1. Washington (21-9, 14-4 Pac-12)
The Huskies more than made up for the loss of two-time Pac-12 tournament MVP Isaiah Thomas this season. With freshman Tony Wroten and sophomore Terrence Ross leading the way, Washington was in the Pac-12 driver’s seat for most of the 2011-12 campaign. The Huskies won 10 of their last 12 games to end the season, but missed an opportunity for the regular season conference title with a 75-69 loss at UCLA on Saturday before California’s loss gifted it back.
2. California (23-7, 13-5 Pac-12)
The California Golden Bears were also upset in their final two games of the regular season against Colorado and Stanford. With veteran guards Jorge Gutierrez, Allen Crabbe and Justin Cobbs playing some of the best basketball of their careers, few teams were able to keep pace with Cal during the conference schedule. The team won 16 of its 17 homes games this year, and figures to be among the favorites for the Pac-12 Tournament title.
3. Oregon (22-8, 13-5 Pac-12)
All the pieces seemed to fall into place for Oregon this season. After three years in the conference cellar, the Ducks turned in one of their more impressive seasons in recent memory. Led by senior guards Devoe Joseph — the third-leading scorer in the Pac-12 at 16.8 points per game — and Garrett Sim, Oregon proved to be a dangerous offensive team with plenty of athleticism across the board. The Ducks remain on the NCAA Tournament bubble and will certainly need a couple wins this week to solidify their position moving forward.
4. Arizona (21-9, 12-6 Pac-12)
The Wildcats locked up the coveted No. 4 seed in the conference tournament with a strong month of February. Arizona handed Cal its only home loss of the season and went on to win six of its next seven, the only loss coming against the Huskies in Seattle. Without the help of first-round NBA Draft pick Derrick Williams, the Wildcats aren’t as heavily favored in 2012, but senior guard Kyle Fogg will do his best to keep Arizona in the running.
5. UCLA (18-13, 11-7 Pac-12)
It was a frustrating year for Ben Howland’s Bruins. From behavioral issues off the court to sloppy play on it, UCLA never seemed to really find its groove. Once leading returner Reeves Nelson was removed from the team, however, things started to turn around. If nothing else, the Bruins’ win over Washington to close out the regular season should provide some momentum heading into a Pac-12 Tournament that takes place right in UCLA’s backyard.
6. Colorado (19-11, 11-7 Pac-12)
Overall, Colorado’s first year in the Pac-12 went about as well as the Buffaloes could have hoped. Though the team dropped three of its last four by an average of more than 15 points per contest to end the regular season, Colorado was in the thick of the chase for a top-four seed for most of the year. The Buffs went 14-2 at home, including sweeps of the Washington, Oregon and Arizona schools in conference play.
7. Stanford (19-10, 10-8 Pac-12)
Led by polished senior forward Josh Owens, the Cardinal saw relatively mixed results this season. Stanford won 11 of its first 12 games with the only loss coming at the hands of then-No. 5 Syracuse in the championship game of a late November tournament in New York. Late in the year, the Cardinal dropped seven of its last 12 to close out the Pac-12 season.
8. Washington State (15-15, 7-11 Pac-12)
The development of junior center Brock Motum helped the Cougars keep afloat this season. Averaging 18.1 points per game, Motum proved to be one of the dominant players in the Pac-12, following in the footsteps of former Washington State standout Klay Thompson. The Cougars won back-to-back conference games only one time, in mid-January, and lost seven of 11 to close out the season.
9. Oregon State (17-13, 7-11 Pac-12)
Despite having one of the most talented players in the conference in junior guard Jared Cunningham, the Beavers failed to live up to their own lofty preseason expectations. Oregon State led the conference in scoring at 79.6 points per game — thanks to Cunningham’s league-best 18.2 each night — but also surrendered a Pac-12-worst 72.8 points per contest defensively. The Beavers snapped a five-game losing streak with wins over Utah and Colorado to end the regular season.
10. Arizona State (11-20, 6-12 Pac-12)
Not a lot went right for the Sun Devils this year. They held a losing record at home and away, and had several bad losses — Fairfield, Nevada and Utah, among others — that kept any momentum from building. Junior guard Trent Lockett can still give teams matchup problems with his size (6-foot-4, 210 pounds), but his 13 points per game wasn’t enough for this struggling Sun Devils team.
11. Utah (6-24, 3-15 Pac-12)
Saturday afternoon’s loss to Oregon pretty much summed up the season for Utes. The team was undersized and did not play well defensively, which exposed their inept offense against other balanced teams in the conference. Center Jason Washburn (11.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game) was the lone bright spot in an otherwise abysmal first season in the Pac-12.
12. USC (6-25, 1-17 Pac-12)
If Utah was abysmal, then USC wasn’t even on the radar in 2012. Sophomore guard Maurice Jones ranked in the Pac-12’s top 10 in scoring, assists and steals as one of the only players who seemed competitive in a Trojans uniform. As a team, USC ranked last in the conference in scoring offense, free-throw percentage, field-goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, offensive and defensive rebounding, blocks and assists. Major changes should be expected for head coach Kevin O’Neill this offseason.