1. Stanford– The Cardinal will be young in the backcourt, dominant in the frontcourt and the biggest question will be how long does it take the freshmen to play at a Stanford-like level? Stanford might not get through the Pac-12 unbeaten this season.
   

   USC's Briana Gilbreath - USC athletics photo

2. USC – The Trojans have considerable experience and talent and right now they look like a team that belongs in the NCAA Tournament. But USC can’t afford bad late-season losses. And in the last few years, they haven’t been able to avoid them.
3. Cal. The Bears get a fresh start under head coach Lindsay Gottlieb and have experience all over the court, and some great young talent coming in. If this team underachieved last season – and they did – they are setting themselves up to be a potential spoiler in the Pac-12 race.
4. Gonzaga. Time to move on without Courtney Vandersloot. The Zags still look like the class of the WCC. The Nov. 13 game at Stanford will be telling for Kelly Graves’ team.
5. Arizona State. The Sun Devils, playing this season under Joseph Anders, needs offense to keep up with the best teams in the Pac-12. You probably can’t stop Stanford or USC from scoring, so you better keep up.
6. UCLA. Jasmine Dixon’s injury, paired with a head coaching change (from Nikki Caldwell to Cory Close) threatens to break the momentum that’s been gained in the past few seasons.
7. Arizona. How to replace the post presence of Ify Ibekwe? Niya Butts’ team has the backcourt covered with Davellyn Whyte and Shanita Arnold, but questions inside.
8. Utah. The Utes return four starters from a team that went to the NCAA Tournament last season and they are young with only one senior. They will be in the mix in the top half of the conference standings.
9. San Diego State. The Aztecs are back to playing “95 feet” of basketball says coach Beth Burns. Not a lot of size, but a lot of quickness and athleticism in the backcourt.
10.  Cal Poly. Kristina Santiago, out last season with an ACL injury, is back.

Close to the 10…

UC Santa Barbara

St. Mary’s

Picked to win by the coaches

The Pac-12 –Stanford

The WCC – Not released yet

The MWC – TCU

The Big West – Cal Poly

The WAC – Louisiana Tech

It wasn’t close, not much suspense.

But there was plenty of value in Stanford’s 77-40 win over Fresno State at Maples Pavilion on Sunday.

• The Cardinal got a decision win to mark No. 799 in the career of Tara VanDerveer. Win No. 800 could come as soon as Thursday’s game in Chicago against No. 24 DePaul.
• Stanford got to ease its way back into action after the two-week break for final exams. The Cardinal shot 51.4 percent from the floor, won the rebounding margin 41-28 and forced 20 turnovers. After facing down a 13-9 deficit early in the game, Stanford led 42-17 at the half – a 33-4 run.
• The Cardinal had a chance to employ some of the defensive work it did over the break.

Stanford held Fresno State to just one field-goal over the final 15:18 of the first half and 24.1 percent shooting for the game. The Bulldogs hit 3 of their first 4 3-pointers and finished by making one of the next 14. Fresno State was 1 of 16 to finish the second half as Stanford cut off its dribble penetration and made it impossible to score anywhere near the block.

• It was a chance for freshman Toni Kokenis to assume her important spot in the Stanford lineup at the point. Kokenis made the first start of her college career, playing in place of Joslyn Tinkle. She played 19 minutes, made 1 of her 5 attempts from the floor and finished with four points, four steals, four turnovers and no assists.

“She is going to make mistakes and we are going to have to live with them because we need what Toni does,” VanDerveer said.

Stanford had two freshmen in the starting lineup for the first time since Rosalyn Gold-Onwude and Jillian Harmon were freshmen back in 2006.

• The team had a chance to play without one of its principals – in this case, senior forward Kayla Pedersen – for most of the game and still come out dominant.

Pedersen left the game with a little more than eight minutes left in the first half after she hit her head on the floor taking a charge. She did not return, but VanDerveer said that move was a “precaution”.  VanDerveer wouldn’t speculate as to whether Pedersen would be ready to play later in the week. Pedersen gave a thumbs-up when asked about her condition on the way out of the gym on Sunday evening.

• It was an opportunity for the bench players to get significant minutes. Five bench players saw at least 12 minutes in the floor, mostly in the second half. Sarah Boothe finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Sara James and Mikaela Ruef also played significant minutes.
• And it was a chance to shift the emphasis on the offensive end back to the post, where it is likely going to need to be for the remainder of the schedule. Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike combined for 35 points. Chiney pulled down 13 rebounds.

The Cardinal offense ignited when Stanford started working the ball inside to both sisters, particularly with lob passes over the top of the undersized Fresno State defense.

A week before Halloween and it’s time to go out on a limb. The first power rankings of the season to chew on for a while until the actual games begin. Feel free to tell when I’m wrong.

Stanford guard Jeanette Pohlen

1. Stanford. Prediction. The Cardinal are going to spent at least a few weeks as the No. 1 team in the country this season. And yes, that means Connecticut loses at some point. This is as good a chance at a national title as the Cardinal have had in a long time with a deep, experienced, versatile team. Nneka Ogwumike is Stanford’s best player on the floor, but Kayla Pedersen sets the tone.

2. UCLA. The Bruins have almost everyone back from a team that should make some noise nationally this season. In their season seasons, Darxia Morris and Doreena Campbell need to step up in the backcourt to make this team a true power.

3. USC. The Women of Troy have a tough preseason schedule and they have experienced, talented players. Now they need to find consistency. It’s time to stop losing games they shouldn’t. It’s hard not to root for Jacki Gemelos and Stefanie Gilbreath on the full-fledged returns from a combined eight ACL surgeries. It’s also hard not to wonder whether those players will be USC a big boost along with guards Ashley Corral and Briana Gilbreath.

4. Gonzaga. The Zags have lost a lot with the departure of forwards Heather Bowman and Vivian Freison. They’ll likely climb higher on this list with Courtney Vandersloot leading them on the floor, but Gonzaga needs sometime to prove that it haven’t dropped off much from a year ago. The player who will have a breakout season will be Katelan Redmon.

5. Cal. The Bears got a lot of mileage out of their WNIT experience, mostly a handful of games in which the young players got more experience. Replacing the scoring of Alexis Gray-Lawson on the perimeter and strengthening the post game with the return of Rama N’diaye will be key, as will the early contributions of freshmen Lindsay Sherbert and Afure Jemerigbe.

Arizona's Ify Ibewke - Arizona Athletics

6. Arizona State. Getting Dymond Simon back on the floor is a huge lift for the Sun Devils, who won 18 games last season and were deeply disappointed. Simon will provide leadership for a group of young backcourt players that include Tenaya Watson, Alex Earl and Deja Mann. Inside, ASU will be led by Kali Bennett and senior Becca Tobin. The Sun Devils still don’t have a star player the caliber of Briann January in their lineup, but they want their spot at the top of the Pac-10 food chain back and nobody works harder than coach Charli Turner Thorne to get them there.

7. San Diego State. The Aztecs reached the Sweet 16 next year and won a share of the Mountain West Conference title. But Jene Morris and Quenese Davis are gone and there will be some catching up to do. Courtney Clements, the Arizona transfer who averaged double-digit scoring for the Wildcats, is eligible this season and will bring scoring punch. Center Paris Johnson will be the leader and the go-to offensive player inside. Freshman guard Melissa Sweat of Bakersfield was tabbed the MWC’s preseason newcomer of the year and that comes with expectations of impact.

8. Fresno State. There’s no disputing the ascension of this program over the past few years. Three straight WAC titles, a perfect conference record last season, and one of the top perimeter shooters in the entire country. Three-point sharp-shooter Jalessa Ross could becoming the NCAA’s all-time leader in 3-point field-goals this season and the Bulldogs are in a great spot to win the WAC again.

9. Arizona. The Wildcats have a strong inside-out combination with senior Ify Ibekwe, who led the Pac-10 in rebounds last season, and electric sophomore guard Davellyn Whyte. They also have more depth and that will help the Wildcats hang in until the end of the game against some of the top-tier conference teams. Shanita Arnold, who transferred from Arkansas, takes over the point, further strengthening Arizona’s backcourt.

10. St. Mary’s. The Gaels, who won more conference games last season (12) than any SMC team since 1989-90, have one more season with Australian forward Louella Tomlinson, who owns the NCAA single-season and career records for blocked shots. They also return three other starters. Gaels coach Paul Thomas, who scheduled his team 4 Pac-10 opponents, 2 Big Ten opponents and a Big 12 foe for the non-conference, said his team needs to prepare for being “more of the hunted than a hunter” this year. He’s probably right.

It’s that time of year. Teams all over the country — all over the West Coast — have begun practice for the 2010-2011 season and leftcoasthoops.com is ranking the top five players at each position, as well as the freshmen, in our little corner of the hoops world.

Stanford's Nneka Ogwumike goes against Cal last season

Did I leave somebody out? Did I get them in the wrong order? Feel free to discuss.

Point guard

1. Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga. Vandersloot will be the headliner for the Zags this year, who are replacing many of the mainstays who led them to the Sweet 16 last spring.

2. Jeanette Pohlen, Stanford. Pohlen has been the Cardinal’s point guard by necessity through the last three years and the senior has turned into a true floor leader.

3. Ashley Corral, USC. Corral plays without fear and sets the tone for the Women of Troy.

4. Dymond Simon, Arizona State. Simon is back on the floor after a year off recovering from an ACL to lead a Sun Devils team that wants back in the NCAA field.

5. Doreena Campbell, UCLA. Campbell is a senior looking to live up to the potential she’s shown throughout her career.

Shooting guard

1. Jaleesa Ross, Fresno State. The WAC’s scoring leader last year (17.4 ppg), she has 287 career 3-pointers.

2. Davelyn Whyte, Arizona. The reigning Pac-10 Freshman of the Year will try to lead the Wildcats into the top half of the Pac-10 standings.

