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If the first two showdowns of ranked opponents are any judge, the Pac-12 women’s basketball season will live up to the hype and be a box office draw.
UCLA held off USC 71-64 at sold-out Pauley Pavilion — the first in program history — while Colorado defeated Utah 76-65 before CU’s largest regular-season home crowd since 2002.
The two games drew a combined 21,042 fans on Dec. 30, a total made even more impressive considering students were on holiday break.
“This is not going to be a one-off type of thing,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said of the crowd (13,659) in Pauley, which included some celebrities.
“If you’re not on the women’s basketball and women’s sports train, then you’re late. It’s unbelievable to have little girls, little boys, all types of people here to see strong women compete. We don’t shy away from that attention.”
Another 10,126 (combined) saw dominant wins last week by Stanford and Oregon State.
All in all, the average attendance for four rivalry games was 7,792.
UCLA and Oregon State are among seven remaining unbeaten teams in Division I headed into the start of full Pac-12 play later this week.
The Bruins remain No. 2 in the AP poll with Colorado, Stanford and USC also in the top 10.
The Pac-12 finished non-conference play with a nation’s best 119-21 record. It has nine teams with double-digit wins and none with losing records.
The next nine weeks leading up to the Pac-12 Tournament (March 6-10 in Las Vegas) hold much promise and intrigue, plus the tantalizing prospect of a Pac-12 national champion in the conference’s final season.
Here are the Hotline’s second power ratings of the 2023-24 season; they include a few changes from our Dec. 23 preseason forecast.
(NET rankings through Monday)
1. UCLA (12-0/1-0)
Last week: 1
Result: beat USC 71-64
Next up: vs. Oregon (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 5
Comment: Londynn Jones could have been Pac-12 Player of the Week for her 21 points and career-high seven rebounds against USC. With that win, the Bruins not only remain No. 2 in the AP poll but took a first-place vote away from South Carolina. Lauren Betts had 15 points, eight rebounds and six blocks, and Charisma Osborne became the school’s career 3-point shooting leader.
2. Stanford (12-1/1-0)
Last week: 2
Results: beat Cal 78-51 and Morgan State 98-38
Next up: vs. Washington State (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 2
Comment: Stanford went from tied late in the first quarter in Berkeley to ahead by 17 points early in the third quarter, dispelling any notion of the Bears closing the Bay Area gap. Cameron Brink had a modest (for her) 13 points, but Kiki Iriafen came through with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double. Most importantly, Talana Lepolo scored a career-high 20 points (including six 3-pointers), along with six assists.
3. Colorado (11-1/1-0)
Last week: 5
Results: beat Utah 76-65
Next up: at Arizona (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 19
Comment: Trailing Utah by eight points with 8:18 remaining, the Buffaloes closed the game with a 23-4 run behind fifth-year guard Jaylyn Sherrod, who scored 13 of her career-high 34 points in the fourth quarter. (Sherrod won Pac-12 Player of the Week over UCLA’s Jones.) Colorado jumped three places in the AP poll, to No. 5, after adding another top-25 victory to its season-opening win over seventh-ranked LSU.
4. USC (10-1/1-0)
Last week: 4
Results: lost to UCLA 71-64
Next up: vs. Oregon State (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 12
Comment: Trojans sensation JuJu Watkins needed 24 shots to score 27 points against UCLA and, with 11 rebounds, won the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for the seventh time in eight weeks. The conference record is eight, set by Cal’s Kristine Anigwe in the 2015-16 season. Most importantly, Watkins’ trip to the locker room late in the game was nothing serious. The Trojans dropped three places in the AP poll, to No. 9, following their first loss.
