Things don’t often make sense in college basketball. All fans know this. The problem is that there’s often a balance between the ordinary and the unexpected.
Last week, that balance ceased to exist.
In a stretch that saw 14 teams in the AP Top 25 (five in the top seven) lose a game, the opening seven days of 2018 proved that there are no dominant teams in college basketball this season. Perhaps no conference hurts more from this than the Pac-12.
The thrilling opener between Arizona and Arizona State gave the conference some hope. After sending three teams to the Sweet 16 and one to the Final Four in last year’s NCAA Tournament, it appeared that the conference had two more teams capable of playing into deep March this season.