If you want to consider this potentially one of the most compelling Pac-10 seasons in many years, you need to take Stanford out of the equation.

If you want to consider this a good non-conference effort, put the Cardinal back in.

As Pac-10 play begins, there is as much parity in the Pac-10 as any time in recent memory. Except at the very top.

Second-ranked Stanford, with its size, its experience and its talent, look to be the runaway title favorite. An unbeaten season is entirely plausible. Plenty of nights of 25-30 point victories look almost inevitable.

Who will play with Stanford inside? Who will defend well enough to contain Jayne Appel, Nneka Ogwumike and Kayla Pedersen? Who will be able to get back on defense when the Cardinal pushes the ball up the floor?

Probably no one in the Pac-10. Not this year.

This is a conference made up of young teams. Freshman impact players and new starters abound.  The 10 conference teams have started a total of 17 sophomores and nine freshmen in their lineups so far this season.

And that will make the rest of the season a dogfight.

“I think this is going to be one of the most competitive Pac-10 seasons that we’ve seen,” Arizona State coach Charli Turner Thorne said.

Beyond Stanford’s run through many of the nation’s top teams, and USC’s ability to schedule well and pick up both a couple of good wins and good losses, this was not a great non-conference season for the Pac-10. The scheduling was not strong across the board, the good wins were few and far between.

But what’s done is done and what’s next should be a very interesting, unpredictable conference season that could offer plenty of surprises.

Here’s a look at the Pac-10’s non-conference numbers:

Pac-10 non-conference record: 69-35 (through Wednesdays games). Winning percentage: .663.

Only two teams – Washington (5-5) and Washington (5-6) fail to finish with a winning record.

Record vs. ranked teams: 5-14.

Ranked wins: Stanford over No. 25 Rutgers, No. 7 Duke, No. 3 Tennessee; USC over No. 13 Texas; USC over No. 19 Mississippi State.

Record vs. BCS Conferences: vs. ACC 1-5; vs. Big Ten 0-3; vs. Big 12 1-8; vs. Big East 2-3; vs. SEC 3-1. Total 7-20.

Good wins (against non-ranked opponents): Arizona 65-59 over Mississippi; UCLA over Utah, 69-33; Stanford over DePaul 96-60.

Good losses: USC at Duke, 78-72; USC vs. Xavier, 81-71, OT; UCLA at Kansas, 54-49;  Washington State at Kansas State 70-63; Cal vs. No. 7 Texas A&M, 68-61; Arizona State vs. No. 6 Baylor, 70-66.

Bad losses: San Jose State over Cal, 68-66; Sacramento State over Washington, 74-71; UCLA vs. Illinois State, 61-55.

Both Stanford and Cal set the table for their Pac-10 opening matchup on Saturday with double-digit victories Wednesday night and both teams sporting interesting lineups for their respective games.

The Cardinal played their first game since last week’s loss to Connecticut, traveling to Fresno State and winning 68-46. Jayne Appel finished with 20 points and 18 rebounds. Conspicuously absent from the lineup was point guard JJ Hones.

According to Stanford sports information director Aaron Juarez, Hones sustained a minor knee injury against Connecticut and has been experiencing swelling in her surgically repaired knee. She was held out of the game against the Bulldogs and may be available for Saturday’s home game against the Bears. But senior guard Melanie Murphy was able to return to the lineup for the first time in a month. Murphy came off the bench and played 13 minutes. She finished with two points and four assists.

Meanwhile, in San Diego, Cal closed the non-conference with an 85-60 win over Nevada. Bears coach Joanne Boyle started four freshman in the game — DeNesha Stallworth, Talia Caldwell, Layshia Clarendon and Eliza Pierre. Pierre made her first start of the season in place of senior Natasha Vital. Clarendon led Cal in scoring for the third straight game with 22 points and finished with seven rebounds.

Freshman forward Gennifer Brandon, who missed two games with a stress reaction in her fibula, returned to the lineup and finished with 10 points.

