The 28th season of Pac-12 women’s basketball begins this weekend and league teams are jumping right into the action with games against three games against ranked opponents, including two of the most anticipated games of the season. Ninth-ranked CALIFORNIA hosts third-ranked Duke on Sunday on ESPNU and the following night, a top-three clash on the East Coast with defending NCAA Champion and top-ranked Connecticut hosting third-ranked STANFORD on ESPN2 ... No. 25 UCLA tips of the 2013-14 season with an early game on Friday at #17/12 Nebraska ... Four Pac-12 teams are ranked in the preseason polls with COLORADO earning a No. 19 rating in each ... For the second-consecutive year, Pac-12 women’s basketball will receive unprecedented television coverage with over 100 live broadcast games on ESPN and Pac-12 Networks ... Five different players representing four different schools are on at least one national player of the year watch list. Stanford’s Chiney Ogwumike was a unanimous Associated Press Preseason All-American ... Four players were also named preseason candidates to the Senior CLASS Award, including Ogwumike, UTAH’s Michelle Plouffe, USC’s Cassie Harberts and CALIFORNIA’s Gennifer Brandon ... Eight of the 15 All-Pac-12 selections return this season to their respective teams, as well as three of the five members of last year’s Pac-12 All-Defensive Team ... Four Pac-12 teams earned NCAA Tournament bids last year with Cal advancing to the NCAA Final Four for the first time in program history. It also marked the sixth-straight year a Pac-12 team was in the national semifinal.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE