Women's Basketball Pac-12 Conference

Pac-12 Women's Basketball Weekly Rundown - January 18, 2023

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PAC-12 RUNDOWN

  • 25 For the second consecutive weekend, the Pac-12 calendar features a top-10 matchup when No. 8 Utah travels to No. 4 Stanford on Friday at 6 p.m. PT. The showdown will be the 25th between a pair of Pac-12 teams in the AP Top 10 since 2016-17 (including the postseason), which is 10 more than any other league. The ACC has had 15 such meetings over the past seven seasons, the SEC 12, the Big 12 eight and the Big Ten five.
  • 43 The Utah at Stanford meeting will be the 43rd top-10 matchup between a pair of Pac-12 schools all-time. The Conference only had 18 such games during the first 30 years of womens basketball sport sponsorship, from 1986-87 through 2015-16.
  • 6 For the first time since March 17, 2020, six Pac-12 teams are in the AP Top 25 in No. 4 Stanford, No. 8 Utah, No. 9 UCLA, No. 19 Arizona, No. 23 USC and No. 24 Colorado. The Conferences six ranked teams are tied with the 14-team Big Ten for the most in the country.
  • 3 Its the second consecutive week and 48th time overall the Pac-12 has three programs in the Top 10. All 48 of those instances have come in the past seven seasons (since 2016-17), which is the most in the country over that span (ACC - 44; SEC - 16; Big Ten - 11; Big 12 - 7).
  • 43.33 The Conferences schools have an averaging NET positioning of 43.33, which is the best in the country (ACC - 45.27; Big 12 - 52.00; SEC - 53.36; Big Ten - 55.21). Eleven teams are in the NET top 100, including eight in the top 41 - No. 4 Stanford, No. 7 Utah, No. 12 Oregon, No. 21 Colorado, No. 26 Arizona, No. 30 UCLA, No. 37 USC, No. 41 Washington State.
  • 8 ESPNs latest Bracketology from Tuesday, Jan. 17 has eight Pac-12 teams in the field in No. 1 seed Stanford, No. 2 seed Utah, No. 3 seed UCLA, No. 5 seed Arizona, No. 6 seed Oregon, No. 7 seed Colorado, No. 11 seed USC and No. 12 seed Washington State. The Conferences record of NCAA Tournament participants is seven from 2016-17.
  • 1 The Pac-12, which went a national-best 115-20 (.852) during non-conference play, is the countrys top-rated league according to Massey Ratings. Per Massey, the Pac-12 has finished as the No. 1 conference every season since 2018-19.
  • 24 No. 24 Colorado makes its return to the AP Top 25 for the first time since Jan. 17, 2022 following consecutive victories over then-No. 8 Utah (77-67) and then-No. 14 Arizona (72-65). The Buffs are off to their best six-game start in league action since joining the Pac-12 in 2011-12 and have started 5-1 in conference for the first time since they were a member of the Big 12 in 2003-04. Colorados 14-3 overall record is its best 17-game start since 2012-13 (15-2).
  • 51.6 The USBWA National Team of the Week, USC captured a signature win for its Tournament resume when it upset then-No. 2 Stanford, 55-46, on Sunday. The Trojans first win over an opponent ranked No. 2 or better since 2008, the result also snapped the Cardinals 39-game win streak against Pac-12 opponents and was USCs largest margin of victory over Stanford since a 12-point win in 1993. The nations sixth-ranked scoring defense allowing just 51.6 points per game, USC held Stanford to its lowest point total since 2016.
  • 27 At 13-4 overall, Washington State is off to its best 17-game start in 27 seasons (also 13-4 in 1995-96). On Sunday, the Cougars snapped a 32-game losing streak in true road games against AP Top 25 teams with an 85-84 overtime win at then-No. 21 Oregon. It was WSUs first ranked road victory since winning a No. 10 Nebraska on Nov. 30, 2013 (76-72) and the programs first ranked road win over a Conference opponent since Jan. 8, 1998 at No. 10 Arizona (64-61).

