Pac-12 Hotline men's basketball week in review: How three teams have separated from the pack, a rough stretch for Arizona State and more.
Theme of the week: Separation Saturday Weekend sweeps by UCLA, Arizona and USC created a clear upper tier entering the final four weeks. The Bruins have a one-game lead in the loss column over the Wildcats and Trojans, who hold a two-game edge on the next set of teams, Oregon and Utah. Barring significant backslides by the top group, the stretch run will feature tension on two tracks: The race for the regular-season title; and the competition for the fourth seed in the Pac-12 tournament.
Loss of the week: Arizona StateThe Sun Devils have dropped five of their last six games — none more impactful than the 75-70 loss to Oregon, a fellow NCAA bubble-sitter. They are 0-3 against the conference’s top three, have dropped into the mid-60s in the NET rankings and possess a high number of low-quality wins. The path into the NCAA at-large field is shrinking rapidly.
Low blow of the week: Washington G Cole BajemaThe Huskies’ second-leading scorer was suspended by the Pac-12 for one game after making “significant contact with the groin area” of a UCLA player during the loss in Pauley Pavilion on Thursday night. UW athletic director Jen Cohen called the decision “extremely disappointing.” The Hotline reviewed the video, and while there’s clear contact below the belt as Bona sets a screen on Bajema, we cannot comment on intent.
Stat of the week I: BlowoutsOnly four of the 12 games played from Thursday through Sunday were decided by single digits — and none by a single possession. The tightest finish came in Tempe, where the Ducks rallied from a one-point deficit in the final minute to win by five. Stat of the month: CalThe Bears have scored fewer than 50 points in four consecutive games and managed just 92 combined on their Mountain swing this weekend — one more than Arizona scored in its victory over Oregon. The Bears are one of a handful of teams in Division I averaging fewer than 60 per game. The 1940s called, and they aren’t impressed.
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