Tag: pac-12 women’s basketball

Pac-12 women’s basketball report: Colorado beats Washington State, ties Stanford for first place

Colorado and Stanford are tied for the Pac-12 league at 8-2, with UCLA and Oregon State 1.5 games back.

USC’s win over Stanford was the headliner on Friday night in Pac-12 women’s basketball, but other big results emerged in the league. Colorado defeated Washington State on the road in Pullman. That result, combined with Stanford’s loss, puts CU and Stanford at 8-2 in the Pac-12, 1.5 games ahead of third-place UCLA and Oregon State. Colorado would be the top seed in the Pac-12 Women’s Tournament if the season ended today, due to a head-to-head win over Stanford.

Buffaloes Wire has more on CU’s 63-57 win at Wazzu:

“Most of CU’s offensive output came from two players: Frida Formann and Aaronette Vonleh. Formann tied a career-high with 27 points while going 6-for-9 from the 3-point line. Vonleh complimented Formann’s outside shooting by outworking the Cougars in the paint, finishing with 20 points and eight rebounds. The rest of the Buffs went a combined 8-for-33 from the field.”

Elsewhere in the Pac-12 on Friday, UCLA handled Cal in Berkeley. USC faces Cal on Sunday. Utah went to Seattle and defeated Washington.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Pac-12 women’s basketball report: Washington State ambushes UCLA, Utah crushed by Oregon State

The Pac-12 is beating each other up, with Stanford the team which has been able to escape the most landmines.

The Pac-12 is a very, very difficult and competitive place in women’s basketball. Nearly everyone is beating each other up. USC has four conference losses. So does Utah. UCLA, which entered the month of January as an unbeaten team ranked second in the country, has eaten three losses this month. That’s how cutthroat the Pac-12 is. Sunday merely reinforced how brutal life is in women’s college basketball’s most contentious league.

Utah, which crushed USC in Salt Lake City not that long ago, was on the receiving end of a blowout. The Utes were hammered by Oregon State, 91-66, in Corvallis. Oregon State swept Utah and Colorado and looks like a legitimate top-20 team. The Beavers are third in the league at 6-3. Utah is 5-4 and in the middle of the pack.

The bigger story than Utah’s loss was UCLA’s upset loss to Washington State at home. The Washington schools both won in Southern California on Sunday, with Washington also defeating USC. UCLA has tumbled downward in the Pac-12 standings in a matter of two weeks, falling to fourth place at 5-3. The Bruins have serious concerns about the health of center Lauren Betts, who did not play against either Washington on Friday or Wazzu on Sunday. UCLA faces Stanford next Sunday. Betts transferred from Stanford in the offseason but might not be healthy enough to face the Cardinal.

Elsewhere in the Pac-12 on Sunday, Colorado won at Oregon to gain sole possession of second place in the conference at 6-2. Stanford, the one team largely skating above the chaos, moved to 7-1 and first place with a blowout of Arizona in Tucson. Arizona State beat Cal in Tempe.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

Pac-12 women’s basketball report: Oregon State knocks off No. 3 Colorado

Stanford is currently alone in first place in the Pac-12 at 7-1. Colorado’s loss slides the Buffs to 6-2.

The USC Trojans defeated the Oregon State Beavers earlier this season. That win looks better and better for the Trojans, given how well OSU has played since then. Oregon State just knocked off No. 3 Colorado on Friday night in Corvallis, shaking up the Pac-12 women’s basketball title race.

Oregon State allowed 24 points to Colorado in the game’s first 11 minutes but then allowed just 30 points in the following 28 minutes to subdue the Buffs, 68-62. Oregon State allowed just three 3-point makes to Colorado and forced 17 turnovers from the Buffs. The Beavers are a very difficult team to play against, especially in Gill Coliseum.

The result knocks Colorado to 6-2 in the Pac-12, out of first place. Stanford is all alone in first with a 7-1 league mark. The Cardinal blew out Arizona State in Tempe on Friday night.

