Pac-12 (2.0) MBB power rankings: Gonzaga, Utah State on top as NET suggests 3 bids for 9 teams in restructured conference

Welcome to the - debut of the Hotline s Pac- men s basketball power rankings our weekly assessment of a conference that doesn t exist yet using analytics and a dash of common sense The power rankings will be published each Monday through the end of the regular season Majority of college basketball teams have completed one-third of their schedule based on the number of games played But the portion of the regular season that shapes the postseason is close to completion Once December comes to a close and conference play begins in full force the NET rankings and predictive analytics that frame NCAA Tournament access will have enough information to separate contenders from pretenders Were the rebuilt Pac- a reality this season its outlook for March would be fairly bleak given where the nine teams are positioned in the NET rankings Only No Gonzaga is assured a berth in the -team field Two others No Utah State and No Boise State are firmly on the bubble with No Colorado State on the outskirts Nobody else is close Overall teams in the new Pac- which officially reforms July have an average NET ranking of There are a bevy of reasons but three leap instantly to mind The longstanding members who secured the conference s continued existence Oregon State and Washington State are dragging down the collective s NET rankings The Cougars are th in their second season under David Riley while the Beavers are th in their th season of the Wayne Tinkle era Texas State which joins the Pac- from the Sun Belt owns one of the worst resumes in major college basketball thanks to a soft schedule and five Quadrant IV wins the lowest classification Sun Belt teams often accumulate losses in buy games against power conference opponents that produce hefty paychecks That s not the occurrence with the Bobcats who just lost three in a row to Lehigh Rice and Seattle San Diego State has underperformed The talented but erratic Aztecs lost at home to Troy were run off the court by Michigan - and have no Quadrant I wins Their NET ranking is approximately double what we would have expected Prior to the season the Hotline pegged the nine teams that will compete under the Pac- banner in - to generate at least three NCAA Tournament bids this season with a decent chance at four and perhaps five Instead it s increasingly apparent that the collection will be fortunate to produce three NCAA participants To the power rankings NET rankings through Sunday Gonzaga - NET Next up vs Campbell Wednesday Comment With seven victories over power conference opponents including teams in the Big East the Zags have built a resume sturdy enough to withstand any deterioration that will occur during round-robin play in the West Coast Conference where eight teams have NET rankings below Utah State - NET Next up vs Colorado State Saturday Comment You can see it coming three months out Utah State s fair-to-middlin non-conference schedule and that s ostensibly a generous description on our part will be the source of major debate with the NCAA Tournament selection committee Colorado State - NET Next up at Utah State Saturday Comment We could quibble with a effect or two e g the home loss to Denver but overall there s plenty to like from the Rams in their first season under coach Ali Farokhmanesh San Diego State - NET Next up vs Air Force Wednesday Comment The Aztecs can remove the stains on their resume with one impact Beat Arizona on Saturday in Phoenix and they are back on track for an at-large berth Related Articles Mailbag Pac- bowls in depend on CFP as LA Bowl shutters Recruiting outlook for new HCs at Cal UCLA Stanford Oregon State New Pac- waiting for CFP format resolution to set schedule champ event CFP picks Oregon Alabama Texas A M cover as expansion momentum builds CFP rankings Why ESPN won t agree to eliminate the Tuesday shows Boise State - NET Next up at Nevada Saturday Comment Technically the Broncos are - in Quadrant IV games but that s a tad deceiving because the loss to Division II Hawaii-Pacific doesn t register You can be sure the committee will discuss it ad nauseam if Boise State is in the at-large hunt Oregon State - NET Next up vs Sam Houston Wednesday Comment The Beavers have two three-game winning streaks but the rotten meat in the middle of their resume is a five-game losing streak from which there can be no recovery Texas State - NET Next up vs Arkansas State Wednesday Comment Too late for Texas State to leave its men s basketball scheme in the Sun Belt Asking for eight friends Fresno State - NET Next up at UNLV Saturday Comment Here lies the remains of a once-flourishing basketball operation that has not been truly relevant for a quarter century Washington State - NET Next up vs Eastern Washington Wednesday Comment The season-opening home loss to Idaho was our first clue in every sense that the Cougars were headed nowhere and would reach that destination with remarkable speed Send suggestions comments and tips confidentiality guaranteed to wilnerhotline bayareanewsgroup com or call - - Follow me on the social media platform X WilnerHotline