BEST CONFERENCE IN NON-CONFERENCE

  • Pac-12 teams finished with a national-best .852 (115-20) non-conference winning percentage this season, ahead of the ACC (.818, 139-31), Big 12 (.802, 93-23), SEC (.794, 143-37), Big East (.760, 79-25) and Big Ten (.757, 115-37).
  • The leagues .852 clip is a new Pac-12 record, bettering the .848 mark (117-21) from 2016-17 when a Conference-record seven teams earned NCAA Tournament berths.
  • Not including the pandemic-impacted season of 2020-21, which featured inconsistent and erratic non-conference scheduling, the Pac-12s .852 winning percentage is the best in the NCAA since the Big 12 won 86.1 percent (99-16) of its regular-season, non-conference games in 2011-12.
  • Removing 2020-21, the Pac-12 actually owns three of the four best regular-season, non-conference winning percentages in womens college basketball since 1999-00.
    • Big 12 - 2011-12 - .861 (99-16)
    • Pac-12 - 2022-23 - .852 (115-20)
    • Pac-12 - 2016-17 - .848 (117-21)
    • Pac-12 - 2019-20 - .839 (115-22)

STUNNING SUCCESS OF LATE

  • Since 2015-16, the Pac-12 leads all conferences in Final Four appearances (7), non-conference winning percentage (.801), NCAA Tournament wins (76), NCAA Tournament winning percentage (.685) and WBCA All-Americans (15).
  • Taking it back even further, the Pac-12 also leads all conferences in Final Four appearances since 2012-13 with nine. Those nine appearances have been spread across six different programs - Arizona (2021), California (2013), Oregon (2019), Oregon State (2016), Stanford (2022, 2021, 2017, 2014), Washington (2016) - which is two more than any other conference.
  • Simply put, in an amazing display of depth, half of the Pac-12 has appeared in a Final Four in the past nine NCAA Tournaments. The ACC has had four different programs make the Final Four over the same span, the Big East three, the SEC two, and the Big Ten, Big 12 and American each one.
  • Stanfords appearance in the national semifinals last season was the 20th for the Conference all-time (since the start of Pac-12 sport sponsorship in 1986-87). Of those 20 Final Four appearances, more than one third have come in just the past six NCAA Tournaments (35 percent; seven total).

FRESHMAN DOUBLE-DOUBLES

  • Oregon States Raegan Beers has 10 double-doubles in her first 16 career games. One of 16 players in the country with double-digit, double-doubles, she leads the Pac-12 and is second among the countrys freshmen in that category.
  • Beers is the ninth true freshman in the Pac-12 to have 10 double-doubles in a season since 1999-2000.
    • 21 - Shawntinice Polk , ARIZ - 2002-03
    • 14 - Kristine Anigwe , CAL - 2015-16
    • 12 - Jillian Alleyne , ORE - 2012-13
    • 11 - Alissa Pili , USC - 2019-20
    • 11 - Ruthy Hebard , ORE - 2016-17
    • 11 - Chiney Ogwumike , STAN - 2010-11
    • 10 - Raegan Beers , OSU - 2022-23
    • 10 - Taylor Jones , OSU - 2019-20
    • 10 - Nicole Powell , STAN - 2000-01

40+

  • One week after Washington States Charlisse Leger-Walker became the 25th player in Pac-12 history to score 40 points in a game at Washington on Dec. 11, Oregon States Talia von Oelhoffen became the 26th when she poured in 41 on 17-of-20 shooting (.850) in a 96-84 victory over Nevada in Maui on Dec. 17. Two of only 11 40-point performances in the country this season, the Pac-12 is one of two leagues to have multiple players among the 11 along with the Big East (Aneesah Morrow, DePaul/Maddy Siegrist, Villanova). Its the first time the Pac-12 has had multiple 40-point scorers in single season since 2016-17 ( Kelsey Plum , Washington/ Kristine Anigwe , California).
  • von Oelhoffens efficient outburst was just the seventh 40-point effort on 85.0 percent shooting in the country since 1999-00 and the first since UConns Katie Lou Samuelson had 40 points on 12-of-14 shooting (.857) against South Florida on March 6, 2017. The only other Pac-12 player to put up those numbers this century was Californias Reshanda Gray against Washington State on Feb. 27, 2014 when she scored 43 on 17-of-20 shooting (.850).

