College Basketball Power 10: Who Runs The Pac-12?

Feb 8, 2017; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Allonzo Trier (35) and center Dusan Ristic (14) and forward Lauri Markkanen (10) walk up court during the second half against the Stanford Cardinal at McKale Center. Arizona won 74-67. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

5. UCLA (23-3)

Since their back-to-back losses panicked everyone in the nation, UCLA has responded with four straight wins by an average of 19.5 points, including a comeback win from 19 points down against Oregon last week.

The Bruins defense is still something to worry about going forward, but only three teams this season have proven to be able to outscore the Bruins for a whole game. They’re so dangerous this season because they can catch fire at any time and become impossible to stop.

That became evident against Oregon.

After trailing 64-49 with 14:17 left in the game, UCLA shot 12-of-21 (57.1 percent) to end the game. Five Bruins ended the game with double-figure points, including Lonzo Ball who scored 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting and had arguably the shot of the year.

Leading 77-75, Ball nailed a step-back 30-foot three to give UCLA a five-point lead and seal the game. Considering the stakes and the difficulty of the shot with a hand in his face, it’s arguably the biggest shot of the year and could help continue turning UCLA’s season around.

With the amount of talent they have, especially offensively, UCLA could still win the championship without a great defense simply because they’re near impossible to slow down for a whole game.

UCLA hosts the USC Trojans this week.