Second place in the Pacific-10 Conference is quite simply up for grabs.
Four squads — Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona State and USC — are tied and looking for a high seed in the inaugural conference tournament, to be held at McArthur Court beginning March 1.
And the fans are beginning to pay attention.
Only two teams — California and Washington State — draw less than 1,000 people per game. Oregon is tops in the conference with 4,574 fans per game, drawing a little more than half the capacity of Mac Court.
In fact, the support the Ducks receive hasn’t gone unnoticed. Many teams have called the Pit one of the toughest places they’ve ever played, and UCLA head coach Kathy Olivier was impressed on her most recent visit.
“The Pit — it’s a tough place to play,” she said. “The fans get behind Oregon, almost like a sixth player. They are vocal, and they are loud.
“This is great for women’s basketball.”
Across the board, attendance figures are strong for the Pac-10 women’s teams.
Stanford, which is leading the conference by more than three games, is a distant second in the conference at 3,663 spectators per game. The Cardinal play at Maples Pavilion, but the storied gym seats barely more than 7,000.
Seattle, which may be one of the biggest hotbeds for women’s basketball on the West Coast, houses Husky basketball, and their fans come out in droves.
Washington draws 3,341 per game and has ridden that to a 6-4 conference record.
Arizona, at 2,112, is fourth, followed by UCLA, Oregon State, Arizona State and USC.
California is ninth at 894 fans per game, while Washington State attracts a measly 403 fans per game at Friel Court. Cal is 1-8 in conference play, Washington State is 0-11.
Is it a coincidence that these two squads are at the bottom of the barrel in conference play?
Probably not. Stanford and Oregon have traditionally attracted the largest crowds and have been the most successful in recent years. California and Washington State have not gotten the masses’ attention and haven’t played on the court that well, either.
Stanford dominates
Stanford is running away with the Pac-10 title.
The Cardinal, 10-0 in league play (20-1 overall), leads in nearly every statistical Pac-10 category.
At 81.4 points per game, Stanford paces the conference by seven points in that category, yet allows its opponents just 61.8 points per game.
That figure places the Cardinal at third in the conference. The No. 1 and No. 2 squads in that category?
California is first at 58 points allowed per game, while Arizona State closely follows them at 61.2.
The Stanford red has closely resembled a stoplight this season. Not many teams have been able to make a dent in the Cardinal’s armor and only a few squads have finished the game within 10 points of Stanford.
Stanford’s only loss came to then-No. 2 Tennessee, 68-62, almost two months ago.
After a 76-62 loss to the No. 3 Cardinal last week, Arizona head coach Joan Bonvicini had nothing but praise for Stanford.
“This is Stanford’s best team in five or six years,” she told the Associated Press. “Who knows what will happen down the road?
“Stanford has so many weapons and if you make a mistake, they can convert. It’s not only the starters. They have people coming off the bench doing things. They have a shot to do damage in the tournament because they have good depth.”
If there was a chink in Stanford’s armor, it would have to be the team’s depth in the backcourt. They can play with most teams in the conference but do not often dominate; however, they were good enough to contain Edniesha Curry and Shaquala Williams when the Ducks visited Palo Alto, Calif., earlier this month.
But if a team messes with the Stanford frontcourt, they’re bound to get burned. Nicole Powell and Lindsey Yamasaki are top players in the conference, and are key to the Cardinal’s success.
In fact, Yamasaki was so good last week against the Arizona schools, she was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week. The Oregon City, Ore., native averaged 24.5 points per game, including 27 points against Arizona State.