Pac-12 WBB power ratings: Steady at the top as CU, USC climb while ASU drops

Because of final exams across the Pac-12, there are only nine women’s basketball games from Wednesday through Sunday, with No. 2-ranked Stanford and USC idle.

But this week includes the limited start of conference play with rivalry games between the Oregon and Washington schools, plus an attractive non-conference game with Kansas at No. 12 Arizona.

With an 85-14 record, the Pac-12 remains first nationally in non-conference winning percentage (85.8). No other conference is at 80 percent.

The Pac-12 picked up a needed win over an AP top-25 team with Stanford beating No. 22 Gonzaga.

Overall, the conference is 2-6 against ranked teams.

Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer has had one of her teams — either the Cardinal or Ohio State, where she coached from 1980-1985 — ranked in the AP poll for 619 weeks, an all-time record that breaks her tie with the late Pat Summitt.

ESPN’s latest NCAA Tournament bracketology includes seven Pac-12 teams with two others just missing the cut.

Here are the Hotline’s fifth 2022-23 women’s basketball power ratings, including new NET rankings (as of Dec. 5). Two teams move up and one down.

1. Stanford (10-1)

Last week: 1
Results: beat Santa Clara 82-69 and Gonzaga 84-63
Next up: vs. Tennessee (Dec. 18)
NET ranking: No. 2
Comment: Senior Fran Belibi made the most of a season-high 13 minutes against Santa Clara with 12 points and eight rebounds. Against Gonzaga, the Cardinal was 15-of-28 from 3-point range.

2. UCLA (8-1)

Last week: 2
Results: beat UC Santa Barbara 68-57
Next up: Cal State Fullerton (Saturday)
NET ranking: No. 22
Comment: The Bruins swept the Pac-12 weekly awards based on their play against No. 1 South Carolina and UCSB. Charisma Osborne is the Player of the Week (second time this season) and Kiki Rice is the Freshman of the Week. The Bruins trailed 20-4 after the first quarter at UCSB, then outscored the Gauchos by 27 over the next three.

3. Utah (7-0)

Last week: 3
Results: beat Mississippi Valley State 109-42
Next up: at BYU (Saturday)
NET ranking: No. 6
Comment: The Pac-12 is 4-0 against SWAC opponents in Legacy Series games between the conferences, including Utah’s win over Mississippi Valley. The Utes also visited the National Civil Rights Museum in conjunction with the educational mission of the six-game series.

4. Oregon (6-1)

Last week: 4
Results: beat Portland 90-51
Next up: vs. Oregon State (Sunday)
NET ranking: No. 12
Comment: The Ducks smoked Portland with six players scoring in double figures, led by freshman Chance Gray with 20. “From start to finish, I thought this was our most consistent, best effort,” coach Kelly Graves said. Oregon’s margin of victory was in line with Stanford’s over Portland (87-47) last month.

5. Arizona (7-0)

Last week: 5
Results: beat New Mexico 77-60
Next up: vs. Kansas (Thursday)
NET ranking: No. 18
Comment: The Wildcats beat New Mexico by the exact same score for a second consecutive season, this time in Albuquerque. Jade Loville, a transfer from ASU, broke out with 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting.

6. Washington State (6-1)

Last week: 6
Results: beat Montana 77-57
Next up: at Portland (Wednesday)
NET ranking: No. 46
Comment: Junior Charlisse Leger-Walker tied her career high with six 3-pointers in a 24-point performance. The Cougars beat Montana for the first time since 1988, ending a nine-game losing streak in the series.

7. Oregon State (6-2)

Last week: 7
Results: beat Southern 89-36 and Jackson State 63-53
Next up: at Oregon (Sunday)
NET ranking: No. 59
Comment: The Beavers drew 9,604 fans (mostly students) for their Beyond the Classroom game against Southern, then freshman Raegan Beers had a double-double against Jackson State, her fifth of the season.

8. Colorado (7-2)

Last week: 9
Results: beat Western Michigan 75-37 and Boise State 71-48
Next up: vs. Southern Utah (Wednesday)
NET ranking: No. 39
Comment: The Buffs get a one-place jump in Hotline rankings off a pair of one-sided wins, including a dominating 44-21 first half on the road at Boise State. Colorado has held three straight opponents under 50 points; its season opponent scoring average is 54.0.

9. USC (9-0)

Last week: 10
Results: beat Cal Baptist 69-58, Merrimack 88-40 and San Jose State 71-44
Next up: vs. UCLA (Dec. 15)
NET ranking: No. 27
Comment: USC won a fifth straight home game Tuesday, enough to warrant a one-place ratings improvement. But the Trojans’ strength of schedule took a hit, dipping to No. 217.

10. Arizona State (6-3)

Last week: 8
Results: beat Grand Canyon 80-72, lost to UMass 88-64 and Missouri 71-60
Next up: at Stephen F. Austin (Sunday)
NET ranking: No. 123
Comment: ASU rallied from 11 down to win at Grand Canyon with a 35-point fourth quarter, then lost two games at home. The Sun Devils were missing three players against one-loss Missouri, including guard Jaddan Simmons (illness). They drop two places this week, but their strength of schedule is third highest in the Pac-12.

11. Washington (7-1)

Last week: 11
Results: beat Seattle 60-49 and Queens (NC) 54-28
NET ranking: No. 107
Next up: vs. Washington State (Sunday)
Comment: Washington won twice despite having just one double-figure scorer (Dalayah Daniels against Seattle) in the two games. The 28 points (by Queens) were the fewest allowed by UW since 2010.

12. California (6-2)

Last week: 12
Results: beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 84-51, lost to SMU 70-56
Next up: vs. Pacific (Saturday)
NET ranking: No. 85
Comment: Jayda Curry made the all-tournament team, but the host Bears were outscored 38-24 in the second half by SMU. Curry had a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double, plus seven assists, against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.