Best of the West WBB power rankings: California schools on top once again, followed by Utah and UNLV

The Best of the West offers fans a candid assessment of the top teams in the western third of the country — a collection that includes the Mountain West and the former Pac-12 schools now scattered across the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and West Coast Conference.

The rankings will be published on the Hotline weekly throughout the regular season.

1.UCLA (9-0)

Last week: 1Results: beat Washington 73-62Up next: at Long Beach State (Saturday)Comment: The Bruins trailed for only 20 seconds in their first Big Ten game and led by as many as 17 in the third quarter at Washington. Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice combined for 41 points, helping UCLA remain atop the AP Top 25 for a third consecutive week.

2. USC (9-1)

Last week: 2Results: beat Oregon 66-53 and Fresno State 89-40Up next: vs. Elon (Sunday)Comment: The Trojans took control against Oregon with an 18-0 run in the second quarter in their Big Ten opener, leading 40-19 at halftime. JuJu Watkins scored 21 against the Ducks and 21 on Tuesday against Fresno State. USC rose one spot to No. 5 in the AP poll. Watkins is the AP/USBWA National Player of the Week for a stretch that includes her 40 points against Cal Baptist on Dec. 3. She’s tied for second nationally in scoring (24.6 ppg).

3. California (9-1)

Last week: 4Results: beat Alabama 69-65 and Pacific 74-66Up next: vs. Stanford (Friday)Comment: With their highest ranked win since March 2020, the Bears knocked No. 19 Alabama out of the AP poll.  Cal averted an upset two days later with a hard-earned victory at Pacific, improving on its best start under sixth-year coach Charmin Smith.

4. Stanford (7-2)

Last week: 3Results: lost to LSU 94-88 (OT)Up next: at Cal (Friday)Comment: Stanford held a five-point lead with 23 seconds left but couldn’t finish off fourth-ranked LSU, falling in Baton Rouge in overtime. The Cardinal led for more than 38 minutes against the unbeaten Tigers, who also escaped Washington by one point on Nov. 25. Sophomore forward Nunu Agara had career highs for points (29) and rebounds (13) against LSU.

5. Utah (8-2)

Last week: 5Results: beat Utah State 87-34 and Princeton 79-76Up next: at Washington (Saturday)Comment: The Utes were cruising at home in the third quarter, up 18 points on Princeton, only to need two free throws from Gianna Kneepkens with three seconds remaining to survive. Utah is on a three-game winning streak, including a conquest of No. 8 Notre Dame.

6. UNLV (6-3)

Last week: 6Results: lost Baylor 71-64Up next: at DePaul (Sunday)Comment: The Rebels were tied at halftime at Baylor, then fell behind by eight in the third quarter and couldn’t make up the deficit. ESPN’s bracketology has UNLV on the NCAA Tournament bubble, but the Rebels’ strength of schedule (No. 23) should serve them well in pursuit of the Mountain West’s automatic berth.

7. Colorado (9-2)

Last week: 8Results: beat Southern Utah 76-59 and Denver 78-61Up next: vs. West Virginia (Dec. 21)Comment: The Buffaloes begin a 10-day break with a three-game winning streak before beginning Big 12 play against No. 15 West Virginia. Four players scored in double figures Tuesday in the victory over Denver, including Ayianna Johnson and Lior Garzon combining for 28 points off the bench.

8. Northern Arizona (7-2)

Last week: 7Results: beat Oral Roberts 87-80, lost to South Dakota 84-79Up next: vs. San Francisco (Saturday)Comment: Taylor Feldman scored a career high 31 points at South Dakota, but the Lumberjacks’ seven-game winning streak ended in the final two minutes. Loree Payne will become the winningest coach in NAU history with one more victory, surpassing Laurie Kelley’s 117 wins from 2003-12.

9. Grand Canyon (7-2)

Last week: 12Results: beat Arizona 69-66 and Utah State 76-62Up next: vs. Westcliff (Saturday)Comment: Winning at Arizona before a crowd of more than 6,000 is a big deal for the Lopes, particularly in tandem with their Nov. 14 victory over Arizona State. WAC Player of the Week Trinity San Antonio made the most of playing all 40 minutes with 26 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and four assists. The Lopes are on a five-game winning streak with six consecutive home games coming up.

10. Portland (10-0)

Last week: Not rankedResults: beat Princeton 74-55 and UTEP 83-67Up next: vs. Portland State (Friday)Comment: The Pilots’ strength-of-schedule is very low (No. 324), but their 10-0 start is the best in school history and can’t be ignored. Only 10 Division I teams still are unbeaten. Portland has won every game by double figures, including the blowout of defending Ivy League champion, and preseason favorite, Princeton. Maisie Burnham is the WCC Player of the Week, a week after teammate Emma Shearer won the award.

11. San Diego State (9-1)

Last week: Not rankedResults: beat Bethesda 107-36Up next: at Cal State Fullerton (Wednesday)Comment: The Aztecs also have a schedule strength issue (No. 229), and two of their wins are over non-Division I teams. But they did beat Wisconsin, and their lone loss was by one point to Providence. At minimum, they look like Mountain West contenders. A record 6,905 fans were on hand for the demolition of Bethesda.

12. Oregon (7-3)

Last week: 9Results: beat Washington State 85-70, lost to USC 66-53Up next: vs. Air Force (Dec. 17)Comment: Nine days off provide a welcomed respite for the Ducks after dropping three of their last four games. Oregon’s NET ranking (No. 47) and strength-of-schedule (No. 11) are high enough for the Ducks to be projected by ESPN as one of the final four teams into the NCAA Tournament field.

13. Brigham Young (8-2)

Last week: 15Results: beat UTEP 81-68 and Utah Valley 76-36Up next: at Washington State (Friday)Comment: Senior Emma Calvert scored a career-high 27 points on 13-of-18 shooting at UTEP. The Cougars followed up on that win with a dominant second half (40-10) Tuesday against Utah Valley, led by Lauren Davenport with a game-high 20 points.

14. Washington (7-3)

Last week: Not rankedResults: lost to UCLA 73-62Up next: vs. Utah (Saturday)Comment: The Huskies used a 9-0 third-quarter run to stay close to No. 1 UCLA in their first Big Ten game. Elle Ladine scored 19 points, with three others reaching double figures. But the Bruins had too much frontcourt talent and held a 50-22 scoring edge in the paint. Now, it’s on to another former Pac-12 opponent, Utah.

15. Arizona (8-4)

Last week: 11Results: lost to Grand Canyon 69-66, beat Cal State Bakersfield 76-39Up next: Weber State (Monday)Comment: Arizona’s first meeting against GCU did not end well, but the Wildcats were without Isis Beh for a second game due to concussion protocol. Beh, 6-foot-3 senior, returned Tuesday, scoring eight off the bench instead of starting. Arizona held winless Cal State Bakersfield under 10 points in three of the four quarters.

Also considered: Montana State, Boise State, Colorado State, Washington State

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