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Pac-12 Women’s Basketball season set to tip off with high expectations

Nov 24, 2020
UCLA Athletics

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• The nation’s top-rated conference by RPI in three of the last five seasons, including the most recent 2019-20 campaign, the Pac-12 is again poised to pace the nation in women’s basketball. Five programs - #2 Stanford, #7 Arizona, #9 UCLA, #10 Oregon and #18 Oregon - appear in the Associated Press preseason top 25, tied for the most of any league.

• Six All-Conference selections return, led by returning All-Americans Aari McDonald (ARIZONA), the reigning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, and Michaela Onyenwere (UCLA). USC’s Alissa Pili, last year’s Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, also headlines that list along with STANFORD’s Kiana Williams and Lexie Hull, and the Wildcats’ Cate Reese. Hull, McDonald and Arizona’s Sam Thomas also return from the league’s All-Defensive Team.

• Additionally, Pac-12 programs’ combined to add 18 of the country’s top 100 incoming freshmen according to ESPN’s HoopGurlz recruiting rankings, including a national-best eight McDonald’s All-Americans - OREGON’s Angela Dugalic, Te-Hina Paopao, Sydney Parrish, Maddie Scherr and Kylee Watson, CALIFORNIA’s Dalaylah Daniels, OREGON STATE's Sasha Goforth, and STANFORD’s Cameron Brink.

• STANFORD was selected to win the Pac-12 regular season by the media and coaches. The Cardinal received 10 first-place votes by the coaches then garnered 19-of-21 first-place media votes. The coaches and media polls were nearly identical as ARIZONA was picked No. 2 in the media poll and tied for second in the coaches’ poll with OREGON, who was tabbed for third in the media’s selection.

• A combined 14 from the Pac-12 were named to the Basketball Hall of Fame/WBCA Starting Five watch lists, which tied for the second most for any conference. The Conference has the most candidates for any league for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (5), and seven different league schools are represented across the five lists. Last year, four Pac-12 student-athletes were named Naismith Starting Five winners, including McDonald who won the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and headlines the watch list this season.

• #2 STANFORD head coach Tara VanDerveer is just four victories away from tying Pat Summitt for most career victories in NCAA women’s basketball history. VanDerveer is beginning her 42nd season as a head coach and has 1,094 total wins, and three more than UConn’s Geno Auriemma.


PAC-12 WEEKLY SCHEDULE (ALL GAMES, TIP TIMES & TV BROADCASTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

For the most up-to-date schedules, visit https://pac-12.com/womens-basketball/schedule

Wednesday, November 25    

Cal Poly at #2 Stanford

Live Stream

11 a.m. PT

LMU at USC

Live Stream

1 p.m. PT

Cal State Fullerton at #9 UCLA

Live Stream

2 p.m. PT

Stephen F. Austin at Arizona State Live Stream 4 p.m. MT
San Jose State at California Live Stream 4 p.m. PT
Western Colorado at Colorado Live Stream 6 p.m. MT
San Diego State vs Washington Flo Hoops 7 p.m. PT
Friday, November 27    

VCU at Arizona State

Live Stream

4 p.m. MT

Saturday, November 28    
Seattle U. at #10 Oregon Live Stream 11 a.m. PT

Air Force at Colorado

Live Stream

2 p.m. PT

BYU vs Washington Live Stream 6:30 p.m. PT
Sunday, November 29    
Northern Arizona at #7 Arizona   12 p.m. MT
UC Riverside at USC Live Stream 2 p.m. PT
Pacific at #2 Stanford   4 p.m. PT

#9 UCLA at Pepperdine

WCC Network

4 p.m. PT

Monday, November 30    
Saint Mary's (Calif.) at Arizona State Live Stream 4 p.m. MT
Portland at #10 Oregon   TBD

*game times local; Live stream of games is available at pac-12.com.