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Pac-10 Basketball update & Power Rankings 02/26

It became such a tussle between Arizona State and Washington, that the game needed overtime.

The battle for first place went to the Huskies, 73-70 in overtime, in Seattle on Feb. 26. The Huskies, who swept the Sun Devils this year, have the inside track to the Pac 10 championship. A win over Washington State on March 7 would wrap up the conference crown.

Certainly, Washington’s ascent to the top of the conference rankings was not expected. They were thought to be improved but not this improved. Now, at 21-7, 12-4, the Huskies are trying to lineup for a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. It would be hard to see how a conference champion would go any lower than that.

Huskie senior forward Jon Brockman should be a first-team all-conference candidate. He has eight double doubles this year and had 21 points and 11 rebounds against Arizona State.

Pendergraph burning it up

When you get down to it, Arizona State senior forward Jeff Pendergraph really can’t miss. He’s about as hot as anyone can be, especially since he is the NCAA’s field goal percentage leader at 66.8.

Take a look at his season. He is averaging eight field goal attempts per game and making a little more than five per game.

He’s doing what coach Herb Sendek wants by staying around the basket and clearing out the lane. Witness he has only taken one 3-point attempt this season.

Pendergraph already has been dealing with double teams. However, it’s nothing that’s been a major problem for him. His phenomenal percentage is a reflection of the Sun Devils shooting 48.6 percent for the field this season.

USC’s issues

The Trojans’ frustrating season spilled over following the Feb. 21 loss to Washington. Following the game guards Daniel Hackett and Dwight Lewis got into a heated discussion.

Reports were that the two had to be separated before the confrontation escalated. They were not suspended for Thursday’s game at California, but they were punished by running sprints by coach Tim Floyd.

Each said it was not a brawl but a simple disagreement. But the Trojans have had a lot on their mind lately – like trying to get to the NCAA tournament. At 16-11 and 7-8 including being swept by Washington and UCLA, the Trojans are starting to look like a longshot.

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Briefly…

When Washington State beat Arizona, 69-53, on Feb. 26, it marked only the fourth time in the last 48 tries, the Cougars had beaten the Wildcats…UCLA hope this streak doesn’t continue but when senior guard Darren Collison doesn’t score in double figures, the team is 4-0. Meanwhile the Bruins entered the game trailing BYU as the No. 2 field goal percentage team in the nation. The Cougars were 50.6. The Bruins were 50.3. After shooting 51.8 against Stanford, that should change.

Power Rankings

1. Washington
2. Arizona State
3. UCLA
4. California
5. Arizona
6. USC
7. Oregon State
8. Washington State
9. Stanford
10. Oregon

By Kevin Lonnquist
Pac-10 Correspondent