The national media are already heaping abuse on Pac-10 basketball, so we figured it was safe to pile on, adding the sobering note that West Coast Conference teams have a winning record against the Pac-10 so far.

 The sad truth is, the WCC is 3-2 against the Pac-10 this season, and the two WCC teams with the most national prestige, Gonzaga and St. Mary’s, have not faced any Pac-10 teams yet. It could get worse because Portland has a real chance to beat UCLA in their game on Thanksgiving Day, Gonzaga will be favored when it plays Washington State on Dec. 2, and St. Mary’s will give Oregon a tough time in their Dec. 12 game.

 The early results suggest the WCC is better than anticipated, but sports writers are guilty as charged regarding their presumed tendency to pick on teams or conferences when they are down. And it is undeniable now that the Pac-10 is down.

Darren Collison (2) and Josh Shipp are two of the four starters gone from last season's UCLA team -- Associated Press photo by Michael Perez

 UCLA and Oregon State, teams expected to be among the title contenders, have suffered through some embarrassing moments, preseason favorite Cal has fallen out of the AP top 25, and Washington, which has assumed the role of Pac-10 favorite by default, has yet to prove anything.

 The Pac-10 has had slightly better success against the Big Sky, but is just 3-2 against that conference, and the Pac-10 lost one of its four games against Big West teams. Any Pac-10 loss to those teams in any season has to be considered a disappointment, and Pac-10 teams should never lose to Sacramento State, as Oregon State did the other day – at home, no less.

Is the WCC really better than the Pac-10 this season? Probably not, and it’s too early to say for sure anyway. But don’t rule out the possibility.   The Pac-10 is dominated by young, inexperienced players, so it should be better by the time conference play rolls around, but the WCC is pretty young too.

 Here’s an update on the Pac-10 teams, with Cal and Stanford both recording impressive wins on Tuesday after some difficult losses.

Stanford (3-2) — Although Stanford lost to San Diego and Oral Roberts, confirming it deserved to be picked last in the Pac-10, the Cardinal showed some potential by beating Virginia in Cancun on Tuesday by five points. Jarrett Mann has established himself as the Cardinal’s point guard, and Landry Fields is putting up big-time numbers, including 25 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals in a 57-52 victory over Virginia. The Cardinal plays No. 5 Kentucky on Wednesday, so batten down the hatches.

Cal (3-2) — The Bears probably did not deserve to be ranked as high as they were and proved it by getting dominated by Syracuse and Ohio State, the latter game getting close at the end thanks to a Jerome Randle surge. In fact, Randle has done fine, but with steady Theo Robertson still out with a foot injury, Harper Kamp out indefinitely with knee problems and Patrick Christopher struggling to find his groove, the Bears are short on weapons. Christopher may have found his stroke in Cal’s 79-47 victory over Jacksonville on Tuesday, when he was 4-for-6 on three-pointers and scored 23 points . The Dolphins were blown away by Florida State in their only other game, but they are the favorites to win the Atlantic Sun Conference for the second straight season. Robertson sat out his third straight game and is unlikely to play in Sunday’s game against Princeton, but he is expected to be back before too long. It’s anybody’s guess when Kamp will return.

Arizona State (4-0) – The Sun Devils have been burning from the three-point line, hitting 49.4 percent of their shots from beyond the arc. We will see if the Sun Devils are really any good when they take on Duke on Wednesday, but so far the big news has been freshman Tate Lockett, who is averaging 11.3 points and 7.3 rebounds. ASU beat San Francisco by 39 points in its only game over the weekend.

Washington (4-0) – The Huskies have been anointed the new Pac-10 favorite after Cal’s disappointing showing in New York, but Washington has not proved anything yet, beating four so-so opponents, all in Seattle. Their first test comes Dec. 12 against Georgetown. Quincy Pondexter (24.0 points, 12.0 rebounds) and Isaiah Thomas (22.0 points) have been scoring like crazy, but freshman point guard Abdul Gaddy is struggling with his shot, hitting only 1 of 8 three-pointers this season. He was 1-for-6 from the field but did have seven assists in the 10-point win over San Jose State.

Washington State (3-0) – Klay Thompson was named Pac-10 player of the week after scoring 37 points against Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne (IPFW). He’s averaging 27.0 points, and freshman Reggie Moore is averaging 11.3 points, but the Cougars have not played anyone yet.

Arizona (3-1) – The Wildcats lost on Monday by four points to Wisconsin in Alaska, and that is nothing to be ashamed of. But having to go overtime on Tuesday to beat a Colorado team picked to finish last in the Big 12 is not a good omen for a team looking for its 25th straight NCAA Tournament berth. Arizona freshman Derrick Williams had 25 points against Wisconsin, which is encouraging, and he looks like he might be a facotr come Pac-10 time. Nic Wise was 3-for-12 against Wisconsin, but he rebounded by scoring 30 against Colorado and hitting every big shot down the stretch. Jamelle Horne was 5-for-5 on three-pointers against the Buffaloes.

 UCLA (2-1) – The Bruins’ season-opening loss to Cal State Fullerton at nearly empty Pauley Pavilion will be tough to shake, but the bigger news now surrounds starting forward Nikola Dragovic, who has been suspended indefinitely after being arrested on an assault charge for allegedly knocking a man through a glass window. The 6-9 Dragovic is the only returning starter from last season’s team. Sophomores Drew Gordon and Malcolm Lee are producing as expected, but sophomore point guard Jerime Anderson has more turnovers than assists.

Oregon State could use Gary Payton's toughness right about now -- Photo by Peter Read Miller/Sports Illustrated

 Oregon (3-2) – Losing to a pretty good Portland team on the road is OK, but Monday’s 13-point home loss to Montana, which had lost to Denver three days earlier, does not bode well. Sophomore Michael Dunigan missed his second straight game with a hip injury, and Joevan Catron was held out with back problems. Neither of the Ducks’ two freshmen, Jamil Wilson and E.J. Singler, scored against Montana. Sophomore Teondre Williams has been the Ducks’ most consistent performer and is averaging 14.0 points.

USC (1-1) – The Trojans blew a 12-point lead in an eight-point loss to Loyola Marymount on Saturday, and there is no way to put a happy face on a home loss to a team expected to finish in the bottom half of the West Coast Conference. USC’s best player, Dwight Lewis, was 3-for-12 from the field, and Kasey Cunningham, who started the first two games, is probably out for the season with a knee injury. The Trojans had only eight players available for the Loyola Marymount game, but Alex Stepheson (knee) might be ready to play in the next game, and Marcus Johnson is now eligible to play.

 Oregon State (1-3) – The Beavers are the most disappointing team in the conference so far. Some thought with virtually their entire team returning, the Beavers might contend for the Pac-10 title, but first they lost to Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and then on Saturday, they lost at home to Sacramento State. “Everyone thinks we’re a lot better than we are,” coach Craig Robinson told the Oregonian. Apparently so. Freshmen Angus Brandt, Joe Burton and Jared Cunningham helped the Beavers make a second-half comeback that fell short against Sac State, which was 2-27 overall last season, including 1-15 in the Big West Conference.