There were not a ton of shockers in week five of the Pac-10. Washington’s upset of USC was the real head turner, as was the comeback by Oregon. All we really learned was that Washington still has some life and the Ducks are very, very good.

Oh, yeah, and apparently Jim Harbaugh is “friends” with the officials, at least that is what Chip Kelly thinks.

UCLA 42, Washington State 28

Should we congratulate Wazzu for hanging tough for three quarters or condemn the Bruins for not putting the lowly Cougs away? How about a little of both. Let’s face it, UCLA is not as good as the team that beat Texas the week before, but they are good enough to best WSU in the Rose Bowl. The “Pistol” was working in Pasadena and if UCLA can hang onto the football, then they have  a chance in every game. The defense is improving and the run game is really going. The key to beating UCLA is to score early and make them play from behind. Right now, they just can’t pass the ball. As for WSU, they are bad, but maybe feisty enough to play with teams and possibly earn at least one upset.

Oregon State 31, ASU 28

A good, old fashioned slugfest. The Beavers were in control for awhile, but ASU never quit. Ryan Katz gets a little bit better every week and once James Rodgers gets healthy OSU may have a very potent offense. ASU’s offense may not be great, but they are decent. The bigger issue may be the defense, which has given up 42 (well actually 28 because Oregon scored twice on defense) and 31 in back-to-back weeks. The defense is good, but may not be good enough to win them games if the offense falters. Mentally, the Beavers are getting more confident, it is October afterall, while I wonder what the psyche of the Sun Devils is after losing three competitive games in a row. If Denis Erickson can keep this team together mentally, ASU will be a tough out week after week.

Washington 32, USC 31

A week after hyping the Trojans, they lose to Washington. Not a huge shock, as the Trojans have all kinds of talent, but very little development. Jake Locker showed why scouts love him as the threw for over 300 yards and ran for more than 100. That may be key for the Huskies. Locker has tried to be more of a pocket passer, but he is more dangerous as a duel threat quarterback. I still think USC is the fourth best team in the Pac-10 and UW is destined for 7^th or worse, but this one again shows the depth of the league.

Oregon 52, Stanford 31

The first half of this one was as good as any game I’ve seen in a long time. If we have learned anything from watching the Chip Kelly edition of the Ducks, is that they are never out of games. This is their second straight comeback, and they have made a habit of scoring points in bunches. They look like a legit top-5 team and the only way to beat them will be to outscore them. As for the Cardinal, why are so many people counting them out? They are a legit top-15 team and Andrew Luck did nothing to make me think less of him. If Stanford does not turn the ball over three times, this one is probably a shootout until the end. At worst, these are two of the three best teams in the league.

Okay, I missed Texas/UCLA last week, but show me someone not wearing the Bruins’ baby blue who picked the Bruins. Other than overvaluing the Arizona and Cal offenses and not giving ASU’s offense enough credit, I was pretty close.

Washington State at UCLA

Do I smell a letdown game for the Bruins? Yup. Do I smell a Wazzu win? Nope. The Bruins put 37 on Texas but worked a short field on all but one scoring drive, so the offense is still as questionable than the lunch meat I left on the counter overnight. Kevin Prince passed for 27 yards again in the Texas win, and even Dick Tomey thought the Bruin offense lacked balance. Sadly, WSU is so poor that Prince could pass for less than 27 yards and this one could still be a rout. UCLA 31, Washington State 7

Arizona State at Oregon State

Denis Erickson returns to the scene of last coaching job he did a good job at (sorry 49er fans), while the Beavers are thrilled that it is October and they can start winning again. ASU has played very well, but has just a .500 record to show for it and another loss could really damage the psyche. Oregon State needs to avoid a 1-3 start, but has always bounced back from slow starts under Mike Riley. Both of these teams player physical, hard-hitting defense, but Oregon State has given up 28 or more points in every game this season. ASU’s challenge will be to hold onto the football in one of the more underrated locales in the Pac-10. Oregon State 28, Arizona State 24

Washington a USC

The Huskies are trying to save their season, while the Trojans want to keep winning under the radar. Jake Locker lost the Heisman two weeks ago, but has a chance to save his drooping draft stock. USC is not playing for the postseason, but is 4-0 and not getting talked about. Don’t be shocked if the Trojans don’t have a chip on their shoulder. They want revenge for the loss to UW last year, they want to prove their QB is the league’s best and they are probably just a little irked that UCLA has gotten all the attention. I am still not sold on USC for the long haul, but they have more talent than the Huskies. USC 28, Washington 17

Stanford at Oregon

The best game in the nation this week. The winner has the upper hand for the Rose Bowl, since both teams host the Wildcats. This is a contrast in styles. Stanford is physical and can pass the ball, while Oregon is speedy and will keep it on the ground as much as they can. The Ducks are not as effective against smash mouth teams, but they are playing in Eugene. Oregon 41, Stanford 38

Easiest game to pick: UCLA over WSU

Toughest game to pick: OSU over ASU

Last Week: 5-1

Season: 20-4

Arizona will host Jahii Carson next week, but won’t be the only school the point guard prospects makes an unofficial visit to over the next week.