NO SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN

  • Pac-12 womens basketball programs signed 29 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period for the Class of 2023, 19 of whom are in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100 (65.6 percent), including three in the top 10.
  • Five of the nations top 20 classes have been put together by Conference programs, including three of the top 10 - No. 3 Arizona, No. 7 Stanford, No. 10 USC, No. 16 Washington, No. 18 Oregon.
  • On Nov. 15, USC signed the nations top recruit and a local product in JuJu Watkins out of Sierra Canyon High School. The third time in the past five seasons the countrys No. 1 recruit has picked a Pac-12 program ( Lauren Betts , Stanford - 2022; Haley Jones , Stanford - 2019), its the first time in nine recruiting cycles that the No. 1 recruit has signed with two different schools in the same league in back-to-back years (Aja Wilson, South Carolina - 2014; Mercedes Russell, Tennessee - 2013).
  • Pac-12 programs put together record-setting recruiting classes last season, signing 23 student-athletes from the 2022 espnW HoopGurlz Top 100 who are freshmen on campus this fall, including seven of the top 10 (No. 1 Lauren Betts , STAN; No. 2 Kiki Rice , UCLA; No. 6 Timea Gardiner , OSU; No. 7 Chance Gray , ORE; No. 8 Aaliyah Gayles , USC; No. 9 Maya Nnaji , ARIZ; No. 10 Raegan Beers , OSU).
  • Six of the nations top 14 classes from 2022 were put together by Conference programs, including each of the top three and five of the top eight - No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Oregon State, No. 5 Stanford, No. 8 Arizona and No. 14 Washington.
  • Of the 24 women selected to play in the 2022 McDonalds All American Game, a national-best 11 are on Pac-12 rosters this season in Arizonas Paris Clark and Maya Nnaji , Oregons Chance Gray and Grace VanSlooten , Oregon States Raegan Beers and Timea Gardiner , Stanfords Lauren Betts and Indya Nivar , UCLAs Gabriela Jaquez and Kiki Rice , and USCs Aaliyah Gayles .

TOP TALENT THRIVES

  • Since 2015-16, the Pac-12 leads all conferences with 15 Womens Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-Americans, two more than the SEC (13). Stanfords Cameron Brink and Haley Jones landed on the 10-member team in 2022, giving the conference multiple WBCA All-Americans for the fourth consecutive season and sixth in the past seven.
  • The Conference also boasts a NCAA-high 18 U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) first-, second- and third-team All-Americans since 2015-16, tied with the 14-team SEC and one more than the 14-team Big Ten (17).

IT STARTS AT THE TOP

  • Not only does the Conference boast the winningest coach in the history of womens college basketball in Stanfords Tara VanDerveer (1,174 wins), it also has three of the 35 winningest active Division I coaches by percentage in VanDerveer, Oregon States Scott Rueck and Oregons Kelly Graves , a total tied for the most among Power 5 leagues (ACC).
  • Five of the Conferences head coaches have led a team to the Final Four in Arizonas Adia Barnes , Oregons Kelly Graves , Oregon States Scott Rueck , Stanfords Tara VanDerveer and USCs Lindsay Gottlieb , who took California in 2013.
  • Of the countrys 13 active NCAA head coaches who have led a Division I team to the Final Four, five are from the Pac-12, which is the most among all leagues. The Pac-12 and the SEC (4) are the only conferences with multiple coaches that have taken a program to the Final Four.
  • At the Conference level, the Pac-12 recently made a pair of important hires with backgrounds as NCAA DI Womens Basketball Committee chairs in Rhonda Lundin Bennett and Lisa Peterson . Bennett, who chaired the committee in 2017-18 and 2018-19, began at the Conference on Sept. 22 as Associate Commissioner for Womens Basketball & Sports Management, spearheading the Pac-12s strategic planning efforts to elevate, advance and grow its womens basketball brand. Peterson started at the Pac-12 on Oct. 17 as Senior Associate Commissioner for Sports Management and is responsible for the comprehensive management and oversight of the leagues 21 Olympic sports.

