Pac-12 power ratings: Stanford remains No. 1 as Oregon jumps after sweeping Arizona, UConn

The Oregon women’s basketball teams were hugely successful against nationally-ranked opponents on MLK Day.

Before 9,439 at Matthew Knight Arena and a national TV audience, Oregon dominated No. 9 Connecticut in a 72-59 win that wasn’t that close. Te-Hina Paopao scored 22 points, two shy of her career high.

Ducks forward Nyara Sabally was helped off the court with 4:42 left but did not suffer a serious knee injury, according to coach Kelly Graves.

Over in Corvallis, Oregon State outlasted No. 22 Colorado 69-66 in overtime, averting a second straight buzzer-beating defeat.

Here are the latest Hotline power ratings:

NET rankings through Monday: The NCAA Evaluation Tool rankings are used by the selection committee to determine the seeds and at-large bids.

1. Stanford (13-3/4-0)Last week: 1Results: beat Colorado 60-52, beat Utah 83-73Next up: vs. California (Friday)NET ranking: No. 3 (change from last week: none)Comment: Between Pac-12 Player of the Week Cameron Brink inside, Lexie Hull outside and a whole lot of experience surrounding them, No. 2-ranked Stanford continues to overcome its deficiencies more games than not with composure that is hard to equal down the stretch.

2. Oregon (10-5/2-1)Last week: 4Results: beat Arizona 68-66 (OT) and Connecticut 72-59Next up: at Washington (Friday)NET ranking: No. 12 (change: +3)Comment: Coaches and media picked Oregon to finish second in Pac-12 preseason polls, and that’s where the now healthy Ducks find themselves in Hotline rankings after consecutive top-10 wins over Arizona (with a major comeback) and Connecticut (leading by as many as 24).

3. Arizona (12-2/2-2)Last week: 2Results: beat Oregon State 55-53, lost to Oregon 68-66 (OT)Next up: vs. Utah (Friday)NET ranking: No. 10 (change: -1)Comment: Arizona’s scoring margin in Pac-12 games is slightly negative (-0.25) compared to +17.3 in all games. The No. 10 Wildcats need more offensive production from Sam Thomas and/or Lauren Ware to take some post scoring pressure off Cate Reese. UA coach Adia Barnes was reprimanded by the Pac-12 on Tuesday for public comments about officiating after the loss to Oregon but not an inappropriate finger gesture directed at the Ducks for which she apologized.

4. Colorado (13-2/2-2)Last week: 3Results: lost to Stanford 60-52 and Oregon State 69-66 (OT)Next up: at ASU (Friday)NET ranking: No. 30 (change: -3)Comment: Yes, the Buffaloes lost twice after becoming the nation’s final Division I unbeaten, but they were tied with Stanford after three quarters and led Oregon State with 1:20 left in regulation. Colorado remains No. 22 in the AP poll through the Stanford loss.

5. Utah (9-4/0-1)Last week: 5Results: beat UC Riverside 84-48, lost to Stanford 83-73Next up: at Arizona (Friday)NET ranking: No. 19 (change: +4)Comment: The Utes led Stanford almost halfway through the fourth quarter and put up the most points this season against the defending national champion. Keeping up with Utah (No. 3 nationally in scoring offense) will be a problem all season.

6. Oregon State (8-4/1-1)Last week: 6Results: lost to Arizona 55-53, beat Colorado 69-66 (OT)Next up: at Washington State (Friday)NET ranking: No. 55 (change: +6)Comment: Playing for the first time since Dec. 19 and facing a pair of top-25 opponents, the Beavers could have won twice and did well to earn a split. Freshman Talia von Oelhoffen was the final hero in a makeup game Monday, hitting a game-winning trey with 18 seconds left in OT.

7. UCLA (7-4/2-1)Last week: 9Results: beat Washington 63-48 and Washington State 71-58Next up: vs. USC (Thursday)NET ranking: No. 50 (change: +16)Comment: The Bruins still are short-handed but winning anyway with seven players. Charisma Osborne’s ankle injury  didn’t keep her out against the Washington schools, and she averaged 18 points in a weekend home sweep.

8. USC (9-5/2-2)Last week: 7Results: lost to Washington State 71-63, beat Washington 73-66Next up: at UCLA (Thursday)NET ranking: No. 61 (change: -6)Comment: The Trojans failed to follow up their upset of Arizona with a victory over WSU, but they secured a weekend split with a 20-11 fourth-quarter scoring edge vs. the Huskies. Jordyn Jenkins averaged 22 points on a combined 69 percent shooting.

9. Arizona State (8-5/0-0)Last week: 8Results: vs. Oregon and Oregon State (postponed)Next up: Colorado (Friday)NET ranking: No. 42 (change: +1)Comment: ASU is the only Pac-12 team yet to play a conference game, missing six due to COVID protocols for one team or the other. The Sun Devils could be as good their NET ranking or something entirely different depending how their return for the first time since Dec. 30 goes.

10. Washington State (10-6/2-3)Last week: 10Results: beat USC 71-63, lost to UCLA 71-58Next up: vs. Oregon State (Friday)NET ranking: No. 71 (change: +4)Comment: The Cougars are strong enough on the perimeter to be competitive every game. What they can produce in the post will determine if a second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance is realistic.

11. Washington (5-5/0-2)Last week: 11Results: lost to UCLA 63-48, lost to USC 73-66Next up: vs. Oregon (Friday)NET ranking: 108 (change: -11)Comment: Center Nancy Mulkey, playing at her third different school, went off for 26 points against USC after scoring three vs. UCLA; she is averaging just 9.7 overall. The Huskies were playing for the first time since Dec. 20 and figure to show some level of improvement with more court time.

12. California (9-4/0-2)Last week: 12Results: vs. Utah and Colorado (postponed)Next up: at Stanford (Friday)NET ranking: No. 118 (change: none)Comment: Cal played one Pac-12 game short-handed, sat out two, played another, then sat out two more. That’s arguably more disruptive than what ASU has gone through (missing six straight). And the Bears return this week with two games in three days against rival Stanford.