. 22 Michigan State with 2:14 left. Timea Gardiner hit a critical 3-pointer at 43 seconds, and Kiki Rice made free throws after a technical foul with 17 seconds left. The Bruins dropped two spots in the AP poll, to No. 3, but were No. 1 in the NCAA selection committee’s early top-16 seeding reveal (USC was No. 5).
3. Utah (20-6, 11-4 Big 12)
Last week: 3
Results: beat Colorado 77-60, won at Arizona State 98-62, lost to Oklahoma State 68-64
NET ranking: 22
Up next: at Cincinnati (Sunday)
Comment: The Utes were 18-of-32 from 3-point range in Tempe, the most ever against ASU. They turned around and were just 5-of-23 from behind the line against Oklahoma State and managed only eight points in the fourth quarter after leading by six after the third.
4. California (21-6, 9-5 ACC)
Last week: 4
Results: beat Boston College 72-63 and Syracuse 75-69
NET ranking: 40
Up next: at Virginia (Thursday)
Comment: The Bears improved to 14-1 at home, their best mark since 2012-13, and recorded their second ACC weekend sweep. Kayla Williams scored 21 in a hard-fought win over Syracuse, following Michelle Onyiah’s 21 against Boston College. This is Cal’s first 20-win season since 2018-19.
5. Oregon (18-8, 9-6 Big Ten)
Last week: 5
Results: beat Washington 68-67, won at Minnesota 76-70
NET ranking: 37
Up next: at Nebraska (Wednesday)
Comment: The Ducks’ two narrow wins solidify their NCAA Tournament credentials with just three regular-season games remaining. They led for only the final 12 seconds of the fourth quarter against Washington, then held on late to beat Minnesota with Deja Kelly scoring a combined 41 points.
6. UNLV (21-5, 13-1 Mountain West)
Last week: 6
Results: beat San Diego State 75-65, won at Nevada 64-50
NET ranking: 47
Up next: at Colorado State (Saturday)
Comment: The Rebels avenged their lone Mountain West loss against SDSU and beat rival Nevada to maintain a 2.5-game conference lead. Kiara Jackson scored a career-high 27 in the victory over the Aztecs. UNLV has lost just once since Dec. 19, by one at San Diego State.
7. Montana State (24-2, 14-0 Big Sky)
Last week: 7
Results: won at Weber State 63-45 and Idaho State 74-60
NET ranking: 54
Up next: vs. Montana (Saturday)
Comment: The Bobcats comfortably extended their win streak to 17 games, tied for best in school history, and stayed two games up in the Big Sky. Marah Dykstra scored a career-high 29, with six 3-pointers, against Idaho State. Rival Montana is a threat this week after losing by a point to Montana State on Jan. 25.
8. Grand Canyon (24-2, 11-0 WAC)
Last week: 8
Results: beat Tarleton State 76-60 and UT Arlington 82-69
NET ranking: 65
Up next: at Cal Baptist (Saturday)
Comment: The Antelopes’ 22-game win streak is the longest active in the nation. By beating UT Arlington, they moved 2.5 games up in the WAC and tied the school record for wins (24, last season). Alyssa Durazo-Frescas is now the school record holder for most 3-pointers in a single season with 89 and chasing Becky Hammon’s WAC record 114 for Colorado State.
9. Gonzaga (19-8, 14-2 WCC)
Last week: 10
Results: won at Oregon State 66-62 (OT), beat Loyola Marymount 69-57
NET ranking: 108
Up next: vs. Saint Mary’s (Thursday)
Comment: The Zags needed overtime for a second straight game to beat Oregon State, then downed Loyola Marymount to stay one game ahead of Portland in the WCC. Yvonne Ejim had 31 points and nine rebounds against Oregon State, which beat Gonzaga in overtime on Dec. 28. Since then, the Zags have won 13 in a row.
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10. Portland (24-3, 13-3 WCC)
Last week: 11
Results: won at Saint Mary’s 71-69, beat Washington State 84-79
NET ranking: 76
Up next: vs. San Diego (Thursday)
Comment: Maisie Burnham scored a career-high 31 in the Pilots’ win over Washington State, their eighth straight. Portland’s 24 victories are its most since 1996-97. ESPN still is predicting just one WCC team to make the NCAA Tournament field — the same for the Mountain West, WAC, Big Sky and Big West. Those conference tournaments will be intensely competitive.
11. Colorado (17-8, 8-6 Big 12)
Last week: 9
Results: lost at Utah 77-60, beat Houston 83-60
NET ranking: 62
Up next: vs. Baylor (Wednesday)
Comment: The Buffaloes were missing starters Kindyll Wetta, Sara-Rose Smith, Frida Formann and Jade Masogayo for one or both games last week and, not surprisingly, lost to hot Utah. Sophomore Ayianna Johnson (20 points) and several freshmen picked up the slack against the Big 12’s last-place team, Houston. CU still is on the NCAA Tournament bubble, per ESPN.
12. Northern Arizona (21-6, 12-2 Big Sky)
Last week: 13
Results: beat Portland State 83-67 and Sacramento State 75-60
NET ranking: 90
Up next: at Idaho (Thursday)
Comment: The Lumberjacks won twice but still are two games behind Montana State in the Big Sky. Their next three games are on the road, but all of them (plus the regular-season finale at home) are winnable. NAU has three straight 20-win seasons and is shooting for the school record, 25, set last season.
13. Arizona (15-12, 6-8 Big 12)
Last week: 12
Results: lost at Oklahoma State 83-64 and TCU 85-73
NET ranking: 58
Up next: vs. BYU (Wednesday)
Comment: Arizona drops behind NAU again in the Best of the West rankings ping-pong at the No. 12 and 13 positions. The Wildcats lost to NAU on Nov. 20 but have played a significantly tougher schedule, including last week’s losses to No. 24 Oklahoma State and No. 10 TCU. Arizona is on the NCAA Tournament bubble (per ESPN) and probably needs to sweep its four remaining regular-season games.
14. Stanford (13-12, 5-9 ACC)
Last week: Not ranked
Results: beat Syracuse 79-58 and Boston College 80-75
NET ranking: 48
Up next: at Virginia Tech (Thursday)
Comment: Stanford is back in the Best of the West after a one-week absence thanks to home wins over ACC teams with losing records. The Cardinal won back-to-back games for the first time since winning three straight in late November. They’ll need to keep the victories coming for any chance to keep their NCAA Tournament appearance streak (currently 36 years) alive.
15. Colorado State (19-7, 10-3 Mountain West)
Last week: 15
Results: beat Utah State 72-54, won at Air Force 65-58
NET ranking: 89
Up next: vs. Fresno State (Wednesday)
Comment: A case can certainly be made for Washington to remain in the Best of the West, especially after the Huskies had USC on the ropes. But we’re sticking with CSU, which is 6-1 in the last seven games. This week is telling for the Rams with home games against Fresno State and Mountain West leader UNLV (Saturday).
Also considered: Washington, Hawaii and Wyoming
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