Former Washington basketball players rank in the lower half of the Pac-12 in terms of their total NBA compensation, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

It's an interesting way to measure which schools are truly a basketball powerhouse in the conference.

No surprise Arizona tops the list. Former Wildcats players collectively earned $738 million thanks in part to former stars Mike Bibby and Gilbert Arenas, who reportedly made the most among UA players.

UCLA is a distant second at $497 million. The Bruins big earners include: Baron Davis and Reggie Miller.

California is is third at $404 million with big earners Jason Kidd and Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

There's a precipitous drop in earnings after Cal.

Surprising to note Utah is fourth on the list followed by Oregon State. Stanford is sixth, Oregon seventh and Washington eighth. It's not a shocker Washington State is at the bottom of the list, but didn't expect the total earnings ($3.2 million) to be so low among former WSU stars.

Got to believe schools at the top of list will use this information as a recruiting tool to attract elite prospects.

The Wall Street Journal collected the names of every college player who entered the NBA in or after 1985 and ranked their total NBA compensation by schools. Here's how the Pac-12 stacks up.

Pac-12 rank (national) .... Team ....................... NBA earnings
1. (3) ............................... Arizona .................... $737,802,141
2. (10) ............................. UCLA ....................... $496,856,577
3. (13) ............................. California ................. $404,240,093
4. (26) ............................. Utah ........................ $225,081,425
5. (32) ............................. Oregon State .......... $196,556,915
6. (40) ............................. Stanford .................. $159,381,070
7. (52) ............................. Oregon .................... $131,383,766
8. (58) ............................. Washington .............. $116,757,854
9. (70) ............................. Colorado .................. $91,594,136
10. (79) ............................ USC .......................... $77,993,245
11. (87) ............................ Arizona State ............ $60,144,498
12, (186) ......................... Washington State ..... $3,222,184

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON LINKS:

--- Coach Lorenzo Romar jumped on the radio this morning with 710 ESPN and KJR 950.

--- Steve Kelley spoke with Shawn Kemp Jr. about his father who played with the Sonics. "Everybody's expecting me to be somewhat like him. But we're two different people," the UW freshman said.

--- Kemp is a popular person among the media lately. The News Tribune also penned a feature about his recent increase in minutes.

--- Washington took advantage of a favorable Pac-12 schedule, but things are about to get tough for the Huskies who finish with five of seven games on the road.

--- KJR's Dave Mahler talks Husky hoops during his weekly visit with former UW standouts Mike Hayward and Donald Watts.

--- From the Eugene Register-Guard: With a win, Oregon would be back within a game of the Pac-12 lead; lose, and the Ducks are three back with six games remaining in the regular season.

--- Oregon guard Garrett Sim said the most important thing he learned from the Ducks' 76-60 defeat at Washington on Dec. 31 is protecting the basketball (video below).

--- Oregon State junior Jared Cunningham will have a big decision to make in two months: Stay in school or turn pro.

--- During his weekly press conference, coach Craig Robinson said the Beavers will benefit from the extra day to prepare for the Huskies. "A team that's at the top of your league, having an extra day to prepare for them is extremely helpful," he said. "So I like the fact that we play Thursday and then Sunday."

--- Ryan Thorburn at the Daily Camera gives his Pac-12 rankings and talks about Colorado's big game Thursday at Arizona. The Buffaloes are in contention for their first conference title since 1969.

--- Arizona State star guard Trent Lockett (ankle) will return Thursday after missing the past seven games.

--- Arizona backup guard Jordin Mayes (foot) will likely return sometime between next week and the Pac-12 Tournament, coach Sean Miller said.

--- UCLA forward Travis Wear (ankle) is still on the mend.

--- Bud Withers believes five Pac-12 teams have earned NCAA tournament consideration.

--- With seven games left, Bill Oram at the Salt Lake Tribune takes a look at the Pac-12 Player of the Year race. UW's Tony Wroten Jr. and Terrence Ross are in the discussion.

--- And finally, here's Part II of my interview with Jeff 'huskylenz' Taylor from The Husky Haul.