UCLA is half a game behind Colorado for second place in the Pac-12 standings. The Bruins are 5-2 in the league after beating Washington on Friday, but did not have center Lauren Betts available. There are concerns about Betts’ injury status which bear monitoring in the days and weeks to come.

Utah rallied to beat Oregon in Eugene on Friday. The Utes and Oregon State are both 5-3 in the conference as they meet in Corvallis on Sunday afternoon.

Elsewhere in the Pac-12 on Friday, Arizona beat Cal in Tucson.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

Pac-12 women’s basketball report: Colorado stands alone atop the league after beating Stanford

The Buffs beat the Cardinal in a matchup of top-10 teams. Colorado is the only unbeaten team left in Pac-12 play.

The Pac-12 has four of the best teams in the country and one of the toughest top-to-bottom conferences in women’s college basketball. Utah — a Sweet 16 team last season — might be the fifth-best team in the league right now. Oregon State just swept Arizona and Arizona State and looks like a very tough out. Washington State won at Washington and is improving after a tough start. There are simply no freebies in this league, with the possible occasional exception of Arizona State. Winning in the Pac-12 is extremely difficult, and that’s why this conference race is so compelling.

On Sunday, there were two giant matchups in the league. We’ve covered USC’s win over UCLA with lots of different articles. Here’s just one example. If you missed anything, just visit our homepage, where you’ll see all of our content on the Trojans’ 73-65 win over the Bruins.

Before USC did its thing on Sunday, Colorado — down 12-2 in the first few minutes — rallied to beat Stanford, 71-59. Buffaloes Wire staff writer Tony Cosolo has more on the story:

“Colorado’s defense came to life against Stanford, holding the Cardinal to only 20 makes on 59 field goal attempts (33.9%), well below its season average of 46.9%. Stanford got a majority of its scoring from three players as Kiki Ifriafen, Cameron Brink and Brooke Demetre combined for 43 points.”

Colorado moved to 5-0 in the Pac-12 with the win. Stanford absorbed its first loss in conference play. The Cardinal are 4-1, with USC and UCLA at 3-1. Those are the four primary contenders in the Pac-12. The other eight teams have at least two conference losses if not more.

Notably, USC and UCLA are done playing each other in the regular season. They might meet a third time at the Pac-12 Tournament, but they won’t play a scheduled game over the next six weeks. Their only conference losses came against each other in the two-game series between the teams. If they can handle everyone else in the Pac-12, their chances of winning the title will increase.

This next week is huge in the Pac-12: USC and UCLA visit the Mountain schools, Utah and Colorado. This conference race is just getting started. Shakeups are likely to occur every week. Buckle up!

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

Pac-12 women’s basketball report: Stanford beats Utah in Salt Lake City showdown

Stanford remains unbeaten in Pac-12 play, while Utah falls to 1-3 in the conference.

The USC Trojans are preparing to host No. 2 and unbeaten UCLA on Sunday in the Galen Center. Meanwhile, the Pac-12 provided a compelling slate of Friday night games in women’s college basketball’s toughest conference.

The highlight came in Salt Lake City, where Stanford — not predicted to win the Pac-12 before the season began — remained unbeaten in the conference with a 66-64 win at Utah. Stanford joins Colorado and UCLA as one of the three unbeaten teams in the Pac-12, heading into a Sunday clash with Colorado in Boulder.

Stanford’s Kiki Iriafen had a career game against Utah, scoring 25 points and pulling down 16 rebounds in a dynamic display. Stanford needed every last point and board on a night when star Cameron Brink scored only nine points.

Stanford’s defense against Utah superstar Alissa Pili was the difference. The Cardinal limited Pili to 5-of-18 shooting from the field. Utah hit just 39 percent of its shots and committed 13 turnovers. The Utes are buried in the Pac-12 standings and are facing a massive uphill climb in the battle for the Pac-12 title. They can’t afford to lose any more ground the rest of the way, given how strong UCLA, Colorado and Stanford look right now.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

Pac-12 women’s basketball report: Arizona beats Utah by one point after losing to Colorado by one

Arizona’s win over Utah is a significant development in the Pac-12 women’s basketball standings.

