BricksIt Weekly
Welcome to the new Pac-12
Gonzaga and Utah State lead a new league that has barely lost
Seven of the nine schools are unbeaten. Together they are 25-4, and three of the four losses belong to Washington State.
By the Hardwood Bricks desk
Hardwood Bricks now covers the rebuilt Pac-12: the two schools that stayed, Oregon State and Washington State, plus Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State, Gonzaga and Texas State. Every game gets a preview, a recap, a line history and a spot in our ratings.
Gonzaga rates 12th nationally in our model, the best mark in the league. The Zags opened by beating Purdue 78-72 on a neutral floor as 5.5-point favorites, then beat New Mexico State by 41.
Utah State is right behind at 17th and has the loudest offense in the league. The Aggies are 4-0 and scored 118 and 120 points in their last two games, the second against UC San Diego of the Big West.
Boise State (43rd) and San Diego State (54th) make four Pac-12 teams in our top 55. Boise beat Butler 100-81 as a 3.5-point favorite; San Diego State beat Colorado 77-66 on a neutral floor.
Colorado State, Oregon State and Texas State are also unbeaten, all between 95th and 104th. Fresno State is 2-1 and rates 298th after a 16-point loss at UC San Diego.
Wazzu's slow start
Washington State is 0-3: 76-61 at home to Davidson, 83-71 at High Point and 72-71 at Duquesne.
Fresno's overtime escape
Fresno State beat Georgia State 95-92 in overtime, three days after its loss at UC San Diego.
Oregon State at home
The Beavers are 4-0, all in Corvallis, and have won every game by at least 10.
Old neighbors
Five of these schools left the Mountain West this summer. They will still see plenty of their old league in nonconference play, and we will track every one of those games.
By the numbers
The pecking order
Our model's rating for every Pac-12 team: points better or worse than an average Division I team over 100 possessions. Record alongside.