Best of the West MBB: UCLA on top despite loss as Utah State rises, Washington State and Nevada fall

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 each Monday through the remainder of the regular season.

1. UCLA (10-2/2-0 Big Ten)

Last week: 1
Results: lost to North Carolina 76-74
NET ranking: 20
Next up: vs. Gonzaga (Saturday)
Comment: The Bruins flopped against North Carolina in much the same fashion that Arizona flopped against UCLA a week earlier. Up 16 points with 13 minutes left, they crashed and burned and left Madison Square Garden with a two-point loss that won’t be forgotten — at least for a week.

2. Gonzaga (9-3)

Last week: 2
Results: beat Nicholls State 102-72 and Bucknell 86-65
NET ranking: 5
Next up: vs. UCLA
Comment: The upcoming showdown with the Bruins (at the Intuit Dome) offers a final chance for the Zags to polish their resume — and grab a third Quadrant I win — before West Coast Conference play begins.

3. San Diego State (8-2/1-0 Mountain West)

Last week: 3
Results: beat Cal 71-50
NET ranking: 43
Next up: vs. Utah State (Saturday)
Comment: The Aztecs spent 24 hours getting to San Jose for the neutral site matchup after multiple flight cancellations forced part of the team to drive to the Bay Area. But the defense traveled, as SDSU held the Bears to 25.5 percent shooting.

4. Arizona State (9-2)

Last week: 4
Results: beat UMass 78-62
NET ranking: 50
Next up: at Brigham Young (Dec. 31)
Comment: The non-conference season was a success by almost any measure, but here’s the only glitch: ASU remains without a Quad I victory. That could change based on how opponents perform over the next two months but  helps explain the middlin’ NET.

5. Oregon (11-1/1-1 Big Ten)

Last week: 5
Results: beat Stanford 76-61
NET ranking: 15
Next up: vs. Weber State (Sunday)
Comment: With a 4-1 record in Quad I games and only three Quad IV wins (among their 11 total victories), the Ducks are well positioned for the NCAAs as long as they avoid a collapse in conference play.

6. Utah State (11-1/1-0 Mountain West)

Last week: 8
Results: beat Saint Mary’s 75-68
NET ranking: 29
Next up: vs. San Diego State (Saturday)
Comment: Great who?

7. Saint Mary’s (10-3)

Last week: 6
Results: lost to Utah State 75-68
NET ranking: 55
Next up: vs. Pacific (Saturday)
Comment: The losses aren’t the problem for the Gaels as we ponder their status for Selection Sunday: All three have come against quality opponents. The issue is the victory column, where a distinct dearth of quality exists.

8. Colorado (9-2)

Last week: 7
Results: beat Bellarmine 79-55
NET ranking: 77
Next up: vs. Iowa State (Dec. 30)
Comment: The second matchup of the season against ISU should be much closer than the first — the Cyclones won by 28 points on a neutral court — but will the Buffaloes muster the offense needed in the second half to produce an upset?

9. Arizona (6-5)

Last week: 10
Results: beat Samford 96-64 and Central Michigan 94-41
NET ranking: 25
Next up: vs. TCU (Dec. 30)
Comment: Typically one of the fastest-starting teams in the country, the Wildcats finished their non-conference lineup with an 0-5 record against Quad I opponents. Arizona, meet the NCAA bubble. Bubble, meet Arizona.

10. New Mexico (9-3/1-0 Mountain West)

Last week: 11
Results: beat VCU 78-71
NET ranking: 85
Next up: vs. Colorado State (Saturday)
Comment: ESPN’s latest Bracketology lists the Mountain West as a two-bid league. From here, that’s a spot-on projection: San Diego State and Utah State are the only teams worthy of at-large berths at the moment.

11. Washington State (10-3)

Last week: 9
Results: lost to Washington 89-73, beat Northern Iowa 76-68
NET ranking: 67
Next up: at Portland (Saturday)
Comment: It wasn’t the loss in Seattle that surprised us; it was the size of the loss. The Cougars were not competitive in the final seven minutes against an opponent that, frankly, had not been impressive through 10 games.

12. Boise State (9-3/1-0 Mountain West)

Last week: 13
Results: beat Air Force 77-59
NET ranking: 51
Next up: vs. San Jose State (Saturday)
Comment: Random thought: Ashton Jeanty would probably be a damn good point guard. Imagine trying to keep him out of the lane with all that lateral quickness and lower-body strength. Yikes.

13. Brigham Young (9-2)

Last week: 14
Results: beat Florida A&M 103-57
NET ranking: 44
Next up: vs. Arizona State (Dec. 31)
Comment: Drill down one level, and the reality is worse than the record: Two-thirds of BYU’s wins are against Quad III and IV opponents. That could be problematic on Selection Sunday.

14. Oregon State (9-2)

Last week: 15
Results: beat Charleston 74-65
NET ranking: 40
Next up: vs. Oakland (Monday)
Comment: Coach Wayne Tinkle has received substantial credit for OSU’s success thus far, although context is required: Yes, the Beavers have performed better than expected, but the competition has been largely third rate.  Their non-conference schedule ranks 308th in the Pomeroy advanced metrics.

15. Nevada (8-4/0-1 Mountain West)

Last week: 12
Results: lost to Colorado State 66-64
NET ranking: 56
Next up: vs. Wyoming (Saturday)
Comment: We gave serious consideration to UC San Diego for this spot — the Tritons are one of the region’s biggest surprises — along with San Francisco and Washington.

Also considered: Cal, San Francisco, Stanford, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, USC, Utah and Washington

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