The best Pac-12 women’s basketball games from the past weekend were both played in Tucson. On Friday night, Arizona lost to Colorado by one point, 75-74. On Sunday afternoon, the Wildcats beat Utah by one point, 71-70.

Arizona’s win is a major development. Utah was one of five Pac-12 teams ranked in the top 10 a few weeks ago. The Utes were co-champions of the conference last season and were viewed as a title contender this season, also a threat to make the Final Four. The Utes have been slowed down by injuries, however, and Arizona was good enough to pounce on an opportunity in Tucson.

The result knocks Utah to 1-2 in the Pac-12 standings. That puts the Utes two full games behind the lead pack of 3-0 UCLA, Stanford, and Colorado, with USC, Cal, and Arizona at 2-1. USC is 2-1 after beating Oregon on Sunday.

USC has already played UCLA and will face the Bruins again next weekend. The Bruins look like the toughest team in the conference, so USC will be done with the Pac-12 title favorite in mid-January. Other Pac-12 teams will have to face the Bruins later on.

If USC can stabilize and consistently beat non-UCLA opponents, the Trojans — thanks to this Utah loss — have a better chance of finishing in the top two or three of the conference, which would mean a high seed in the Women’s NCAA Tournament.

In other Pac-12 women’s games from Sunday, UCLA beat Oregon State. Stanford defeated Washington. Colorado won at Arizona State. In an upset, Cal beat Washington State to push the Cougars to a surprising 0-3 in the league.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

Pac-12 women’s basketball report: Colorado escapes Arizona by 1 point, Stanford beats WSU

Colorado avoided an upset and joined Stanford and UCLA at 2-0 in the Pac-12. The fun is only just beginning.

The Pac-12 women’s basketball season is getting off the ground. We’re now in conference play. Weekend after weekend, contentious and interesting basketball games will shape the race in America’s most competitive and cutthroat conference.

Friday night, the top teams in the Pac-12 survived tough tests. You know that USC beat Oregon State by two points. It wasn’t any easier for Colorado.

The Buffaloes, like USC, are ranked in the top 10. They escaped Tucson with a 75-74 win over Arizona. When we look back on this Pac-12 season, there are likely to be a lot of close-shave moments which make the difference between being Pac-12 champion and a third-place team, between being a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and being a No. 3 seed. Colorado just gained the kind of win which could mean a lot to the Buffaloes in March.

Elsewhere in the Pac-12, Stanford joined Colorado at 2-0 in league play with a win over Washington State. The Cougars are 11-4 on the season but 0-2 in the Pac-12. Stanford, UCLA, and Colorado are the only three teams which are 2-0 through two conference games.

Cal beat Washington, 70-57. Washington lost its second game of the season.

Utah handled Arizona State, 58-41. UCLA hammered Oregon, 75-49.

Six more games will be played on Sunday afternoon. The toughest conference in women’s college basketball has two more months of contentious competition.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

Pac-12 women’s basketball report: Colorado beats Utah in the ‘other’ conference showdown

Before UCLA beat USC, Colorado defeated Utah in the other matchup of elite Pac-12 teams on Saturday.

The day in Pac-12 women’s basketball featured two big showdowns. One was the battle of Los Angeles unbeatens. UCLA remained perfect and gave USC its first loss of the season. In the other marquee matchup, No. 8 Colorado stopped No. 10 Utah.

These are just the first of many big battles among the Pac-12’s best. Five teams currently ranked in the top 10 might not stay in the top 10 all season, but they are going to beat each other up and test each other in many different ways. The hope is that these teams will trade wins and thereby retain high seeds for the NCAA Touranment while also being fully battle-tested entering March Madness. USC’s loss to UCLA isn’t good for the Trojans, but good can come from it. An encounter with an elite opponent can help USC grow and evolve more fully over the course of the season.

Utah is surely hoping for the same thing after a loss at Colorado in which the Utes led entering the fourth quarter.