5. Utah (10-3/0-1)
Last week: 3
Results: lost to Colorado 76-65
Next up: at Arizona State (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 4
Comment: The 15th-ranked Utes were without star Alissa Pili for a critical 100-second stretch of the fourth quarter against Colorado because of a leg injury — and the Buffs went on a 13-0 run to take control. Pili still had a 27-point, 10-rebound double-double, but none of her teammates scored in double figures. Pili’s absence “threw our rhythm off,” coach Lynne Roberts said. “A win or loss at this point isn’t going to make or break our season. The thing about the Pac-12 is there isn’t time to dwell or celebrate.”
6. Washington (11-1/1-0)
Last week: 6
Results: Did not play
Next up: at Cal (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 30
Comment: Washington’s strength-of-schedule ranking is 217th nationally, and the Huskies are feasting off a win over Washington State and an eight-point loss at No. 17 Louisville. They will be competitive in most games because of their best-in-the-nation scoring defense (46.8 points per game) but are unlikely to maintain their current 22.5-point scoring margin, so expect nail-biters from here on out.
7. Washington State (11-3/0-1)
Last week: 7
Results: Did not play
Next up: at Stanford (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 22
Comment: The Cougars lost two of their last three games before Christmas and won’t have played since Dec. 20 when they face Stanford, which won the head-to-head matchup last season by 33 points. Whether that works for or against WSU remains to be seen, but this is another veteran-laden team that can’t be taken for granted. The Cougars could use more scoring from Charlisse Leger-Walker (12.9 ppg).
8. Oregon State (12-0/1-0)
Last week: 8
Results: beat Morgan State 80-51 and Oregon 62-41
Next up: at USC (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 28
Comment: As with Washington, there are strength-of-schedule questions about Oregon State (No. 200). But the Beavers’ wipeout of Oregon in the second half Sunday — a 47-18 scoring differential — was impressive on both ends, particularly since the Ducks led 23-10 in the second quarter. Raegan Beers had a career-high 17 rebounds along with 24 points and sufficient help from others. OSU’s 12-0 start is its second-best ever behind a 15-0 mark in 2019-20.
9. Arizona (9-4/1-0)
Last week: 9
Results: beat Seattle 89-52
Next up: vs. Colorado (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 46
Comment: Six Wildcats scored in double figures against Seattle, providing Arizona with a chance to regroup from an 81-69 loss to No. 18 Gonzaga on Dec. 20. Guards Kailyn Gilbert and Helena Pueyo have been the most consistent players, but it’s hard to know what to expect from the rest of the cast. Isis Beh started ahead of Esmery Martinez against Seattle, and Martinez responded with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. Arizona is averaging just under 7,000 in home attendance.
10. California (10-3/0-1)
Last week: 10
Results: lost to Stanford 78-51
Next up: vs. Washington (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 50
Comment: Comparatively, Cal fared better against Gonzaga (an eight-point home loss) than Stanford did against the Zags (an 18-point road loss). But at home, the Bears were no match for the Cardinal and shot just 4-of-31 from 3-point range. But Ioanna Krimili returned from injury, scoring 12 points in 19 minutes. And in totality, Cal is improved thanks to its transfer additions.
11. Arizona State (8-5/0-1)
Last week: 12
Results: lost to Santa Clara 65-55
Next up: vs. Utah (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 139
Comment: ASU was even with Santa Clara through three quarters but couldn’t overcome a 10-0 Broncos start in the fourth. Still, the Sun Devils fared much better than Oregon did against Santa Clara, so we’re giving them the bottom-of-the-pack edge over the Ducks for now. The only regular-season meeting against Oregon is coming up: Jan. 12 in Eugene.
12. Oregon (9-5/0-1)
Last week: 11
Results: lost to Oregon State 62-41
Next up: at UCLA (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 90
Comment: Grace VanSlooten, Chance Gray and Phillipina Kyei were a combined 12-of-39 shooting against Oregon State, and Van Slooten was the only Duck to score in double figures. Still, there’s a sense that Oregon’s parts are better than the sum and perhaps coach Kelly Graves will find an answer. “We showed that we can play with anybody, but we’ve got to do it for 40 minutes,” he said.
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Originally published at Jeff Metcalfe