Most women’s basketball teams in the Pac-12 only have three more games until the conference tournament.
Conference tournament seeding and NCAA tournament implications are at stake as hames have more importance and the season comes to a close.
If the season ended today, here is where the Pac-12 teams would stack up.
1. Stanford Cardinal (24-1, 15-0 Pac-12)
No surprise here. Stanford is not only the top team in the Pac-12, but they are the No. 2 team in the country.
If the Cardinal remains undefeated in the conference, they will be rewarded with a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Stanford’s two elite scoring sisters, Nnemkadi and Chiney Ogwumike, lead the team.
Going undefeated in the conference, including the tournament, is not an easy task. Judging by the way Stanford is playing now, they look up to the challenge.
2. Cal Golden Bears (20-7, 11-4 Pac-12)
Unlike Stanford, Cal is not driven by one or two star players.
In the last five games, Cal has seen a different player step up and lead the team in scoring.
In their game against ASU, Cal freshman guard Brittany Boyd scored 19 points in their victory. In their last two games, junior guard Layshia Clarendon led the scoring charge.
The Bears’ kryptonite this season has been USC and UCLA. They are 1-3 against the southern California teams.
3. USC Trojans (13-11, 7-6 Pac-12)
USC has been a streaky team this season. After winning five of their first six Pac-12 games, they went on a three-game slide.
The Trojans have since righted the ship, winning four out of their last six games.
Their last win was an upset over Cal. Next on the schedule for the Trojans is ASU, as they play host to the Sun Devils and look to move up the rankings with a victory.
4. ASU Sun Devils (18-8, 9-6 Pac-12)
Coaches and players of ASU always say they want to be playing their best basketball in March.
After a three-game winning streak, the Sun Devils look to be on the right track to accomplish their goal.
After slipping up against the California schools, the Sun Devils find themselves with the third best record in the conference. ASU has a chance for payback this weekend, when they face USC and UCLA.
5. UCLA Bruins (12-12, 7-6 Pac-12)
Since the Bruins’ victory over the Sun Devils, the team has shown why they are one of the better teams in the country. UCLA beat the Washington schools twice and also beat a strong Oregon State team.
The Bruins are riding a three-game losing streak after losing to the two top teams in the conference and rival USC.
They have two more weekends against the Arizona and Washington schools to make a push for a high seed in the tournament.
Senior guard Rebekah Gardner has been a consistent offensive force for the Bruins all year. She has averaged about 16 points per game.
6. Oregon State (17-9, 8-7 Pac-12)
The Cinderella story continues for the Beavers.
Oregon State had some early success this season against conference opponents, which was commendable after the school faced a tough coaching change.
But the Beavers showed this season is no fluke. They are above .500 in the conference with some impressive wins against USC and ASU.
The future looks bright for OSU as coach Scott Rueck continues to rebuild the program.
7. Utah Utes (13-12, 6-8 Pac-12)
Earlier in the conference schedule, the Utes had a hard time transitioning to the competition in the Pac-12. They won just three of their first 11 games.
Since then, the Utes have caught fire, winners of three straight games.
They are showing they will not be an easy win for visiting conference opponents in the future.
8. Colorado Buffaloes (16-9, 5-9 Pac-12)
Colorado’s story is similar to Utah’s. The Buffaloes only won two out of their first six conference games.
After that stretch, they pulled off some upsets, including a win over USC.
Junior guard Chucky Jeffery has been a huge offensive threat for Colorado. She averages 15.2 points per game and shoots 44 percent from the field.
9. Oregon Ducks (14-13, 6-9 Pac-12)
The Ducks have two big weekends coming up. Right now, they are behind Utah and Oregon State in the standings.
The Ducks have a tremendous chance to make up some ground in the conference standings, as they take on both the Utes and the Beavers in their next three games.
10. Washington Huskies (13-11, 5-9)
The Huskies have two star players.
Senior forward Regina Rogers averages 16 points per game. The Huskies’ lowly 5-9 record is not the way she envisioned her career ending.
However, freshman guard Jazmine Davis is just getting started.
She averages 15.9 points per game and looks like she has the skills to become one of the premier guards in the country.
11. Washington State Cougars (10-17, 4-11 Pac-12)
Late in the game against ASU, the Cougars were almost down 20 points. They did not give up late and closed the Sun Devils’ lead to two.
With only three games left against rival Washington, UCLA and USC, the Cougars will try to be resilient again and end their season on a high note.
12. UA Wildcats (14-12, 3-11 Pac-12)
Injuries and other factors have caused the Wildcats to have a sub-par season.
One game looms in the distance for UA: the last game of the regular season against ASU.
The Wildcats have nothing to lose and a lot to gain in their game against ASU.
They would like nothing more than to gain Territorial Cup points and ruin the Sun Devils’ chances of a high seed in the Pac-12 tournament.
Reach the reporter at ehubbard@asu.edu Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
