By Dane Miller, SuperWest Sports
Oregon claims the top spot in our initial Power Rankings with a road sweep of Big Ten teams last week.
Gonzaga, Arizona, and New Mexico continue their conference hot streaks with wins in the WCC, Big 12, and Mountain West, respectively.
Here’s how I see the Top 10 squads from the West stacking up heading into Week 11.
[ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Mountain West, and WCC records and standings all in one place]
1. Oregon, Big Ten (4-2, 15-2)
The Ducks secured their seventh Quad 1 win of the season with a victory over Penn State on Sunday.
The seven victories are tied for the most overall nationally.
That’s as many Quad 1 wins as Arizona, Gonzaga, and UCLA combined.
[2024-25 Big Ten Basketball Standings, Results, and Upcoming Games]
2. Gonzaga, WCC (5-0, 14-4)
The Zags are 10th in the NET Rankings and ninth in KenPom.
With a 5-0 record to open WCC play, Gonzaga is on pace for another high seed in the NCAA Tournament.
A road game at Oregon State and a home contest against Santa Clara are up next.
3. Arizona, Big 12 (4-0, 10-5)
Tommy Lloyd has the Wildcats at 4-0 in the Big 12.
The season-ending injury to center Motiejus Krivas in December forced Arizona to alter its lineups.
It took some time, but UA has developed its bench players into key contributing roles.
[2024-25 Big 12 Basketball Standings, Results, and Upcoming Games]
5. UCLA, Big Ten (2-3, 11-5)
Mick Cronin and the Bruins are trending in the wrong direction.
UCLA has lost four of its last five games and is 2-3 in the Big Ten.
The loss at Nebraska on January 4th has sent the team into a tailspin. Cronin’s team followed up that shocking defeat with blowout losses to Maryland and Michigan.
6. Utah State, MW (6-0, 16-1)
Starting Mountain West play 6-0, Utah State has a respectable resume.
The Aggies have nonconference wins over Iowa and St. Mary’s. At No. 31 in the NET; they are the MWC’s highest-ranked team.
An appearance in the Round of 32 might be a reasonable expectation at this point in the year.
7. Arizona State, Big 12 (1-3, 10-5)
Bobby Hurley led Arizona State to nonconference wins over GCU, New Mexico, and St. Mary’s.
But the Sun Devils have played a difficult schedule to open the Big 12 and are 1-3 in conference play.
ASU’s season is at a critical point with winnable games upcoming against UCF and Cincinnati.
8. Saint Mary’s, WCC (5-0, 15-3)
At No. 33 in the NET and 5-0 to start the WCC conference season, Saint Mary’s is in a favorable position to make the Tournament.
But the losses to Arizona State, Boise State, and Utah State indicate that the Gaels will struggle to get out of the First Round.
9. San Diego State, MW (3-2, 10-4)
The Aztecs have a key nonconference win over Houston and beat Creighton on a neutral floor.
But with a 2-3 record in Quad 1 games, it’s fair to question San Diego State’s ceiling.
Add in losses to Utah State and New Mexico, and it only adds up to more questions.
10. UC Irvine, Big West (5-0, 15-2)
UC Irvine is 5-0 in the Big West and 15-2 overall.
At No. 43 in the NET with a combined 4-1 record in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games, the Anteaters are worthy of mention.
The program last made the NCAA Tournament in 2019 as a 13-seed.
Miller covers College Basketball and College Football as well as Formula 1 racing as a Senior Writer and Assistant Editor for SuperWest Sports.
