Best of the West: Week 5

With many schools in finals week, we had a quiet week on the college basketball front. Last week I put UCSB @ UNLV on upset alert, and surely enough it happened. James Nunnally led the Gauchos to a 68-62 victory on the road, the third straight victory victory over the Runnin' Rebels.  Another thriller took place at Kansas, where the No. 3 Jayhawks barely took down a feisty USC Trojans squad. USC had all the chances they could of wanted, but were unable to convert down the stretch.

UCLA Picked up a huge win over BYU
to move into this weeks rankings

BYU suffered their first loss of the season in Westwood on Saturday, falling to UCLA 86-79. Jimmer Fredette had an off night from behind the arc, converting only 2-8. Reeves Nelson was impressive for UCLA, pouring in 23 points along with 17 from Tyler Honeycutt.  This was a huge win for the Bruins, as they hope to turn their season around after dropping games to Montana and Virginia Commonwealth.

This week's poll consists of four Mountain West teams, four Pac-10 teams, and two West Coast Conference teams.

This week's big games out west:

Dec. 21 UNLV @ No. 11 Kansas St- A win here would make up for both of UNLV's losses. I think Kansas St. is vulnerable to overlooking teams, so watch out for a close game here.

Dec. 21 USC @ No. 17 Tennessee- The Trojans just missed out on clipping Kansas at home. They will get another chance, and the Vols are reeling after losses to Oakland and Charlotte.

Klay Thompson will look to lead the
Cougars to a championship in Hawaii

Dec. 22-Dec. 25- Washington St, Utah, Hawaii, San Diego @ the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii-
Big chance for some of these teams to add to their resume. Washington St. is probably the only real contender for an at-large berth, although Utah and Hawaii may have something to say about that.

No. 1 No. 7 San Diego State (12-0)- Their ranking may be a bit high for the Aztecs, but they've done everything they've been asked thus far this season. They posted two wins this week, struggling against Cal Poly and a blowout of UCSB who was coming off an upset over No. 22 UNLV. I was impressed by both wins. In years past, San Diego State may have lost that close game. However, the relied on their defense to get them through their off shooting night, and prevailed.

No. 2 No. 23 BYU (10-1)- Despite the loss against UCLA, the Cougars have put together a good run this season. If they can get past UTEP and the three remaining non-conference teams on their schedules, BYU will be in good position to lock up an at-large bid.

No. 3  Washington (7-3)- The Huskies won their only game of the week, a blowout of WCC member San Francisco. Washington has one game this week against Nevada before opening up Pac 10 play against the southern California schools.

No. 4 New Mexico (9-1)- The Lobos haven't been doing anything but win lately. The strength of schedule may not be there, but they are winning in style. This weekend they got Drew Gordon into the lineup, which should be a huge boost. He give them an inside force to matchup with San Diego St. in the MWC.

No. 5 Arizona (10-2)- The Wildcats have beaten everyone they should have, and lost the games they were considered the underdogs. The Cats are playing good basketball right now, and a winning record in the PAC 10 is going to make it a close call in terms of an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament.

No. 6 UNLV (10-2)- They suffered a real setback in the loss to Santa Barbara, who has been a .500 team all season. The Runnin' Rebels bounced back and handled Southern Utah, but a win against No. 11 Kansas St. this weekend would be enormous for their at-large resume.

Led by center Robert Sacre,
Gonzaga picked up a huge win over No.  9Baylor 

No. 7 Gonzaga (6-5)- After a week of falling off the Top 10 rankings out west, the Bulldogs return. Gonzaga pulled out a gut-wrenching win against No. 9 Baylor despite Stephen Gray being hurt early in the game. Elias Harris fouled out with three minutes to go, and the Bulldogs were still able to come through. They are still the big dogs in the WCC.

No. 8 Washington St. (8-1)- After a nine day break, the Cougars returned to action last night at Santa Clara. Thanks to a Klay Thompson three at the end of regulation, they survived and won the game in overtime. This was a classic trap game for Washington St, as they now travel to the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii.

No. 9 St. Mary's (9-2)- The Gaels picked up a nice win over the weekend against a tough Long Beach St. team. Mitchell Young counted for twenty eight points, a career high. The Gaels must finish their non-conference slate undefeated to have a chance at an at-large bid in the tournament.

No. 10 UCLA (6-4)- The Bruins make their first appearance on the top ten in the west rankings thanks to their upset win over No. 18 BYU. Other than their loss to Montana, UCLA has played every team tough. Watch out for them in conference play.