Arizona tops rankings, followed by Zags, BYU and CSU

Welcome to the first installment of the Hotline’s Best of the West rankings for the 2023-24 basketball season. We’ll examine the top teams in the western third of the country on a weekly basis through Selection Sunday.

And if the first NET rankings of the season are any indication, it should be an intriguing three months.

Brigham Young is the No. 1 team this week in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, with Arizona and Colorado State in the top 10 and a barrage of others in the top 40.

The NET plays a central role in the March Madness selection process. Generally, teams in the top 40 at the end of the regular season can be fairly confident of receiving NCAA at-large bids. As the results roll in, the NET will gain predictive power.

Here we go.

(NET rankings through Tuesday)

1. Arizona (7-0)

NET ranking: No. 3
Next up: vs. Wisconsin (Saturday)
Comment: Unfortunately, the Wildcats opted for the path of least resistance and will finish non-conference play against No. 23 Wisconsin, No. 4 Purdue, Alabama and No. 11 FAU. Coach Tommy Lloyd should have his salary cut for scheduling such a stunning array of creampuffs.

2. Gonzaga (6-1)

NET ranking: 26
Next up: at Washington (Saturday)
Comment: The loss was to Purdue. There are wins over Syracuse, UCLA and USC. The upcoming schedule features Washington, Connecticut and San Diego State. In other words: typical stuff in Spokane.

3. Brigham Young (7-0)

NET ranking: No. 1
Next up: at Utah (Saturday)
Comment: Not on our bingo card: BYU raising the overall quality of play in the Big 12. That league was pretty damn good before the Cougars arrived. They’re making it even better.

4. Colorado State (8-0)

NET ranking: No. 7
Next up: vs. Denver (Wednesday)
Comment: The Rams, not the 2023 national runner-up (San Diego State), are the team to beat in the Mountain West. They thumped then-No. 8 Creighton and have beaten Colorado and Washington back-to-back.

5. UCLA (5-2)

NET ranking: No. 97
Next up: vs. Villanova (Saturday)
Comment: Not what the Bruins expected when they signed up for the bicoastal series: Villanova would have losses to Penn, St. Joseph’s, Drexel and Kansas State.

6. San Diego State (7-2)

NET ranking: No. 27
Next up: vs. UC Irvine (Saturday)
Comment: The loss to BYU in the second game was completely understandable. The six-game winning streak that followed was hardly surprising. But the stumble at Grand Canyon on Tuesday night? We did not see that coming.

7. Colorado (6-2)

NET ranking: No. 52
Next up: vs. Miami (Sunday)
Comment: Not a good look: Five of the six victories are of the Quadrant IV (i.e., lowest) variety in the NET rankings matrix. Miami provides a chance to change the complexion of CU’s resume.

8. USC (5-3)

NET ranking: No. 73
Next up: vs. Long Beach State (Sunday)
Comment: Beware of The Beach, which beat Michigan a few weeks ago and is led by former Washington guard Marcus Tsohonis. To repeat: Beware. The. Beach.

9. Nevada (6-0)

NET ranking: No. 25
Next up: vs. UC Davis (Wednesday)
Comment: The Wolf Pack’s undefeated record is a bit flimsy, but there aren’t many good options for the bottom spots, especially with the lack of a viable second team from the WCC. (Saint Mary’s is struggling.)

10. New Mexico (7-1)

NET ranking: No. 36
Next up: vs. UC Santa Barbara (Wednesday)
Comment: The lone loss was a bad one: by 14 points to Saint Mary’s just before Saint Mary’s lost to Weber State.