The latest Associated Press college basketball poll is out, and the Pac-10 conference is not to be found anywhere in the top 25. The USC Trojans lost by two on the road at Kansas, which remained ranked third in the AP poll. In the Wooden Classic, the UCLA Bruins beat BYU, which was ranked 16th but is now ranked 23rd. The win by the Bruins was just the third in 15 attempts this season by the Pac-10 against AP top 25 teams. USC plays at No. 19 Tennessee Tuesday night. Here is the full AP top 25:
Duke
Ohio State
Kansas
Connecticut
Syracuse
Pittsburgh
San Diego State
Villanova
Missouri
Georgetown
Kansas State
Michigan State
Kentucky
Purdue
Baylor
Memphis
Minnesota
Texas
Tennessee
Florida
Illinois
Notre Dame
Brigham Young
UCF
Texas A&M
In last week's poll, the Washington Huskies were ranked 28th, the Arizona Wildcats were ranked 33rd, and the Washington State Cougars were tied for 36th. This week, the Pac-10 teams in the "others receiving votes" section are Washington (27th), Arizona (36th), and Washington State (39th).
For more Los Angeles college basketball news, be sure to read the SB Nation blogs for UCLA (Bruins Nation) and USC (Conquest Chronicles).
The latest ESPN/USA Today college basketball poll is out, and the Pac-10 conference has no teams in the top 25 for the second straight week. In the Wooden Classic, the UCLA Bruins beat BYU, which was ranked 18th but is now ranked 23rd. The USC Trojans lost by two on the road at Kansas, which remained ranked third in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Here is the full ESPN/USA Today top 25:
Duke
Ohio State
Kansas
Connecticut
Syracuse
Pittsburgh
San Diego State
Villanova
Georgetown
Missouri
Kansas State
Michigan State
Purdue
Kentucky
Baylor
Minnesota
Memphis
Tennessee
Florida
Notre Dame
Illinois
Texas
Brigham Young
Texas A&M
Louisville
The Pac-10 has just two teams in the "others receiving votes" section, and both are in the northwest. The Washington Huskies received 27 points and are ranked 30th, while the Washington State Cougars received two votes and are ranked 39th. USC plays at No. 18 Tennessee on Tuesday night.
For more Los Angeles college basketball news, be sure to read the SB Nation blogs for UCLA (Bruins Nation) and USC (Conquest Chronicles).
Saturday was a good day for the local college basketball teams, as the UCLA Bruinsbeat the No. 16 BYU Cougars and the USC Trojansnearly beat the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks in Kansas. However, when a 1-1 day against ranked teams can be considered a good day for the conference, it is simply a down year for the Pac-10. When the college basketball rankings are released on Monday, the Pac-10 is likely to be without a top 25 team for the second week in a row.
The Washington Huskies have been the only ranked team in the Associated Press top 25 at any time this season, but they dropped out of last week's poll after a loss to Texas A&M. The Huskies were 28th in last week's poll, so they could sneak back into the top 25 (Washington won its only game this week, 80-52 over Nevada on Saturday), but the fact remains that the Pac-10 simply has no top teams this season. The conference's record against top teams this season has been less than stellar.
The Pac-10 teams this season have a 63-36 cumulative record, but the vast majority of those wins have been compiled against lesser teams. Pac-10 teams are just 3-12 against AP top 25 teams this season, and those three wins have been against teams ranked 16, 19, and 21. USC and UCLA each have one of those wins, as USC beat No. 19 Texas last Sunday, and UCLA beat No. 16 BYU in the Wooden Classic on Saturday.
Three of the 12 conference losses against top teams have come at Allen Fieldhouse in Kansas. Both USC and UCLA lost excruciatingly close contests in the final seconds, while Arizona lost 87-79 during Thanksgiving weekend. In the latest Sagarin ratings, the Pac-10 is ranked as the seventh-best conference, behind the Mountain West. San Diego State is simply the best team on the west coast this season, in what has been a down year for the Pac-10.
For more Los Angeles college basketball news, be sure to read the SB Nation blogs for UCLA (Bruins Nation) and USC (Conquest Chronicles).