PAC-12/SWAC LEGACY SERIES

  • The first Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series took place this year and featured six womens basketball games when Arizona State hosted Grambling State on Nov. 11, Washington State hosted Prairie View A&M on Nov. 13, Oregon played at Southern on Nov. 14, Utah played at Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 1, Arizona hosted Texas Southern on Dec. 14 and California hosted Florida A&M on Dec. 18.
  • A first-of-its-kind educational and basketball scheduling pact between Autonomy 5 and HBCU leagues, the Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series is aimed at: creating a forum for competition; promotion and education around issues of anti-racism and social justice; and motivating the current and next generation of community leaders to affect positive change.

FIBA WOMENS BASKETBALL WORLD CUP

  • Eight Pac-12 womens basketball players from five schools represented four national teams at the 2022 FIBA Womens Basketball World Cup in Australia.
  • Oregons Sabrina Ionescu and Washingtons Kelsey Plum suited up for the gold-medal winning United States. Four of the 12 on the Canadian roster were from the Pac-12 in a pair of current Ducks, fifth-year Taya Hanson and sophomore Phillipina Kyei , along with UCLAs Nirra Fields , a three-time All-Pac-12 performer (2016, 2015, 2014), and Arizona States Mael Gilles , the Conferences fourth-leading rebounder from a season ago. Seattle Storm head coach and UCLA graduate Noelle Quinn was also an assistant coach for Team Canada.
  • Colorados Mya Hollingshed , the programs sixth all-time leading scorer and a two-time All-Pac-12 selection (2022, 2021), played for Puerto Rico, and UWs Sami Whitcomb , who completed her sixth WNBA season with the New York Liberty, played for the bronze medalist Australians.
  • The Pac-12s eight womens basketball alumnae at the event in Sydney tied with the ACC for the most among all conferences and were two more than the Big Ten (6), three ahead of the Big 12 and Big East (5) and double the SEC (4).

PAC-12 IN THE PROS

  • Washingtons Kelsey Plum (first team), Oregons Sabrina Ionescu (second team) and Stanfords Nneka Ogwumike (second team) were t hree of 10 players voted to the 2022 All-WNBA Team .
  • The Pac-12s three All-WNBA Team members tied with the SEC for most among all conferences and the two leagues were the only ones with multiple selections.
  • It was the first time the Pac-12 has had a trio voted to the All-WNBA Team since 2001, when USCs Lisa Leslie and UCLAs Natalie Williams were on the first team and the Trojans Tina Thompson on the second team. The Conference had at least three All-WNBA picks in the first five years of the league (1997-2001) and had four selections in both 1999 and 2000 (Leslie, Thompson, Williams and USCs Cynthia Cooper ).
  • Plum, Ionescu and Ogwumike were also voted starters for the 2022 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game in July, the first time since 2003 the Pac-12 had a trio voted to start in the WNBAs midseason showcase.
  • The Pac-12 had 20 former womens basketball student-athletes on WNBA opening-day rosters entering the 2022 season. The conference was represented by seven of its 12 members and on 10 of 12 WNBA franchises.
  • In comparing conference totals, the Pac-12 was fourth behind the ACC, which entered the WNBA season with a total of 26 on rosters, the SEC (23) and Big Ten (22). Based on per-membership averages, the Pac-12 was second among all leagues with 1.67 per school (ACC - 1.73).
  • In addition to the former standouts on team rosters, the Pac-12 was the only collegiate league with multiple alumnae as WNBA head coaches. UCLAs Noelle Quinn completed her second season leading the Seattle Storm and Stanfords Vanessa Nygaard was hired to coach the Phoenix Mercury in late January.
  • The Pac-12 had three players selected in the 2022 WNBA Draft, including three of the first eight picks in Nyara Sabally (No. 5 - New York Liberty), Lexie Hull (No. 6 - Indiana Fever) and Mya Hollingshed (No. 8 - Las Vegas Aces). It was the fourth time the Pac-12 had three first-round selections (1997 College Draft, 2000 College Draft, 2020) and the second time it has boasted three of the drafts first eight selections (2020). The conference has had multiple first rounders in six consecutive drafts, an active streak that leads all leagues by three years. The SEC has had multiple first rounders in three consecutive drafts.

CONFERENCE STANDINGS ( Expanded Standings )

Teams Pac-12 Record Overall Record
#8 Utah 5-1 15-1
#4 Stanford 5-1 17-2
#24 Colorado 5-1 14-3
#9 UCLA 4-2 15-3
#19 Arizona 4-3 14-4
#23 Oregon 4-3 13-5
USC 3-3 13-4
Washington State 3-3 13-4
Washington 2-4 10-6
Oregon State 2-5 10-8
California 1-5 10-7
Arizona State 0-7 7-9
*Colorado and Utah forfeit wins over Arizona State reflected in Conference standings per Pac-12 policy, not overall records per NCAA policy.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE ( Full Schedule )

Friday, January 20
#24 Colorado at California Pac-12 Network
Pac-12 Bay Area
Pac-12 Mountain 		11:30 a.m. PT
#8 Utah at #4 Stanford Pac-12 Network
Pac-12 Bay Area
Pac-12 Mountain 		6 p.m. PT
#9 UCLA at Washington Pac-12 Los Angeles 7 p.m. PT
USC at Washington State Pac-12 Washington 7 p.m. PT
#23 Oregon at Oregon State Pac-12 Network
Pac-12 Oregon 		8 p.m. PT
Sunday, January 22
#9 UCLA at Washington State Pac-12 Los Angeles noon PT
USC at Washington Pac-12 Washington noon PT
#19 Arizona at Arizona State Pac-12 Arizona 2 p.m. PT
#24 Colorado at #4 Stanford Pac-12 Network
Pac-12 Bay Area
Pac-12 Mountain 		2 p.m. PT
#8 Utah at California Pac-12 Network
Pac-12 Bay Area
Pac-12 Mountain 		4 p.m. PT

PAC-12 PERFORMANCE AWARDS PRESENTED BY NEXTIVA ( Weekly Awards History )

Player of the Week Freshman of the Week
Nov. 14 Charlisse Leger-Walker, WSU Grace VanSlooten, ORE
Nov. 21 Charisma Osborne, UCLA Raegan Beers, OSU
Nov. 28 Alissa Pili, UTAH Kailyn Gilbert, ARIZ
Dec. 5 Charisma Osborne, UCLA Kiki Rice, UCLA
Dec. 12 Endyia Rogers, ORE Christeen Iwuala, UCLA
Dec. 19 Cameron Brink, STAN Grace VanSlooten, ORE
Dec. 26 Grace VanSlooten, ORE Grace VanSlooten, ORE
Jan. 2 Rayah Marshall, USC Raegan Beers, OSU
Jan. 9 Cameron Brink, STAN Raegan Beers, OSU
Jan. 16 Destiny Littleton, USC Chance Gray, ORE

NATIONAL WEEKLY HONORS

Award - Recipient
Nov. 16 NCAA.com Starting Five - Charlisse Leger-Walker, WSU
Nov. 21 ESPN National Win of the Week - UCLA 80, #11 Tennessee 67 (11/20)
Nov. 23 NCAA.com Starting Five - Charisma Osborne, UCLA
Nov. 30 NCAA.com Starting Five - Alissa Pili, UTAH
Dec. 14 NCAA.com Starting Five - Endyia Rogers, ORE
Dec. 19 ESPN National Team of the Week - UCLA
Dec. 28 USBWA National Freshman of the Week - Grace VanSlooten, ORE
Jan. 4 NCAA.com Starting Five - Rayah Marshall, USC
Jan. 16 ESPN National Win of the Week - USC 55, #2 Stanford 46 (1/15)
Jan. 16 ESPN National Coach of the Week - Lindsay Gottlieb, USC
Jan. 17 USBWA National Team of the Week - USC
Jan. 18 NCAA.com Starting Five - Destiny Littleton, USC