With the first week of Pacific-10 Conference play under wraps, the contenders and the pretenders are beginning to shape up — and it looks like nothing is going to be predictable this year.
UCLA, the conference co-champions in 1999, may be one of the biggest shockers of the year, as the Bruins have won only a single game so far this year. Washington, on the other hand, may prove to be this year’s sleeper, and perhaps contend for the league title.
Oregon will be in the hunt for its third consecutive crown, while the Cardinal looks to hold true to projections and win the conference.
1. No. 22 Arizona Wildcats (12-2 overall, 2-0 Pac-10)
Head coach: Joan Bonvicini, 10th year
Player to watch: Reshea Bristol, G
A 68-65 victory over Stanford to open the first week of Pac-10 play will boost an experienced Wildcat lineup, which leads the conference in scoring at nearly 82 points per contest.
A first-place finish is not unlikely for Arizona — a team that finished 25-7 last season and made an appearance in the second round of the NCAA tournament — but it would be surprising for many around the league, who projected the ‘Cats to finish no better than fourth in 2001.
2. No. 20 Oregon Ducks (8-3, 1-0)
Head coach: Jody Runge, 8th year
Player to watch: Angelina Wolvert, F
With Shaq out, the Ducks have shown that they can compete against tougher opponents. The question on everyone’s mind, though, is can they win down the stretch and conquer the Pac-10 again without the star point guard?
Seniors Angelina Wolvert, Jenny Mowe and Brianne Meharry will be key for the Ducks in the paint, as they have helped Oregon become the best field goal shooting team in the league thus far.
3. No. 24 Stanford Cardinal (7-5. 1-1)
Head coach: Tara VanDerveer, 14th year
Player to watch: Lindsey Yamasaki, G
Don’t let their preseason record fool you; Stanford is going to be a major contender again this year. The Cardinal are a great shooting team, leading the league in free throw and three-point percentages, and are second in scoring. Saturday’s matchup at The Pit should be a fun one.
4. Washington Huskies (9-3, 2-0)
Head coach: June Daugherty, 4th year
Player to watch: Megan Franza, G
As the best rebounding team in the conference, the Huskies may be the biggest surprise in the Pac-10 after a dismal 8-23 season last year.
“Last year we lost some games that were tough like this, and there were questions about how tough this team really was,” Daugherty said after Washington beat USC 91-79 in triple overtime last week. “The best thing to do is to just get in there and work hard and make those question marks go away. That is a lot about what this team is about.”
5. Southern California Trojans (5-7, 0-2)
Head coach: Chris Gobrecht, 4th year
Player to watch: Denise Woods, C
The Trojans are a fairly young squad, with a pair of freshman — Ebony Hoffman and Aisha Hollans — leading the team. The team’s first winning record (16-14) since 1997 was good enough to earn them a trip to the WNIT last season.
6. Arizona State Sun Devils (9-5, 1-1)
Head coach: Charli Turner Thorne, 4th year
Player to watch: Amanda Levens, G
The Devils’ defense has made its mark already this year, holding opponents to 57.4 points per game. In fact, No. 2 Tennessee scored just 67 against Arizona State, which is more than 16 points less than the Lady Vols are averaging this season.
7. Oregon State Beavers (8-3, 0-1)
Head coach: Judy Spoelstra, 6th year
Player to watch: Felicia Ragland, G
Despite losing 71-67, the Beavs held the Ducks to the closest score in the Civil War in four years. An easy schedule in the preseason didn’t challenge Oregon State too much, so they may not be fully prepared for Pac-10 play. They do, however, have the top scoring defense in the league, allowing just 56.7 points per game.
8. Washington State Cougars (7-5, 2-0)
Head coach: Jenny Przez, 2nd year
Player to watch: Brittney Hawks, C
The Cougs have already won more Pac-10 games this year than they did all of last season, but it’s hard to tell if they are a legitimate contender. Just to be safe, let’s not mess with tradition; we’ll keep them toward the bottom of the pile for awhile.
9. California Bears (4-8, 0-2)
Head coach: Caren Horstmeyer, 1st year
Player to watch: Ami Forney, F
With the 10th toughest schedule in the country, the Bears’ preseason may have prepared them well for a tough Pac-10 schedule.
Then again, maybe not.
10. UCLA Bruins (1-12, 0-2)
Head coach: Kathy Oliver, 8th year
Player to watch: Michelle Greco, G
What happened here?
Last year at this time, the Bruins were cruising as the nation’s 17th-ranked team and looking to protect their share of the Pac-10 crown. Now, after being swept by the Washington schools, UCLA will be lucky to pick up any conference wins.