Despite some close contests, Arizona ranks No. 7 in the nation. (bradjward/Creative Commons)

With only six victories against AP Top-25 teams under their belt, the teams of Pac-12 Conference have lots of work to accomplish if they want to earn multiple NCAA tournament berths. UCLA, Oregon and Arizona are the ranked teams in the conference, while the state schools Oregon State, Washington State and Cal are struggling to post victories. 

Here are six of the top storylines from the first two weeks of Pac-12 men's basketball.

6. Utah Close, But No Cigar In The Win Department

The Utah Utes are winless in Pac-12 play but should not condemned as a team with no hope. After losing by a combined nine points to Arizona, UCLA and Arizona State; Utah has shown resiliency against three of the best teams in the conference.

Utah had three shots to win the game in the final ten seconds of overtime against Arizona State. Against No. 7 Arizona, the Utes fell behind by double digits before storming on a 12-point swing, cutting the lead to as close as one point with 1:07 to play.

Fifth-year senior Jared DuBois is capitalizing on his switch from the West Coast Conferene to the Pac-12. In four years at Loyola Marymount, DuBois averaged closed to 11 points per game, shooting under 40 percent from the field. DuBois has shined at Utah averaging 13.3 points per game on 42 percent shooting.

Big man Jason Washburn has been another key to the Utes tenacious attack. The 6-foot-10 senior posted double-doubles in every contest before squaring with the twin towers of USC.

The Utes had no answer for the Trojans' bevy of size. The 17-point loss was arguably Utah's worst performance of the season, which might be concerning after after playing such solid basketball against elite Pac-12 foes.

5. Arizona State Embracing Underdog Role

In one of the biggest surprises of the season, the 11th-ranked team in the preseason poll is playing some of the best basketball in the conference. The Arizona State Sun Devils are 3-1 in conference play, quite possibly a few clutch plays away from being undefeated in the Pac-12. 

Redshirt freshman Jahii Carson epitomizes the spirit in Tempe, scoring 17 points per game. This comes from a man who was forced to sit out last season, a floundering 10-21 campaign, after being ruled academically inelgible. 

When you talk ASU Basketball, it all begins with shot blocking. The Sun Devils are leading the conference with 7.5 blocks per night. Herb Sendek is implementing a suffocating defense that prides itself on playing strong help defense and rallying to corner shooters. The Sun Devils have been able to limit Pac-12 opponents to only 65 points per game, which can be the building block for a recipe of success. 

If the Sun Devils want to remain relevant, they must play well against some outstanding competition in UCLA and Arizona. Among conference foes, the Sun Devils will face a steep shot-blocking challenge from the USC Trojans frontcourt.

4. Oregon Playing Like National Contender

E.J. Singler is turning his Oregon Ducks into the Duke of the West, climbing in the rankings to No. 21 after knocking off Arizona and ASU over the weekend.

The Ducks are loaded offensively, posting 76.4 points per game, while shooting close to 50 percent on offense. Back to Singler, the senior is actually having a statistically worse season than last, but has actually made a bigger impact on the team by taking more charges, passing the ball to open shooters and embracing the leadership role.

Freshman sensation Damyean Dotson reminds me of LaMichael James, in the way he cuts with the ball, and is certaintly making people noitce after his impressive 21-point output versus Oregon State.

Matthew Knight Arena has been quite the home cooking for Oregon, so expect the Ducks to be a tremendously difficult out as the season progresses. The now-21st-ranked Ducks are making a name for themselves with wins over prestigious programs Arizona and UNLV.

UCLA head coach Ben Howland is winning his way off the hot seat. (James Santelli/NT)

After head-scratching performances against the likes of UC Irvine, Cal Poly and Texas, the Bruins have kicked it into gear. As part of their current nine-game winning streak, UCLA is scoring a conference-best 78 points per game.

Coming off an impresive overtime victory over Missouri, UCLA disposed of Cal relatively easily behind a double-double effort from Kyle Anderson. He and Shabazz Muhammad have carried the Bruins over this stretch, combining for 34 points per night.

Muhammad is playing like the top-rated prospect out of high school we all expected. Travis and David Wear are making vital impacts all over the stat sheet. Travis Wear scored 23 pivotal points in a narrow victory over Colorado, while his brother David is shooting 50 percent from the field, propelling UCLA's balanced attack.

Guard duo Jordan Adams and Larry Drew II have also stepped up their game. The freshman Adams has scored in double figures in three out of the past four games while also posting seven steals against Stanford.

Ben Howland has moved from the worrisome hot seat to the Pac-12 driver's seat after four straight victories to begin play. The Bruins' current winning streak has not always been pretty, but the results are tough to argue with.

2. Colorado Struggling Out Of The Gate

After Colorado surprisingly won the Pac-12 Tournament in their first season, experts once again doubted the strength of the Buffaloes. With a 6-0 start to the 2012-13 campaign, including wins over Baylor, Dayton and Murray State, Colorado looked poised for a strong gallop into Pac-12 play. 

The Buffaloes have struggled in-conference to push their tempo for an entire 40 mintues. Against USC however, Colorado was able to force 22 turnovers, propelling them to the six-point victory. Losing a tough game to UCLA at the buzzer put a sour note to what else had been a solid home stretch.

The key for the Buffaloes moving forward will be rebounding and forcing turnovers. The late-game blown call against Arizona may loom over this team as they battle through the conference. Expect the Buffaloes to be extremely aggressive with turnover-prone Washington State heading into town.

Askia Booker and Josh Scott have been the most reliable scorers for Colorado, combining for 27 points per night. Spencer Dinwiddie is another player to keep an eye on over the coming weeks, because of his 38-percent shooting from downtown. 

Despite the sluggish 1-3 start, a weaker stretch of Pac-12 action is ahead with Washington State and Washington coming to Boulder this week.  

1. Arizona Playing With Flair For Dramatic

The Arizona Wildcats have been stripped from their undefeated pedestal but have looked non-impressive in their three other Pac-12 contests. This top-10-caliber team is no stranger for the dramatic, escaping with last-second victories over San Diego State and Florida in non-conference play.

The Wildcats have continued their flair for the dramatic in league play, winning no game by more than 10 points. Luckily for Arizona, they stand at 3-1 and still control their destiny. As the preseason Pac-12 favorite, Arizona was never expected to struggle with the likes of Oregon State, Utah and Colorado, yet these teams are giving the Wildcats all they can handle.

Whether the pressure is mounting or not, the Wildcats are relying too much on transfer point guard Mark Lyons to bail them out. Lyons is averaging 18.5 points per game in Pac-12 play, while also dishing out over four assists per contest. Senior Solomon Hill has posted a quiet yet consistent campaign, scoring no less than 16 points in his past four games.

All that being said, the Wildcats are still extremely talented and have found a way to impose their will late in ball games. Expect Arizona to struggle in their next two games against rival ASU and red-hot UCLA.

Reach staff writer Evan Budrovich here, or follow him on Twitter.