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This week in Pac-12 Women's Basketball: Half of the Final Four field - April 1, 2021

Apr 1, 2021
NCAA Photos

COMPLETE RELEASE (PDF) | NCAA Tournament Bracket (PDF)

» With Elite Eight victories by ARIZONA and STANFORD, the Pac-12 will be represented by multiple women’s basketball programs in the Final Four for the second time in Conference history. In 2016, OREGON STATE and WASHINGTON were among the last four standing in Indianapolis. A Pac-12 school has been in 11 of the past 13 Final Fours.

Total Final Four berths since 2013

1. Pac-12 – 8
2. ACC – 7
3. American – 6
4. SEC – 5
5. Big East – 4
T6. Big 12 – 1
T6. Big Ten – 1

» Since 2013, Pac-12 teams have advanced to the Final Four a nation-leading eight times overall, unequaled postseason success that has not been limited to a small number of programs. ARIZONA is the sixth different Pac-12 school to advance to the Final Four all-time and all six have earned a Final Four trip over the past eight NCAA Tournaments, two more than any other conference.

Different teams to appear in a Final Four since 2013

1. Pac-12 – 6 (Arizona, California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington)
2. ACC – 4 (Louisville, Maryland, Notre Dame, Syracuse)
3. Big East – 3 (Connecticut, Louisville, Notre Dame)
4. SEC – 2 (Mississippi State, South Carolina)
T5. American – 1 (Connecticut)
T5. Big 12 – 1 (Baylor)
T5. Big 10 – 1 (Maryland)

» The Pac-12, which again paces all conferences in wins (12) in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, also tops the country in both wins (67) and winning percentage (.705) in the NCAA Tournament since 2016.

NCAA Tournament winning percentage since 2016

1. Pac-12 - .705 (67-28)
2. American - .667 (20-10)
3. ACC - .635 (61-35)
4. SEC - .617 (58-36)
5. Big 12 - .613 (38-24)

» ARIZONA will be making its national semifinal debut and is the first team to advance to the Final Four after missing the previous 10+ tournaments. The Wildcats have faced UConn once previously, when head coach Adia Barnes was a senior forward for the Wildcats in 1998. Barnes had a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double in that year's East Region Semifinal on March 21, 1998, a 74-57 UConn win.

» After trailing by 12 at halftime in the Elite Eight against Louisville, STANFORD advanced to its 14th Final Four by storming back for a 78-63 win. That's the largest win by any team in the NCAA Tournament (women's or men's) after trailing by double digits at halftime since the Notre Dame women beat UConn by 15 in the Final Four in 2001. The Cardinal's 30 points in the fourth quarter against Louisville are the second-most of any team in a single quarter in Elite Eight history.

» This season marks the 24th time one league has placed multiple teams in the Final Four and the second for the Pac-12 (2016). The Pac-12 is the fourth conference to have multiple teams in more than one Final Four.

Multiple participants in a Final Four all-time

1. SEC – 10 (last in 2017)
2. Big East – 6 (last in 2013)
3. ACC – 3 (last in 2018)
4. Pac-12 – 2 (last in 2021)
T5. Big 12 – 1 (2010)
T5. Big Ten – 1 (1993)
T5. Sun Belt – 1 (1985)

» The postseason success of the Pac-12 over the last half decade is an extension of its superb results before the calendar flips to conference play. Since 2016, the Pac-12 leads all conference with an .802 winning percentage (574-142) in nonconference, regular-season contests.

Winning percentage in nonconference games since 2016 (regular season)

1. Pac-12 - .802 (574-142)
2. Big 12 - .788 (494-133)
3. ACC - .766 (781-238)
4. SEC - .763 (774-241)
5. Big Ten - .732 (655-240)

» ARIZONA's Adia Barnes, who is a combined 10-0 has a head coach in NCAA Tournament and WNIT games, is one of seven coaches to lead their alma mater to a Final Four, joining Leon Barmore (Louisiana Tech), Pokey Chatman (LSU), Sonja Hogg (Louisiana Tech), Wendy Larry (Old Dominion), Scott Rueck (OREGON STATE), and Chris Weller (Maryland).

