Dawgs Picked Fifth By Pac-12 Coaches

SAN FRANCISCO – Pac-12 Women’s Basketball media day is underway from the conference studios in downtown San Francisco, beginning with the announcement of the preseason coaches’ poll. Stanford was picked to repeat as conference champions, while the Dawgs chosen to finish fifth.

Stanford received seven of the 12 first place votes as they were again picked to win the Pac-12. California received three first-place votes and were picked second, while Oregon State earned two first-place votes and were picked third. UCLA and the Huskies rounded out the top five as chosen by the coaches of the Pac-12.

Defending Pac-12 Tournament champion USC was picked sixth to complete the top half of the conference. The bottom half was chosen as Arizona State, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado, Utah and Arizona.

Last season, Washington was picked fourth in the preseason poll and went on the finish sixth. The Dawgs were 20-14 overall, but had a conference record of 10-8. This season, Washington returns four starters and once again was picked near the top of the conference, although the depth of the Pac-12 continues to improve.

In 2013-14, the conference received five invitations to the NCAA Tournament, but this year both UCLA and the Huskies were picked ahead of USC and Arizona State who played in the NCAA’s last year.

Preseason Coaches’ Poll Results
1. Stanford (7)                116
2. California (3)               111
3. Oregon State (2)         105
4. UCLA                          84
5. Washington                 72
6. USC                            65
7. Arizona State               64
8. Washington State         56
9. Oregon                        48
10. Colorado                    31
11. Utah                          28
12. Arizona                      12