8. UCLA
Record: 8-19 overall, 4-14 Pac-10
Scoring offense: 59.4 ppg
Scoring defense: 71.6 ppg
Watch: Whitney Jones, F, 9.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg
The Bruins took a big hit early in the sea
son when star Michelle Greco was injured,
and UCLA never fully recovered from that
hit. Greco averaged 23.6 points during the
season’s first five games and once dropped 36
points, but she has sat the rest of the season
for medical reasons.
In those first five games, the Bruins were
3-2. Since then, they’re 5-17.
The Bruins have been hurt for offense all
season long. In conference play, they rank
last or ninth in field goal percentage (.342),
three-point percentage (.251) and free-throw
percentage (.659). Their defense isn’t much
better, as they rank in the bottom two for
scoring defense, three-point percentage de
fense (.347) and rebounding defense (they
give up 43.6 rebounds per contest).
If there’s one consolation for UCLA, it
comes in the form of a first-round game
against ninth-seeded California. The Bruins
have had the Golden Bears’ number this sea
son, beating them by 16 on the road and by
10 at home. The two teams last met on Fri
day, with UCLA winning 58-48 in Los Ange
les. If the Bruins beat the Golden Bears for the
third time, they will meet monolithic Stan
ford in the second round on Saturday.
— Peter Hockaday
JONES
9. California
Record: 7-20 overall, 2-16 Pac-10
Scoring offense: 57.3 ppg
Scoring defense: 63.9 ppg
Watch: Ami Forney, F/C, 11.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg
California has had trouble with UCLA this
season. Actually, the Bears have had trouble
with a lot of teams this year. But it’s Pac-10
Tournament time and anything can happen.
“We view it as a new season,” Cal head
coach Caren Horstmeyer said. “I’m excited.
This is the postseason now.”
The ninth-seeded Bears face off with
UCLA at 8:45 p.m. today at McArthur Court.
In the two teams’ first meeting, the Bruins
dominated the Bears, 64-48. Last weekend,
though, Cal put up a better fight, but still
lost, 58-48.
It’s always tough for a team to beat an
other three times in the same season, and
the youthful Bears are optimistic they can
pull off the win. It’s certainly been a tran
sition year in Berkeley this season as the
Bears have worked in nine newcomers to
the team, including six freshmen.
One of only two seniors, Ami Forney has
led the charge amid a downtrodden season,
averaging almost 12 points and seven re
bounds per game. Forney will need to bring
her game up another level against the Bru
ins if she wants to extend her Cal career at
least an extra game.
Getting past Saturday, though, will be
tough because if the Bears do beat the Bru
ins, they’d face top-seeded Stanford at 6
p.m. Saturday.
FORNEY
-J.S.
1. Stanford
Record: 28-1 overall, 18-0 Pac-10
Scoring offense: 81.6 ppg
Scoring defense: 61.9 ppg
Watch: Nicole Powell, F, 15.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg
The question is there, hanging like a thunder
cloud over the Pac-10 Tournament.
Can anyone beat Stanford?
Can anyone beat a team that has already
gone undefeated — with ease — in the con
ference’s regular season? That leads the Pac
10 in every offensive category other than free
throw percentage?
Stanford’s numbers speak volumes. The
Cardinal have lost only once this season, to
No. 3 Tennessee in December. Other than
that, Stanford has been perfect, blowing out
opponents by an average of 20.6 points in
conference play. Powell, a sophomore, puts
a human face on the machine-like Cardinal.
Powell is a finalist for the Naismith Award,
given to the nation’s top player. She appears
in the conference’s top 10 for scoring and re
bounding, but also leads the Pac-10 in assists
and is fifth in field-goal percentage.
But there is hope for the rest of the confer
ence, even if it’s only a teaspoon of it. Stan
ford’s leading scorer, Portland native Lindsey
Yamasaki, will miss the tournament. Ya
masaki averaged 17.4 points per game.
One of the Cardinal’s few close games this
season came in Eugene, when Stanford man
aged to beat Oregon by only five points. Stan
ford will face the winner of Friday night’s
UCLA-Califomia game on Saturday.
—P.H.
POWELL
4. Southern California
Record: 15-12 overall, 11-7 Pac-10
Scoring offense: 71.3 ppg
Scoring defense: 65.3 ppg
Watch: Ebony Hoffman, F, 14.3 ppg, 9.0 rpg,
1.28 blocks
The Trojans’ fourth-place tie in the con
ference with Oregon State, their first round
opponent, marks their highest Pac-10 finish
since 1997 and only the second time since
then that they finished with a winning
record.