» Since 2013, three different head coaches have led their teams to the Final Four in their first five years as a college head coach and all three come from the Pac-12 in Lindsay Gottlieb (CAL, 2013), Mike Neighbors (WASHINGTON, 2016) and Barnes (ARIZONA, 2021). 

» STANFORD is riding an 18-game win streak, which is its longest streak since 2013-14 when it won 21 straight. The last Pac-12 women's basketball national champion (1992), the Cardinal last appeared in an NCAA final in 2010.

» A two-time Naismith Coach of the Year and a finalist for the award this season, 91 of Tara VanDerveer's NCAA-record 1,123 career wins have come in the NCAA Tournament. 

» Pac-12 teams are 177-126 (.584) in NCAA Tournament games that did not pair current Conference members. League teams have faced each other 14 times in NCAA Tournament play, most recently when seventh-seeded WASHINGTON beat fourth-seeded STANFORD, 85-76, in the Lexington Regional final on March 27, 2016.

» Along with UCLA on the men's side, the Pac-12 boasts a combined three teams in the national semifinals for the first time. The Conference's 11 total NCAA bids across its women's and men's programs this season are its second most all-time (12 in 2016). Pac-12 women's and men's teams are a combined 25-8 in this year's tournaments, tying the record for wins set in 2017 (Women: 15-7; Men: 10-4; Overall: 25-11).

Years with Pac-12 teams in women's & men's Final Fours

• 2021: 3 (Arizona/Stanford women, UCLA men)
• 2017: 2 (Stanford women, Oregon men)
• 2008: 2 (Stanford women, UCLA men)
• 1997: 2 (Stanford women, Arizona men)
• 1995: 2 (Stanford women, UCLA men)

CONFERENCE STANDINGS (Expanded Standings

Teams Pac-12 Record Overall Record
#2 Stanford 19-2 29-2
#11 Arizona 13-4 20-5
#9 UCLA 12-4 17-6
#23 Oregon 10-7 15-9
Oregon State 7-6 12-8
Colorado 8-8 12-11
Washington State 9-10 12-12
USC 8-10 11-12
Arizona State 6-9 12-12
Utah 4-15 5-16
Washington 3-13 7-14
California 1-12 1-16

PAC-12 WEEKLY POSTSEASON SCHEDULE  (All games, tip times & TV broadcasts are subject to change)
For the most up-to-date schedules, visit Expanded Schedule

Final Four // Friday, April 2    
No. 1 STANFORD vs. No. 1 South Carolina ESPN 3 p.m. PT
No. 3 ARIZONA vs. No. 1 Connecticut ESPN 6:30 p.m. MT
National Championship // Sunday, April 4    
STANFORD/South Carolina vs. ARIZONA/Connecticut ESPN 3 p.m. PT

PAC-12 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Week of Player Freshman
Nov. 30 Charisma Osborne, UCLA Tameiya Sadler, WASH
Dec. 7 Haley Jones, STAN Sasha Goforth, OSU
Dec. 14 Brynna Maxwell, UTAH Charlisse Leger-Walker, WSU
Dec. 21 Aari McDonald, ARIZ Sydney Parrish, ORE
Dec. 28 Jordan Sanders, USC Charlisse Leger-Walker, WSU
Jan. 4 Michaela Onyenwere, UCLA Charlisse Leger-Walker, WSU
Jan. 11 Natalie Chou, UCLA Charlisse Leger-Walker, WSU
Jan. 18 Mya Hollingshed, COLO  Frida Formann, COLO
Jan. 25 Charisma Osborne, UCLA Charlisse Leger-Walker, WSU
Feb. 1  Endyia Rogers, USC Sasha Goforth, OSU 
Feb. 8 Alissa Pili, USC Charlisse Leger-Walker, WSU
Feb. 15 Cate Reese, ARIZ Charlisse Leger-Walker, WSU
Feb. 22 Aleah Goodman, OSU Talia von Oelhoffen, OSU
March 1 Charisma Osborne, UCLA Jaddan Simmons, ASU