College Basketball: Power Ranking the Pac-12 Teams Based on Hoops Reputation

What does a high school basketball recruit consider when trying to decide which college to play for?

Where the school is located? That certainly plays a major role. 

What kind of scholarship they will receive? Yeah, that definitely factors in.

What about the school's reputation? That could be the biggest factor of them all.

The team's success, the quality of the coaching staff, the fans, and the overall atmosphere at the games all definitely play a critical role in choosing between schools. 

Here's my list ranking all of the Pac-12 schools based on their current reputation.

12) Utah

Sorry Utes, but someone had to be on the bottom of this list.

And honestly, when was the last time you heard anything about Utah's basketball program since Andrew Bogut came out of there in 2005?

11) Arizona State

After finishing last in the Pac-10 last year, Arizona State doesn't have much in their repertoire to attract potential recruits.

Although incoming freshman Jahii Carson was certainly a flashy signing, the team doesn't have a lot of other talent flowing in.

10) Oregon State

Oregon State wasn't much better than Arizona State in 2010 since they won only one more conference game and finished with a record of 11-20.

Corvallis, Oregon doesn't have much to entice high school recruits and having a sub-par team doesn't help either.

Although one thing the Beavers do have going for them is their head coach Craig Robinson and the interesting family ties he has. Robinson's brother in law is the big man himself, Barack Obama.

It would be an exhilarating experience to play basketball for Oregon State and have Obama, the most important individual in the country come and watch me play.

Whether or not I made it to the NBA, that would be a story for the grandchildren.

9) Washington State

There is something different with Washington State: they always have great recruits but never seem to find a way to translate that into having a successful team.

The Cougars made it all the way to the semifinals in the NIT tournament in 2010 which could be considered a successful season for some Wazoo fans.

Plus, Pullman, Washington isn't the most fascinating place in the Pacific northwest either.

8) Stanford

Stanford occasionally has enough cards in the deck to have a successful season here and there.

From the Casey Jaconsen years in the early 2002, to the Josh Childress days in 2004, the Cardinal are primed to make a solid run at any given time.

And don't forget about the "twin towers" days with Brook and Robin Lopez in 2007.

Unfortunately for Stanford, it's a college where academics come first. I'm not saying that's a bad thing —and it's actually how it should be— but that might turn away some of the higher ranked recruits who are looking to play ball and that is it.

However, if a recruit is looking to strike a balance between a great academic school and a respectable athletic program, then Stanford is definitely the place to be.

7) Colorado

While some may view them to be a little too high on this list, I believe Colorado has the potential to become a Pac-12 basketball powerhouse in the near future.

The Buffaloes had a fantastic 2010 season by beating four ranked opponents and losing to Alabama by one in the NIT semifinals.

Although they are losing a few of their key players, coming to the Pac-12 will definitely improve their reputation.

I have also heard nothing but good things about Boulder, Colorado so that will definitely attract a multitude of potential recruits.

6) USC

USC could be higher on this list, but the self-imposed sanctions will definitely have a detrimental affect on their basketball program.

Even though they were relatively minor sanctions, recruits become skeptical when considering schools who were recently lashed for recruiting violations.

There is no doubt that any high school player would love to spend his college days in the warm and sunny southern California and USC definitely uses that to their advantage.

5) Cal

Cal has always been a flashy place to sign in the eyes of the high school recruits.

Having Mike Montgomery as the team's coach and playing in the beautiful bay area also doesn't hurt.

Plus, who wouldn't want to play with the 7'3" center Max Zhang?

He is one tall man...

4) Oregon

It was been a while since Oregon has had any college basketball relevance.

However, things are about to turn around for the Ducks, and quickly.

Nike's founder and CEO Phil Knight has donated boat-loads of money to Oregon's athletic program and was the major provider in the building of the most expensive basketball arena in the country.

Dana Altman who is one-year removed from his first year as Oregon's head coach has instilled a lot of energy and hope into the Ducks' basketball program and that was seen last year when they beat Creighton to win the CBA tournament in 2010.

Oregon's reputation has already won them a top recruit named Jabari Brown who was ranked the 25th best overall recruit in 2011 according to ESPN.

3) UCLA

Historically speaking, UCLA has the biggest reputation in the Pac-12 and that is a unanimous decision.

Even though UCLA hasn't played as dominantly as they have in the past, it hasn't hurt their success in recruiting because they are still shipping in some of the nation's top prospects year after year.

2) Washington

There isn't much that doesn't attract basketball players to Washington.

It has the location, the success and the atmosphere that any potential recruit would love to be apart of.

It was also an exciting time for all Pac-12 fans when the Huskies almost upset North Carolina in the third-round of the Men's College Basketball Championship in 2010.

1) Arizona

Arizona has officially emerged as the powerhouse in the Pac-12.

By riding the back of their star Derrick Williams, the Wildcats made it all the way to the Elite Eight in 2010 and lost Connecticut who were the eventual victors of the entire tournament.

Their success on the court has supplied them with some extravagant recruits like Josiah Turner, and Nick Johnson, the 14th and 21st overall recruits in the nation respectively.

The future certainly looks bright for Arizona for years to come.