2007 Pape Jam

2007 Pape Jam
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.

Pac 10 Power Poll 1/14/2008

Not many changes this week in the rankings but the news of the week had to have been the ASU Sun Devils beating in-state nemesis Arizona on Wednesday. Led by James Harden’s 26 the Sun Devil’s find themselves at 3-0 in the conference with wins over Oregon and Arizona. The Devils now will go up the Bay Area and see if they can steal a road win in places where few road teams ever win, Haas Pavilion and Maples Pavilion. Oregon played two tough games against Stanford and Cal and got a home sweep of the Bay Area schools for the first time since 2002. This gives the Ducks a bit more wiggle room so getting swept on the road in Washington won’t kill their NCAA chances but they still will hope for a split. UCLA and WSU wasn’t close for a good portion of the game until the Cougs caught fire and hit 7 three-pointers in a row. Had this torrid shooting performance started earlier the Cougs would find themselves at the top of the heap in the conference and having the inside track at the 1 seed in the West. This week the Oregon schools go north, the Arizona schools go to the Bay Area and USC goes across town to Pauley Pavilion to take on the Bruins.

1. UCLA (1) – The Bruins could in all reality run away with this conference. UCLA has as good a shot as anyone to win the NCAA Tournament this year. (RPI 6 SOS 25) NCAA Lock
2. WSU (2) – The Cougs didn’t play their best game against UCLA but I actually feel better about them after their weekend in LA. The Cougs computer numbers are dragging a bit due to the poor OOC SOS but they still will finish the year a protected seed. Oregon has had WSU’s number for some time so you just know that Bennett and company has circled the home game versus the Ducks for sometime. (RPI 25 SOS 173) NCAA Lock
3. UO (4) – After the ASU game the Ducks looked like they were in danger of not going to the NCAA Tournament but now with three straight wins over quality opponents the Ducks have seen their computer numbers soar. The nice thing about beating Arizona and Stanford is that it means the Ducks can survive a sweep in the Washington schools and still be on target for a tourney bid. Nice to see Tajuan Porter back to form as well. (RPI 24 SOS 27) NCAA Lock
4. Stanford (3) – The Cardinal dominated the Beavs and played just well enough to lose against the Ducks. The depth is their front court will serve them well this year but they are an athlete short of being a team that can do a lot of damage in the postseason. (RPI 40 SOS 122) NCAA Lock
5. ASU (6) – James Harden may actually end up being the best freshman in a star-studded class of Pac 10 frosh. The Devils were fortunate that they avoided Jerryd Bayless in the match-up versus Arizona but the win was a major feather in the cap for Herb Sendek. The Devils will only make the NCAA tournament if they can show the committee they can win a road game or two, I like their chances against Cal much more than against Stanford but I foresee the Devils losing both games. (RPI 69 SOS 247) Bubble
6. UA (5) – The Cats have lost 2 straight conference games but I think you will see them become at worst the third best team in the conference down the stretch with the return of Bayless who put up 33 in a non-conference road game in Houston. (RPI 8 SOS 1) NCAA Lock
7. Cal (7) – The Bears got the road split they were looking for in Oregon but they can’t afford to lose anymore home games if they wish to keep their bleak NCAA hopes alive. Their series versus ASU will be a defacto playoff game for the likely sixth seed from the Pac 10 to the NCAA’s. The Bears can’t afford a home loss to ASU but won to UA won’t kill them. (RPI 52 SOS 60) Bubble
8. USC (8) – Looks like OJ Mayo will not get the chance to Carmeloize the Pac 10 as USC is going to have major problems getting to 10 wins in conference this year and the Mercer loss continues to drag down their RPI. (RPI 73 SOS 45) NIT
9. UW (9) – The Huskies have the look of a NIT team and have been hurt by the poor shooting performance by Ryan Appleby. The Huskies should take care of business against the Beavs and I expect the game versus Oregon to be highly contested. The Ducks have struggled in Seattle for many years. (RPI 106 SOS 38)
10. OSU (10) – The fan base has given up on Jay John and the Beavs have a legit shot to go 0-18. To have an RPI as high as they do in the top RPI league in the country takes some serious talent. Home losses to Tennesse Tech and Montana State can do that to you. (RPI 248 SOS 231)