1. Stanford

Record: 9-1

Notable in the non-conference: Wins over No 7 Duke 71-55 and No. 3 Tennessee 67-52. Loss to No. 1 Connecticut, 80-68.

Jayne Appel - Stanford athletics

Outlook: The biggest surprise would be if anyone put up a serious challenge to the Cardinal for the Pac-10 title.  Stanford will overwhelm most Pac-10 opponents with size and inside play. Kayla Pedersen and Nneka Ogwumike could jockey for Pac-10 Player of the Year honors along with reigning MVP Jayne Appel. Stanford will be using the Pac-10 season as a tune-up, frankly, for what it hopes will be a third straight trip to the Final Four and another shot at Connecticut in the national title game. An 18-0 run through the conference is not out of the realm.

2. Arizona State

Record: 8-3

Notable in the non-conference: Loss at No. 15 Xavier, 59-46; losses to No. 10 Texas A&M, 72-62 and No. 6 Baylor, 70-66, in Vegas tournament.

Outlook: The Sun Devils have put all of their new pieces together pretty quickly. Though all three losses have come against ranked teams, a tough pre-Christmas weekend in Vegas showed that ASU looks ready to do some damage in conference play with its aggressive defense, strong rebounding and an offense that has the potential for inside-out balance. Offense will be the key here. ASU needs to keep improving on that end of the floor in order to be able to maintain its No. 2 spot and assure a sixth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Sun Devils are lacking good non-conference wins to impress the selection committee, so double-digit Pac-10 wins look pretty important from here.

3. UCLA

Record: 7-4

Notable in the non-conference: A 69-33 win over Utah; a 61-47 loss at Tennessee and a 54-49 loss at Kansas.

Outlook: UCLA will be the most athletic team in the conference, and a difficult assignment for teams that can’t cope well with defensive pressure. No team has scored more than 61 points against UCLA thus far, and that includes Tennessee. UCLA has benefitted from the addition of freshman Markel Walker and Jasmine Dixon’s December insertion the UCLA lineup gives the Bruins another scoring option. Junior guard Doreena Campbell has scored in double figures in four straight games. This is a promising team with a good coach in Nikki Caldwell.

1. USC

Record: 6-4

Notable in the non-conference: 61-54 win over No. 13 Texas and 64-60 win over No. 19 Mississippi State in Paradise Jam; 78-72 loss at No. 7 Duke.

Outlook: The Women of Troy have played a difficult schedule and fared pretty well and that bodes well for a strong conference season. Ashley Corral has taken over the point and answered one of USC’s biggest questions, how to replace the leadership and scoring of Camille LeNoir. Corral is third in the Pac-10 in scoring at 16.2 per game and leads the conference with 5.5 assists per game. Briana Gilbreath continues to improve.  Michael Cooper’s team is perhaps in the best NCAA Tournament position of any team in the Pac-10 other than Stanford at this point, having played eight NCAA Tournament teams in 10 games thus far.

5. Cal

Record: 5-5

Notable in the non-conference: 69-49 loss to No. 8 Baylor; 83-71 loss to No. 3 Ohio State; 68-66 loss to San Jose State.

Outlook: The Bears are struggling to find their new identity and a handful of tough losses – including three to Top 10 teams — mean Cal needs to get some confidence back. Alexis Gray-Lawson is leading the way offensively (at 14.6 points per game), along with freshman post DeNesha Stallworth (13.8 points, 7.3 rebounds). Freshman guard Layshia Clarendon, in the starting lineup for the first time Monday against Boston College, is emerging as another scoring threat for Joanne Boyle’s team. But the Bears have injury issues. Freshmen forwards Gennifer Brandon and Brenna Heater have stress fractures in their left feet and are out of the lineup. Senior Rama N’diaye remains out with knee issues. Cal opens the Pac-10 with three straight road games. This team could realistically finish anywhere from second to sixth, depending on how quickly things can get on track.

http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/12/28/has-uconn-already-written-the-ending/

Time to revisit and revise the order of finish in the Pac-10. Preseason predictions are great and all, but seeing results certainly clarifies the picture.

We’ll go 6-10 today, 1-5 tomorrow and a big-picture conference preview on Thursday.

Amanda Johnson - Oregon athletics

6. Oregon

Record: 9-3

Notable in the non-conference: 117-69 win over Cal State Fullerton; 87-69 loss to Georgia Tech.

Outlook: The Ducks, who have already matched their win total for all of last season, score a ton of points (87.5 points a game) and seem to win until they get in games against tougher competition, losses to Wisconsin, Georgia Tech and Utah proving to be truest measuring sticks.

But still, the offensive fireworks Oregon has shown under Paul Westhead are likely to be enough to bump the Ducks up substantially in the conference standings and make for some interesting scores. This could be the team that shakes up the Pac-10 race in an unexpected way.

Senior guard Taylor Lilley sustained an ankle injury last Sunday against Wyoming, but came back to score 18 in the non-conference finale against Utah. Michaela Cocks has scored in double figures in all 11 games this season. Amanda Johnson is the team’s leading scorer at 15.3 points a game.

7. Oregon State

Record: 7-2

Notable in the non-conference: 59-53 loss at UC Santa Barbara.

Outlook: The Beavers have the third-best non-conference record in the Pac-10.

But OSU didn’t take on any truly difficult challenges in the non-conference and all that is about to change as Pac-10 play begins.

The team with seven new players is playing good defense, ranked eighth in the nation in scoring defense at 50.0 points a game. Offensively, junior Talisa Rhea, one of the two returning starters, leads the way averaging 14.3 points a game. Kirsten Tilleman, the only senior in the starting five, is averaging 11.1 points and 7.9 rebounds. It will be interesting to see how this team fares as the degree of difficulty increases with conference play.

8. Arizona

Record: 5-4

Notable in the non-conference: A 65-59 win over Mississippi and a 65-53 loss to UC Riverside.

Outlook: Which team is going to show up, the team that defeated Ole Miss from the SEC or the team that lost by double-digits to Riverside of the Big West?

Arizona is all about the unknown with four new starters and some inconsistent results. The Wildcats are struggling offensively of late and have lost three straight games heading into a Dec. 28 non-conference finale against Alabama A&M.

Junior forward Ify Ibekwe is averaging a double-double at 11.1 points and 12.1 rebounds a game. Freshman guard Davellyn Whyte is the team’s leading scorer at 13.9 points a game.

9. Washington State

Record: 5-6

Notable in the non-conference: A 73-59 loss to Portland on Dec. 13.

Outlook: The Cougars enter Pac-10 play having lost two of three games, and may not be quite ready for the jump in the conference standings that many predicted when the season began.

But the Cougars, who have the only losing mark in non-conference play, played a stronger schedule that some of the lower-tier teams in the conference, facing Kansas State and Nebraska and may end up being better for it. But WSU doesn’t look quite there yet.

The Cougars went to Nevada hoping to post their second straight winning record in the non-conference, but fell one win short.

Sophomore guard April Cook is the team’s leading scorer at 13.9 points a game. Backcourt mate, sophomore Kiki Moore has scored in double digits in 10 of 11 games thus far.

The Cougars rank last in the Pac-10 in scoring defense (69.7 points a game), free-throw percentage (.574), 3-point percentage (.250) and field-goal percentage (.343).

10. Washington

Record: 5-5

Notable in the non-conference: A 74-71 loss to Sacramento State at home.

Outlook: The Huskies have lost four players, likely for the season, with injuries and that’s tough to overcome when you are already trying to buck a couple of seasons of struggles. Still the Huskies open Pac-10 play against Oregon on Jan. 1 with their best non-conference record under Tia Jackson.

But even with a relatively easy non-conference schedule, the Huskies had a couple of wince-inducing losses and are last in the Pac-10 in scoring offense and rebounding offense. Even moving a couple of notches up the Pac-10 standings this season would qualify as a big surprise.

Sami Whitcomb is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder at 14.0 points and 6.1 rebounds a game.

1. Stanford (9-1). Despite the loss in Hartford, the Cardinal are still the second-best team in the country. Wednesday’s game against Fresno State will be a back-on-the-horse game. Things will be much easier from here with Pac-10 starting Saturday.
   

   Kali Bennett -- ASU Athletics

2. Arizona State (7-3). The Sun Devils take a breather tonight against Furman before opening conference with a tough twosome in UCLA and USC. And the race for second-place in the Pac-10 will really be on.
3. Gonzaga (10-4). The Zags got back into action on Sunday, defeating UC Irvine. Next up a rebuilding UC Santa Barbara team looking for its first big win of the year.
4. USC (6-4). One more tough challenge for the Women of Troy before Pac-10 play, Wednesday’s home game against North Carolina State.
5. UCLA (6-4). The Bruins will look to build some momentum toward the conference season with a game tonight against Loyola Marymount.
6. Cal. (5-4). Joanne Boyle earned her 100^th win against Long Beach State last week. The Bears are regrouping in San Diego at the Surf N’ Slam tournament early this week (facing Boston College tonight) with a road game against No. 2 Stanford on Saturday looming.
7. Oregon (9-3). The Ducks have gotten a couple of reality checks in the last couple of weeks, but are still primed to shake up the Pac-10 race and pull off some upsets in the top tier.
8. Fresno State (8-4). Wednesday’s home game at Stanford will certainly be a tough one, but the Bulldogs remain among the nation’s top 3-point shooting teams behind Jaleesa Ross.
9. Portland (9-3). The Pilots are on a roll, having won six in a row and nine of ten for the program’s best start in 11 years. Laiken Dollente will be a contender for WCC Player of the Year honors. She put up 31 against Montana State last week. Next up, at Utah Valley State on Tuesday.
10. Pepperdine (9-4). The Waves have won four in a row, but have a big challenge this week, traveling to face No. 21 Kansas on the road.

• Stanford goes down 80-68. If they lose the No. 2 ranking, that's just wrong. #
• Stanford needs much more from its guards than its gotten today. #
• Go to give Annie a ride and I come back to 22 point deficit. Ouch. #
• It's test the mettle time. Stanford down 56-47 12:00 to go. #
• Stanford-UConn tied at 44-44 at the first media timeout in the second half. #
• UConn hasn't played a game like this in a long, long, long time. How will the Huskies respond? We'll find out in 2nd half. Can't wait. #
• Stanford up at the half 40-38. Last time UConn down at the half, in the 2008 Final Four to Stanford. #
• UConn up 38-35 with 1:30 to go in the first half. #
• 35-34 Stanford leads, 5 minutes to go in the half. Stanford's Nneka Ogwumike with 16 points. Both teams shooting 60 percent. Good stuff! #
• UConn on a 7-0 run to go up 19-10. #
• Maya Moore picks up two quick fouls, but she stays in the game. At first media timeout: Conn 12, Stanford 10. #
• Let's get on with it! #
• WIll be blogging Stanford-UConn on leftcoasthoops.com from the comfort of my leather recliner. Will try to tweet too. Multi-task! #
• Two hours til tipoff in Hartford. Tapping the toes and waiting anxiously. #
• Stanford-Connecticut preview on Fanhouse. Wish I was there, but wanted to be home for Xmas more. http://bit.ly/6ncGcm #

By Rhiannon Potkey

LCH Correspondent

The state of Hawaii is often described as a melting pot because of its cultural diversity. The University of Hawaii women’s basketball team truly embodies the island spirit of ethnic and racial acceptance.

