The week of Thanksgiving has historically been a huge week for college basketball fans. Multiple tournaments, including the Old Spice Classic, Maui Invitational, and recently the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland have brought together high profile opponents for must-watch television ahead of the beginning of conference play.
For the Pac-12 in 2021, this week of games has not gone particularly well. Oregon was the frontrunner to win the Maui Invitational – held in Vegas this year because of COVID – but they instead fell to Saint Mary’s on Tuesday evening and will play Houston for a third place finish.
Shortly after, UCLA had their doors blown off by the No. 1 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs, giving the conference back-to-back losses to Mid-Major (albeit, elite Mid-Major) programs on primetime television.
It hasn’t all been bad, however, as Tommy Lloyd has the Arizona Wildcats undefeated through five games with a huge win over Michigan on his already impressive resume. Likewise, Washington State and Utah remain undefeated while USC is still holding on to a spotless record and a spot in the AP top 25.
Here is a look at our Power Rankings through the first few weeks of the season: