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Arizona State at No. 3 Arizona tops Pac-12 week

UCLA guard Tyger Campbell, right, drives toward the basket as Arizona guard Kerr Kriisa defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
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Things to watch this week in Pac-12 Conference basketball:

GAME OF THE WEEK: Arizona State at No. 3 Arizona, Saturday. The Wildcats (16-1, 6-0 Pac-12) lost 75-59 to No. 7 UCLA on Tuesday night, but have one of the nation’s best offenses — leading in assists per game (21.3) and second in scoring (88.7 points). The Sun Devils (6-11, 2-5) are coming off a blowout loss to No. 15 Southern Cal, but didn’t have coach Bobby Hurley or guard Jay Heath after they were suspended for confronting officials after a loss to Stanford. Winning at McKale Center against its biggest rival could go a long way to Arizona State turning around its season.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Pac-12 has two more rival games in the next week. On Saturday, Oregon State plays at Oregon in a matchup of teams going in opposite directions. The Ducks usually round into form late in the season under coach Dana Altman, and that’s been the case this year. Oregon (12-6, 5-2) has won six straight, including top-5 UCLA and USC in consecutive games. The Beavers (3-14, 1-6) have labored coming off last season’s Elite Eight appearance, losing four straight and 14 of 16. California and Stanford renew their rivalry next Tuesday. The Cardinal (11-6, 4-3) have been inconsistent, but have wins over USC and Oregon. The Bears (9-10, 2-6) have lost five straight and have a difficult week before playing the Cardinal, facing UCLA and USC this week.

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INSIDE THE NUMBERS: The Pac-12 has had three top-25 teams for 11 consecutive weeks, its longest stretch since a 19-week run in 2016-17. ... Oregon has climbed 48 spots to No. 52 in the NET rankings during its six-game winning streak. ... Arizona’s Dalen Terry is 10th nationally with an assists-to-turnover ratio of 3.09 per game. ... Stanford is 339th nationally with 15.9 turnovers per game.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Johnny Juzang, UCLA. The Bruins’ junior guard had quite a week, averaging 25.5 points on 58% shooting, including 4 of 7 from 3 in a sweep of the Pac-12 mountain schools. He was named Pac-12 player of the week for the second time this season.

ON THE WOMEN’S SIDE: There will be a rematch of the 2021 national championship game when No. 8 Arizona faces No. 2 Stanford on Sunday. The Wildcats, who missed a last-second shot in the title game, have won two lopsided games since a contentious loss at No. 19 Oregon on Jan. 15. The Cardinal have won six straight since a four-point loss to No. 1 South Carolina on Dec. 21. Arizona plays at UCLA on Wednesday and Stanford faces Arizona State Friday before the top-10 showdown.

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Compiled by AP Basketball Writer John Marshall in Phoenix.

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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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