The Rainbow Wahine roster features a Latvian, a Canadian, a Lithuanian, a New Zealander and a walk-on from Japan. They have American players from California, New Mexico, Arizona and Hawaii.

“We are a mixing pot of cultures,” Hawaii head coach Dana Takahara-Dias said. “We have many different girls who speak different languages, but hopefully at the end of the season they all enjoy their experience and really, really enjoy a college education.”

Hawaii recently visited a spot that attracts tourists from across the globe – Las Vegas.

The Rainbow Wahine participated in the Duel in the Desert tournament at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion. They finished with a 1-2 record, which included an opening win against Kansas State and back-to-back losses to UNLV and Florida State.

“This gave us a chance to improve our weaknesses before we open Western Athletic Conference play,” Takahara-Dias said following Hawaii’s 83-39 loss to 12th-ranked Florida State in the third-place game. “Obviously there are many aspects of our game that we have to go back and address, but we are not going to be disappointed or defeated in our production.  We enjoyed being here.”

Takahara-Dias is in her first year at the helm of Hawaii. She replaced Jim Bolla, who was fired in April after the being investigated by the school for allegations he kicked a player in practice.

Takahara-Dias was a four-year letterwinner for the Rainbow Wahine, starting her UH career in 1984 as a walk-on point guard and eventually earning a scholarship.

Takahara-Dias spent five years as an administrative assistant on former Hawaii coach Vince Goo’s staff.

But she left college basketball to work for the City & County of Honolulu, most recently as its Director of Customer Services overseeing a $22.3 million budget and supervising 300 full-time employees.

“For me to come back to the hardwood to coach at my alma mater is very special to me,” said Takahara-Dias, a mother of two young sons. “I did not want to let the opportunity go to give back to the sport that has given me so much. So regardless of the outcome of any day, it’s a good day for us because I get to live my dream.”

Although Hawaii ended the Duel in the Desert on a down note, sophomore forward Breanna Arbuckle found some positives from the entire tournament experience.

“It really helped us become more of a team and know the level we have to perform at,” Arbuckle said. “We have been working for four months trying to get to know each other, but I think we need a little more work.”

Arbuckle, a Chandler, Ariz. native, has enjoyed being on a team with so much diversity.

“It is pretty unique actually. We come from different backgrounds, but it makes our team so much better,” she said. “We learn a lot from each other. Mai (Ayabe) is from Japan and she teaches us a lot about Japanese culture, and we have two from Europe who teach us a lot about their culture too.”

Hawaii has a long history of foreign players in its program. Many alumnae return to their home countries and spread the word to other up-and-coming players.

“We speak one language over here, and it’s basketball,” Takahara-Dias said. “We are not speaking it clearly right now, but we will get there.”

I love Christmas and all the run-up. Even the cooking and the shopping and the wrapping. It’s very ritualistic and I love that. Can’t help it.

But I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s. Reflecting on the year past for me is a reminder of change and loss and things I didn’t know were going to happen. It’s not because I’m not sentimental, but rather because I’m too sentimental. l would rather plow forward.

The previous few years, the reflections had been about loss – a series of beloved people in my life now gone. But 2009 was about change.

At the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1 a year ago, I couldn’t have known how much change was going to descend into my life. I couldn’t have known that I would spend the first six months of the year dealing with the end of a job that defined me and the next six months cobbling together what comes next, coming up with new definitions.

But I can look back on 2009 and find it more uplifting than depressing. I miss my job at the Chronicle many days. I miss what the Chronicle used to be every day. But I made a difficult decision to move on, moved on and managed to move forward pretty well.

And for that I have to say thank you. Thanks for the support, the encouragement, the kind words, the subscriptions, the patience while I figure this out. This site is not a finished product. But it is a product of something I love to do and that makes it fun, if not a little nauseating, every day.

Merry Christmas! Enjoy the break from basketball. It won’t last long. We wouldn’t want it to.

Here’s to 2010!