The Pac-12 is much better than people give it credit for. After a disastrous season last year, the conference currently has three teams ranked in the top 25, and as many as six teams getting a bid to the NCAA Tournament come Selection Sunday.
2013 Pac-12 basketball standings: Oregon loses sole possession of first place
The Oregon Ducks lost to the Colorado Buffaloes on Thursday night, pushing them into a tie with the UCLA Bruins for first place in the Pac-12.
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After a couple of wild upsets on Wednesday, there were just two games on the slate for Thursday. In what was a game with huge implications on the league standings, the Oregon Ducks struggled on the road, losing to the Colorado Buffaloes 76-53. Oregon never had a fighting chance in the game, as Colorado had accumulated a 16-point lead at halftime despite missing forward Andre Roberson, who's battling an illness.
The loss pushed Oregon to 12-5 in conference and into a first-place tie with the UCLA Bruins. The Ducks do own the tiebreaker against the Bruins and can wrap up a share of the Pac-12 title and the No. 1 seed in the tournament with a win against Utah on Saturday. Colorado moved to 10-7 in conference, and sits in sole possession of fifth place.
In other action, the Utes defeated the Oregon State Beavers, 72-61. The win pushed Utah out of the basement and into 10th place in the Pac-12, while Oregon State fell into a tie with the Washington State Cougars for last place in the standings.
Here is an updated look at the Pac-12 standings as of Friday morning. Every team other than California and Stanford have one game remaining this weekend.
| Oregon | 12-5 | 23-7 |
| UCLA | 12-5 | 22-8 |
| California | 12-6 | 20-10 |
| Arizona | 11-6 | 23-6 |
| Colorado | 10-7 | 20-9 |
| Arizona State | 9-8 | 20-10 |
| Washington | 9-8 | 17-13 |
| USC | 9-8 | 14-16 |
| Stanford | 9-9 | 18-13 |
| Utah | 4-13 | 12-17 |
| Oregon State | 3-14 | 13-17 |
| Washington State | 3-14 | 12-18 |
There are a couple of key games to watch for on Saturday. The slumping Arizona Wildcats will look to get back on track against Arizona State. The Sun Devils are fighting to stay on the bubble right now, and a win in Tucson would be huge for their NCAA Tournament chances. UCLA's trip to Washington is also an intriguing matchup with upset potential, and a Bruins win would give UCLA at least a share of the Pac-12 title.
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