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College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 18

By Nathaniel Reeves

Feb 1, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Frank Mason (0) celebrates after forcing a turnover during the second half of the game against the Baylor Bears at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks won 73-68. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 1, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Frank Mason (0) celebrates after forcing a turnover during the second half of the game against the Baylor Bears at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks won 73-68. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 4, 2017; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Kadeem Allen (5), forward Keanu Pinder (25) and guard Allonzo Trier (35) celebrate their 73-60 win over the Arizona State Sun Devils at Wells-Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic via USA TODAY NETWORK
Mar 4, 2017; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Kadeem Allen (5), forward Keanu Pinder (25) and guard Allonzo Trier (35) celebrate their 73-60 win over the Arizona State Sun Devils at Wells-Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic via USA TODAY NETWORK /
8

Arizona Wildcats

Last week: 26-4, 15-2 Pac-12
Last rank: 9

The Wildcats enter the postseason with just two losses since Dec. 3, but this week’s Pac-12 Tournament will determine a lot about where they stand ahead of the Big Dance.

Following a disappointing home loss to UCLA last Saturday, Arizona pulled away from Arizona State in a 73-60 victory on Saturday in Tempe. Arizona came out sluggish and led the Sun Devils by just one point at half, continuing a trend from recent games against lesser opponents.

While a 16-2 record in a major conference is impressive no matter what, it still feels like Arizona hasn’t played a complete game since a Jan. 21 at UCLA. The Wildcats shot just 39 percent from the field against Arizona State, and had to use a terrific performance by Rawle Alkins to overcome bad games from Lauri Markkanen and Allonzo Trier.

Markkanen needs to break out of his extended shooting slump in a hurry, as the freshman has just two strong performances since the start of February. This isn’t Miller’s best defensive unit with the No. 27 adjusted efficiency per KenPom, so Arizona may need to rely on some hot outside shooting to reach the Final Four.

Arizona advances to Thursday’s Pac-12 quarterfinals as the No. 2 seed and will face the winner of Colorado and Washington State.