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In the Pac-12, the only ranked team in the conference — Arizona — is a couple spots out of first place after getting swept in Los Angeles; the UCLA program that knocked off a No. 1 team is in the bottom half of the standings; the USC team picked to finish 10th is now first; and the Cal and Utah teams picked to finish second and third have both lost three conference games.
What in the world is happening?
It's worth noting that at least one group saw the topsy-turvy flow of Pac-12 coming: the coaches.
"Night in and night out, you'll find a lot of games that will be competitive," Washington State coach Ernie Kent said last month. "There's not any game where you can say, 'We've got this game.' You have to play."
The league is happy to talk about its depth. The Pac-12 has a whopping eight teams in the top 50 RPI, and nine teams in statistician Ken Pomeroy's top 70-ranked teams (the Utes are in at No. 69). The conference has the top strength of schedule rating and the second-best RPI rating.
ESPN's latest NCAA Tournament projections have the Pac-12 leading all conferences with eight berths. A string of non-conference wins helped put the Pac-12 in an advantageous position in seeding.
"This has been the deepest and most competitive conference we've probably had [with 12 teams]," commissioner Larry Scott said. "Every week, there's been thrilling games and close games. No doubt we'll be beating each other up, but I believe we'll be credited with the depth and competitiveness of our league."
There's coaching depth, and the Pac-12 has also seen its facilities across the league evolve to support higher-level basketball. But the greatest factor driving the parity might be the wealth of new, unproven talent that has enjoyed flashes of brilliance — as well as the occasional misstep.
The biggest benefactor of new blood has been USC, leading the league at 4-1. Coach Andy Enfield signed the nation's No. 30-ranked class (according to Rivals.com) but got exactly what he needed: size. With two top-60 prospects in Chimezie Metu and Bennie Boatwright, USC got a pair of athletic, big bodies who have now combined to score 19 points per game, adding to the returning core of the team.
Metu hasn't always had to lead the way, but he broke out for 21 points and eight rebounds against UCLA on Wednesday night in an 89-75 win over the Bruins, Enfield's first as USC coach.
"It was really because of him we got out to a big lead," USC sophomore Jordan McLaughlin told the L.A. Times.
Washington also replaced almost its whole roster after a boatload of offseason transfers and was undefeated — thanks much in part to a load of newcomers — before falling at Arizona on Thursday evening.
But also with promising youth comes youthful mistakes, and plenty of teams have seen that.
Cal, which brought in two highly touted top-10 recruits, hasn't been able to find consistency on the road. While the team maintains a perfect home record, it has lost three straight away from Haas Pavilion. In the team's last loss, 77-71 to Stanford, freshman forward Ivan Rabb fouled out with only eight points, and fellow rookie Jaylen Brown also had four fouls while shooting 3 for 7 from the field.
It can take a while for new talent to find its way — which can provide frustrating results for Pac-12 teams in the heat of league play. Other teams clearly miss departed players, like Utah misses Delon Wright and Washington State misses DaVonte Lacy.
There's also been an injury X-factor that has hit a few conference teams. Oregon might be the unquestioned best team in the league if not for a season-ending injury to anticipated transfer Dylan Ennis, who would've given the Ducks a standout point guard. Arizona finally got center Kaleb Tarczewski healthy … but lost super-scoring frosh Allonzo Trier to a broken hand.
The ups and downs of the conference teams have added plenty of drama: There's already been four overtime games in league play, not to mention a few buzzer-beaters and last-second winners. But ultimately the grind might hurt the eventual Pac-12 champion. It's plenty possible that the eventual league winner has five or even six losses in conference play — which doesn't make for a top-3 seed, typically.
But March is a long way off, especially when January offers its share of difficult games playing in your own league.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Pac-12 depth crazier than ever
• Eight teams ranked in the top 50 of RPI (Pac-12 with second-best RPI)
• Eight teams in ESPN's latest bracketology
• Nine teams in KenPom.com's top 70
• Four overtime games in league play, and two regulation buzzer-beating winners —
Oregon St. at Utah
P At the Jon. M Huntsman Center
Tipoff • 6:30 p.m.
TV • ESPNU
Radio • 700 AM
Records • OSU 11-4, 2-2; Utah 12-5, 1-3
Series history • Utah leads 15-10
Last meeting • Utah 47, OSU 37 (Feb. 19, 2015)
About the Beavers • The Beavers haven't lost back-to-back games this year, going 3-0 after losses. … Gary Payton II is on a run of three consecutive games with 20-plus points for the first time in his career, scoring 26 and adding 15 rebounds in a loss to Colorado. … Tres Tinkle, who is coach Wayne Tinkle's son, is the second-leading scorer (11.7 ppg) and rebounder (4.9 rpg) on the roster despite coming off the bench.
About the Utes • Utah has won three straight against the Beavers and has won the last two games at the Huntsman Center in the series. … Senior guard Brandon Taylor ranks No. 34 in school history with 1,070 points, and is four points away from surpassing former teammate Jason Washburn on the scoring list. … Jakob Poeltl was named a midseason Wooden Award watchlist candidate and made midseason All-America teams by NBC Sports and Bleacher Report, named as a second-teamer on both lists.