By virtue of two wins over the Beavers, USC
was seeded No. 4 and Oregon State No. 5.
The Trojans are led by sophomore for
ward Hoffman, who has collected 11 dou
ble-doubles in 25 games this season. Guards
Aisha Hollans (17.0) and Rachel Woodward
(11.7) are also averaging in double figures in
scoring.
Southern California leads the conference
in steals with 10.19 per game and offensive
rebounds with 17.63 per game.
The Trojans are coming off a 69-58 win at
home over California last weekend. Hoff
man scored 24 points and collected 14 re
bounds in the victory.
The weekend start for their game bodes
well for the Ladies of Troy, as they are 7-0 in
Saturday games.
— C.C.
5. Oregon State
Record: 15-13 overall, 11-7 Pac-10
Scoring offense: 67.5 ppg
Scoring defense: 65.7 ppg
Watch: Felicia Ragland, G, 20.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg,
2.5 steals
The regular season ended with the
Beavers tied for fourth with USC, but the
Trojans were seeded in the No. 4 slot be
cause of their two wins this season over
Oregon State.
The Beavers head into the Pac-10 Touma
ment coming off two straight wins over the
Washington schools, including a 73-71
overtime victory against the Huskies.
Four of the Beavers’ last seven games
have gone into an overtime session. In
those four games, Oregon State defeated
Arizona, California and Washington and
lost to Oregon.
Leading the way for the Beavers offen
sively, Ragland has averaged a conference
leading 2.25 three-point field goals per
game for a total of 63 made. Ragland also
leads the conference in steals with 72 (2.57
per game) and scoring with 559 points (20.0
per game). She is 10th in the conference in
rebounding with 6.3 per contest.
In the two prior contests between the Tro
jans and the Beavers, neither team has ever
led by more than six points. Six is also the
number of the combined margin of victory
in those two games.
— C.C.
RflfilANn
6. Arizona
Record: 14-13 overall, 10-8 Pac-10
Scoring offense: 74.7 ppg
Scoring defense: 72.5 ppg
Watch: Elizabeth Pickney, F, 16.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg
The Wildcats need a win Saturday after
noon to keep their season alive. And then
another win Sunday afternoon. And then
another win Monday evening.
Because unless Arizona wins the whole
conference tournament, they won’t be head
ed to the NCAA Tournament and are on the
bubble for the WNIT.
But the Wildcats have the potential to
shock the rest of the conference. Arizona
has won three of its last five games. Fresh
man guard Dee-Dee Wheeler has averaged
15.9 points per game over the Cats’ last sev
en contests. Arizona has a big-time player in
Pickney, who has scored more than 20
points nine times this season, and the Wild
cats are 6-3 in those games.
Arizona will face cross-state rival Arizona
State on Friday, and the ’Cats have seen the
Devils before. Recently.
Arizona won the duel of the desert Satur
day, beating Arizona State 72-66. Earlier this
season, the Sun Devils won the battle 87-64
in Tempe. The Wildcats have won three of
the last four overall.
— P.H.
3. Arizona State
Record: 21-8 overall, 12-6 Pac-10
Scoring offense: 66.7 ppg
Scoring defense: 58.6 ppg
Watch: Amanda Levens, G, 17.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg
Arizona State has recorded its second
straight 20-win season, but the Sun Devils
weren’t pleased with ending their schedule
with a loss to their in-state rivals.
Well, a week later, Arizona State gets a shot
at revenge in a rematch with the Arizona
Wildcats at 2:15 p.m. Saturday. The Sun Dev
ils easily won the first meeting between the
two Arizona schools, 87-64.
The Wildcats turned it up a notch on
senior night, though, and beat Arizona
State, 72-66, on Feb. 23. The Sun Devils
finished the regular season tied for second
in the Pac-10 with Washington, but could
n’t find much reason to celebrate after los
ing to the Wildcats.
“We had high expectations for this year,”
senior Amanda Levens said. “We feel we are
better this year, and sometimes we don’t
play like that.”
Levens and the Sun Devils should be back
on their game this weekend, and don’t be
surprised if they make it all the way to Mon
day’s championship game. Arizona State gets
the luxury of avoiding Stanford in its first
two potential match-ups. If the Sun Devils
beat Arizona, they’d likely face Washington
or Oregon on Sunday in the semifinals.
-J.S
LEVENS