Pac-12 Women's Basketball Weekly Rundown - November 3, 2023

COMPLETE RELEASE (PDF)

STARTING FIVE

>> The Pac-12 leads all conferences with six teams in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25: No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Utah, No. 15 Stanford, No. 20 Colorado, No. 21 USC and No. 24 Washington State. It’s the first time in league history the Conference placed six teams in the preseason AP Top 25, and 22nd time ever the Pac-12 has showcased six-or-more teams in the AP Top 25.

>> The Pac-12 sent a league record-tying seven teams to the 2023 NCAA Tournament, with three advancing to the Sweet 16 for the sixth time in the last seven NCAA Tournaments. The Pac-12 has sent half the league or more to the NCAA Tournament in six consecutive tournaments (there was no NCAA Tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19).

>> ESPN’s latest Bracketology is headlined by nine Pac-12 teams - No. 1 seed UCLA, No. 2 Utah, No. 4 seed Stanford, No. 5 seed USC, No. 6 seed Colorado, No. 7 Washington State, No. 8 seed Arizona, No. 8 seed Washington, and No. 11 seed Oregon State. Oregon is one of Charlie Creme’s Next Four Out. The Conference’s record of NCAA Tournament participants is seven (2016-17 and 2022-23).

>> 11 Pac-12 student-athletes were named to the 2023-24 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Women’s Player of the Year Watch List, which is tied with the ACC for the most among all conferences: Cameron Brink, STAN; Gianna Kneepkens, UTAH; Charlisse Leger-Walker, WSU; Rayah Marshall, USC; Quay Miller, COLO; Charisma Osborne, UCLA; Alissa Pili, UTAH; Kiki Rice, UCLA; Jaylyn Sherrod, COLO; Grace VanSlooten, ORE; JuJu Watkins, USC. Watkins is the lone freshman on the Watch List.

>> Stanford’s Cameron Brink and Utah’s Alissa Pili were both selected to the preseason “Wade Watch” List. The award is given annually to the best player in women’s college basketball. This is Brink’s third time on the preseason watch list, and a Pac-12 student-athlete has won the award three times since the 2016-17 season (Kelsey Plum - 2017; Sabrina Ionescu - 2019, 2020).

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (Full Schedule)

CONFERENCE STANDINGS (Expanded Standings)