The Pac-12 Conference has been a strong point for the women’s side of things this season. There could be as many as seven or even eight teams in the NCAA Tournament depending on how things go.
The race for Coach of the Year is an interesting one, and both Cori Close and Lindsay Gottlieb have been suggested as worthy recipients.
We spoke with Trojans Wire site editor Matt Zemek and he gave his Pac-12 Coach of the Year pick:
USC fans will say Lindsay Gottlieb, and they have a very strong argument to make. Gottlieb has done a spectacular job with this USC program, and so if anyone wants to make the argument for her as the Pac-12 Coach of the Year, I won’t put up a fight. However, Scott Rueck has done an amazing job at Oregon State. He does not have a superstar such as JuJu Watkins, and yet has gotten the Beavers into the top four of the Pac-12 and has earned a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament. He has been extraordinary this season. It’s not that Gottlieb hasn’t been amazing — she has! — but Rueck has been (somehow) better.
Oregon State’s turnaround has been sensational, and Rueck definitely is deserving of the award. Whether or not he gets it remains to be seen.