For Pac-12 basketball, nothing may be more valuable than separation.
In a non-conference slate where the league finished with no ranked teams, several mid-major losses and one Quadrant 1 team, it’s hard to find a squad that can call itself in anomaly.
Arizona State, at 9-3, would be the closest thing. But after a home loss to Princeton – a Quadrant 4 opponent ranked No. 201 in the NCAA’s NET Rankings – their name fell in the gutter, like many of their conference peers.
Two hours south, coach Sean Miller is in the midst of a rebuild at Arizona – making the Wildcats an unlikely candidate to attract national attention.