Beavers stay locked at No. 1 spot in women’s basketball power rankings

#1 Oregon State 24-3 (15-1 Pac-12):

After winning their 14th straight game against No. 12 UCLA, the Beavers remain in the top spot. OSU has been nothing short of dominant in the Pac-12, and looks to end the season on a high note against California and Stanford this week. If OSU beats the Cardinal and the Bears, the Pac-12 title will be coming to Corvallis for a second straight season.

#2 Arizona State 24-4 (15-1):

Outside of an abysmal 20 point loss to OSU earlier this season, the Sun Devils have been dominant. They most recently dispatched of the Washington schools by a combined 42 points this past week. The best case scenario for the Sun Devils is to hope OSU loses to either Stanford or California this week. Otherwise a second place finish is most likely.

#3 UCLA 20-7 (12-4):

Poor UCLA. They played OSU in Corvallis better than anybody else in the Pac-12 and still lost to the Beavers. They did however beat Oregon in the game before, and the Ducks have been one of the hottest teams in the Pac-12. So all is not lost for the Lady Bruins. The Bruins have an insane amount of talent, and are poised to still make some noise in the upcoming Pac-12 tournament.

#4 Stanford 22-6 (12-4):

The Cardinal have an opportunity to salvage their entire season against one opponent. The Oregon State Beavers. The Cardinal could play spoiler to OSU’s Pac-12 championship hopes by defeating the Beavers this week. OSU upended the Cardinal earlier this season, and if Stanford is able to turn the tables and pull off the upset, shockwaves will be sent across the conference.

#5 Oregon 20-7 (9-7):

The Ducks almost pulled off one of the biggest wins of the season against UCLA. However, the Bruins pulled out the victory and ended UO’s five game winning streak. The Ducks have still had a very impressive season, already notching 20 wins, and most likely securing a spot in the NCAA tournament. The Ducks are playing their best basketball of the season right now, and will be a dangerous team in the Pac-12 tournament.

#6 Washington 18-9 (9-7):

What is the best way to describe the Huskies? Inconsistent. The Huskies have had massive highs this season (beating No. 17 UCLA) and massive lows (losing to Utah) en route to a mediocre season thus far. The Huskies matchup with Colorado and Utah this weekend, and a sweep could put them in great position heading into postseason play.

#7 Utah 15-12 (7-9):

It’s been a rough past 11 games for the Utes, as they have lost 8 of those past 11. Utah has been plagued with inconsistent play in recent weeks, leading to their 7-9 conference record. This whole season for Utah has been one step forward and two steps back. That was magnified this past week Utah got a victory against lowly Cal, but then got annihilated by Stanford by 18 points.

#8 USC 18-10 (6-10):

It seems like a distant memory when USC was ranked 25th in the polls and riding high. However, since then USC has taken a nosedive in Pac-12 play. They have lost two straight against OSU and UO and weren’t particularly competitive in those two games, losing by a combined 33 points.

#9 Washington State 13-14 (4-12):

There have been better times on the Palouse. The Cougars men’s basketball team is in last place in the conference, and the women’s team is only slightly better. Again slightly. In terms of positive news for the Cougars, they defeated Arizona this past weekend. By one point. At least it was a win for the crimson and silver, but other than that, there have been some dark days in Eastern Washington.

#10 California 12-15 (3-13):

In terms of moral victories, Cal can take solace that over seven weeks ago, they were ranked as high as 21st in the country. Since then, not so many moral victories. The Bears haven’t been playing good basketball as of late as they have lost a mind-boggling 11 of their last 13 games. Things are getting ugly in Strawberry Canyon, and the Bears need to look to next season sooner than later.

#11 Arizona 11-17 (2-14):

To be 100 percent honest, I thought there would have been some staff changes in Tucson by now. However, that isn’t the case. Yet. The Wildcats have lost 10 straight games, and were only competitive in one of those games. A massive storm is beginning to swirl in the desert, and until the 2015-2016 season is over, the sun won’t shine in Tucson.

#12 Colorado 7-20 (2-14):

Colorado won a game by 21 points. No you didn’t read this article wrong. The Buffs put together their most complete performance of the season en route to a massive win over California. After an underwhelming season thus far, the Buffs finally have a marquee win this season. It may be small in stature, but this win could propel the Buffs to greater heights next season.

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