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College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 14

By Nathaniel Reeves

Feb 4, 2017; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Dillon Brooks (24) moves the ball down the court in the second half against the Arizona Wildcats at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2017; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Dillon Brooks (24) moves the ball down the court in the second half against the Arizona Wildcats at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 1, 2017; Seattle, WA, USA; USC Trojans forward Bennie Boatwright (25) dribbles the ball past Washington Huskies forward Noah Dickerson (15) during the second half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. The Trojans won 82-74. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 1, 2017; Seattle, WA, USA; USC Trojans forward Bennie Boatwright (25) dribbles the ball past Washington Huskies forward Noah Dickerson (15) during the second half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. The Trojans won 82-74. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
24

USC Trojans

Last week: 18-4, 5-4 Pac-12
Last rank: NR

UCLA, Arizona and Oregon have separated themselves in the Pac-12, but the Trojans are quietly putting together another strong season under Andy Enfield.

Following a huge win over the rival Bruins on Jan. 25, USC got a much-needed week off before rolling to a road sweep of the Washington schools. While the Huskies and Cougars are struggling, USC now has an impressive 20-4 overall record and 7-4 mark in conference play, which is good enough to get some separation from the bubble.

There’s some good wins on the resume, including the impressive victory over the Bruins and a non-conference triumph against SMU, and the Trojans got a huge boost this week with forward Bennie Boatwright returning from a knee injury that cost him two months. Boatwright was one of USC’s most effective players last season as a freshman, and scored 23 points in his first game back against the Huskies on Wednesday night.

Advanced metrics aren’t as much of a believer, as the Trojans rank 57th in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted efficiency ratings. Still, USC is piling up wins while teams across the country are suffering upsets, and now has four players averaging at least 12.9 points per game with Boatwright back in the lineup.

Following Thursday’s home date with Oregon State, the Trojans will begin a difficult stretch by hosting Oregon on Saturday night.