Carson was in Los Angeles over the weekend, playing for the California Supreme at the Nike EYBL AAU event. Although the Supreme struggled, Carson looked very good, showing off great hops and explosiveness.

The 5-10, 170 pounder will make three unofficial visits by the week’s end. When Carson is done playing in the tournament, he will make three unofficial visits. On Monday he will scoot across L.A. to check out UCLA.

Mid-week the Mesa High School product will visit cross-town Arizona State and then on Thursday he will head down I-10 and check out Arizona.

Carson is one of the better point guard prospects in the 2011 recruiting class.

WildcatSportsReport.com will have more on the Wildcat recruiting prospects at the EYBL, including video interviews

A few thoughts about the NCAA Tournament, and in many cases, what it means for the future of Wildcats basketball and the NCAA. ..

With Xavier advancing to the Sweet 16 and coming one play away from the Elite Eight, at least one friend of mine worried that new Xavier head coach Chris Mack, and not Sean Miller, was the “brains behind the operation.” While I can understand that train of thought, lets not forget the “Barry Switzer Corollary.” We shouldn’t forget that many coaches have won championships in their first years, never to repeat those highs.

 Lest we forget Bill Gutheridge and Tubby Smith in college basketball. They won titles with Dean Smith and Rick Pitino’s players but never won another title, and in Gutheridge’s case, never really won much again. In pro football coaches like the aforementioned Switzer and John Gruden won Super Bowl titles in the first years, but never got that close again.

Mack inherited a team that many felt could go to the Final Four, and he had them one basket away from the Elite Eight. There is no telling what Miller could have done with the team, but Xavier fans have to be pleased with Mack, just as Wildcat fans have to like what they’ve seen so far from Miller. ..

Looking for a sleeper mid-major for next year’s bracket? There seems to be a formula. Look for the team with a steady point guard, a legitimate big man and some solid outside shooters. Northern Iowa, St. Mary’s and Cornell all fit this mold, and ironically enough, so does Duke, a major conference team who has resembled a mid-major for several seasons with their reliance on the three-point shot and an overall lack of athleticism…

Want to see the direction Miller wants to take the Wildcats? While looking at Xavier is a good barometer, so is taking a peak at Ohio State and West Virginia. Miller is a Matta disciple and the way the Buckeyes get after it is the same way Miller wants future teams to defend. I also think he’d love to stockpile the types of athletes that Bob Huggins collects like kids collect baseball cards. Huggins always seems to have half a dozen 6-5 to 6-8 athletes and that seems to be what Miller likely wants. With Derrick Williams, Jamelle Horne, Solomon Hill, Kevin Parrom and now Jesse Perry, Miller is on his way to getting a roster like he wants…

Forget Coach K, Roy Williams or Rick Pitino, for my money Tom Izzo is the best coach in college basketball today. Not only has he made six Final Fours and two more regional finals, but he rarely loses to lesser teams. Since 1998, Izzo has lost to just two smaller conference foes. One was a Nevada team that advanced to the Sweet 16 and the other was George Mason, the year George Mason shocked everyone and made the Final Four.

Since 2001 (he won a title in 2000) Izzo has been knocked out by Arizona, NC State, Texas, Nevada, North Carolina (three times) George Mason and Memphis. Two of those loses came in the Final Four, another in the NC game and four other times by teams that advanced to the Final Four…

Finally, a memo to Ben Howland, Herb Sendek and Craig Robinson, the grind it out, ball control offense just doesn’t work. While it can be an equalizer for less talented teams, seven of the eight teams rely on athleticism, and Duke actually likes to score some points, though they do it with outside shooting and ball movement.  Butler may be a so-called mid-major, but they have scored 70 or more 20 times and four more times scored 68-69 points. Even Michigan State

Of the teams in the Sweet 16, 11 would be described as athletic teams and even the “physical teams average 70 points. The only team to average less than 69 points in the Sweet 16 was Northern Iowa.

While defense may win championships, in the NCAA Tournament you’d better be able to score some points.  

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