It was 54-51 Utah in a razor-close game after 30 minutes, but Colorado owned the final 10 minutes, outscoring the Utes 25-11 for a 76-65 triumph.

Jaylyn Sherrod of Colorado scored 34 points, outdueling Utah star Alissa Pili, who finished with 27. Colorado made more hustle plays in this game, finishing with six fewer turnovers (14 to 20), eight more free throw attempts (18 to 10), 10 more steals (16 to 6), and four more offensive rebounds (9 to 5). Those extra possessions and free throws added up to a win.

In the only other Pac-12 women’s basketball game from Saturday, Arizona State lost to Santa Clara, 65-55.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

The Pac-12’s last ride: Women’s basketball tries to deliver an epic final act

Five Pac-12 women’s basketball teams are in the top 10 at the end of 2023. This could be something special.

The Pac-12 Conference is staring at the final few months of its existence, at least in a full and meaningful sense. Washington State and Oregon State might carry the Pac-12 name in 2024, but we all know those two schools have been stranded on an island. They will play various sports in other conferences — the Mountain West for football, the West Coast Conference for basketball and more.

If the Pac-12 is going to give us a memorable final chapter, women’s basketball could deliver the goods.

We are entering conference play in women’s basketball (as well as men’s basketball). The arrival of the new year means conference college hoops is here.

The Pac-12 hopes to deliver something special in women’s basketball. It has a chance to create the ultimate conference realignment walk-off moment.

Five Pac-12 teams are in the top 10 of the USA TODAY Sports Women’s College Basketball Poll. USC is one of them, at No. 5. UCLA is No. 2, with Colorado at 8, Stanford at 9, and Utah at 10. One way to look at the Pac-12’s chances of making a deep run in March Madness is this: With five top teams, there is a good chance that the Pac-12 will have a top-four seed in each of the four regions. Four Sweet 16 teams is a distinct possibility, and of those teams, at least two might be favored to make the Elite Eight, and one could get to the Final Four.

This doesn’t include the sixth- through ninth-place teams in the league, which could get NCAA Tournament bids and make the second round, maybe even the Sweet 16.

The road begins here. We will see how far that road will go for the Pac-12 in women’s hoops. The possibilities are endless.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

How dominant was the Pac-12 in nonconference women’s college basketball?

Here’s the answer: Pac-12 WBB teams won 85.4 percent of all nonconference games through December 28.

The Pac-12 is about to die. This is the last season, the last go-round, for each of its sports. Ten of its current 12 schools will move to new conferences in 2024, essentially ending the league’s existence for the time being. Technically, Oregon State and Washington State will still represent the league, but a two-team league exists in name only, not in any meaningful sense.

If there is any sport which is poised to deliver a huge and triumphant sendoff for the conference, it’s women’s basketball. Five Pac-12 teams are ranked in the top 10 entering the heart of conference play. A few conference games were played earlier this month, but full-scale Pac-12 play gets going this weekend.

Just how good is the Pac-12 in women’s college basketball right now? Get this: Jeff Metcalfe, a longtime journalist for the Arizona Republic and AZCentral.com who contributes to the Wilner Hotline, notes that conference teams went 117-20 in nonconference games through December 28.

That’s an .854 winning percentage.

That is self-evidently impressive, but let’s make one point to underscore how great the Pac-12 has been in women’s basketball over the past seven and a half weeks: That’s not just the record (and winning percentage) of the top teams. That’s the record of the whole league, including the teams at the bottom of the conference.

A conference can be really good in the top half and even the middle tier, but the bottom four teams will greatly drag down the overall record. Not the Pac-12.

No team in the conference has a record worse than 8-4, and that applies to only two teams. Ten of the 12 teams in the conference have at least nine wins. Eight teams have no more than two losses. Six teams have no more than one loss. Three — incluing USC and UCLA — are unbeaten.

Not bad. Not bad.

We will see what’s next as conference play arrives. We can guarantee that Pac-12 teams will start losing more games … only because they’ll be beating each other up.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.