3. Laysia Clarendon, Cal. The Bears sophomore busted out with a 29-point performance in the WNIT against UC Davis and was third on the team in scoring last year and should be doing even more with the graduation of Alexis Gray-Lawson.

4. Jazmine Perkins, Washington State. The young guard from San Francisco will be asked to do even more now that Kiki Moore has transferred to Fresno State.

5. Jacki Gemelos, USC. No pressure on Gemelos, but the potential is there for her to return to the form that made her one of the top recruits in the nation.

Small forward

1. Kayla Pedersen, Stanford. Simply one of the best, most underappreciated players in the country.

2. Markel Walker, UCLA. Walker, a sophomore, is versatile and looking to be a more consistent scorer.

3. Briana Gilbreath, USC. Gilbreath was the conference’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year last season and the team leader in rebounding, blocks and steals.

4. Gennifer Brandon, Cal. Lithe and athletic, Brandon showed signs of being a very nice player as a freshman last year.

5. Katelan Redmon, Gonzaga. Redmon, the Washington transfer, will likely take over the role as the Zags’ go-to scorer.

Power forward

1. Nneka Ogwumike, Stanford. A national player of the year candidate. How much better can she get?

2. Jasmine Dixon, UCLA. Dixon made UCLA so much better last season, leading the team in scoring and rebounding after arriving on the floor in December. Undersized, but strong.

3, Louella Tomlinson, St. Mary’s. The NCAA blocks leader will close her career with the Gaels looking to make another postseason run.

4. Ify Ibekwe, Arizona. Ibekwe is the Pac-10′s best rebounder. Can she be a more consistent scorer?

5. DeNesha Stallworth, Cal. Stallworth follows up on a strong freshman season and will be one of the Bears’ leaders on the floor, not to mention its go-to post presence.

Center

1. Paris Johnson, San Diego State. Johnson averaged 11.1 points and 6.3 rebounds a game last year for the Aztecs. She’s a proven contributor on an NCAA caliber team.

2, Sarah Boothe, Stanford. Yes, Boothe sat out last season, but she is the heir apparent to Jayne Appel in the post for the Cardinal.

3.Kari LaPlante, USC. LaPlante averaged 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds a game last season.

4. Kali Bennett, ASU. The Sun Devils could use a breakout season from Bennett in the post.

5. Regina Rogers, Washington. The UCLA transfer started 29 games last year for the Huskies and finished strong with a 23-point effort against Washington State late in the season.

Freshmen

1. Chiney Ogwumike

2. Cassie Harberts, USC

3. Lindsey Sherbert, Cal

4. Afure Jemerigbe, Cal

5. Sara James, Stanford

Kiki Moore, the San Francisco guard who transferred from Washington State after one season in Pullman, has landed at Fresno State.

Kiki Moore/SF Chronicle photo

Fresno State announced Moore’s transfer earlier this week.

Bulldogs coach Adrian Wiggins called her an “impact player” for his program, which has reached the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons.

The 5-foot-8 guard was a starter for the Cougars and was second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.0 points and 4.5 rebounds a game. She led the conference in steals (3.3 per game) and was third in assists (3.6).

Moore played high school basketball at Sacred Heart Prep, winning state championships as a freshman, sophomore and a junior.

Moore will sit out the 2010-2011 season due to NCAA rules. She will take the floor in time to replace star guard Jaleesa Ross of Pinole Valley, the program’s all-time three-point shooter.

Fresno State broke a school record with 27 wins and a 19-game winning streak, winning the WAC regular-season championship.

Jennifer Azzi was introduced as the USF’s new women’s basketball coach today. This is my video interview with her. Thanks very much to old friend Vern Glenn — KRON’s sports anchor extraordinare — for talking me into letting him hold the camera so I could concentrate on asking the questions.

The Fresno State women’s basketball team landed in Salt Lake City on Tuesday and then took the one-hour bus ride to Logan to Wednesday’s game against Utah State.

Fresno State's Jaleesa Ross - FSU Athletics

One would think the Bulldogs would be cruising in their team bus, relaxed and feeling good about a 20-win season and an 11-0 record in the Western Athletic Conference. They are in the midst of a school-record 12-game winning streak.

But Jaleesa Ross can’t quite settle in. The best player in the Western Athletic Conference over the past three years just can’t get comfortable.

“It doesn’t feel any easier as the games go on, it gets harder and harder,” Ross said.

The Pinole native, who passed up offers from Washington and Oregon to go to play for Adrian Wiggins in Fresno, could end up winning her third straight WAC Player of the Year award in her junior season, though Louisiana Tech’s Shanavia Dowdell is making it a tight race.

Ross, the 5-foot-8 guard, is averaging 17.8 points per game. She has hit a conference-high 82 3-pointers this season and could break her own single-season record of 95.

Ross came to Fresno State as a perimeter specialist. But the then-freshman watched then senior Tierra Wilson and found a model for her own game.

“Playing with her made me a better player, so my sophomore year I knew I had to step it up,” Ross said.

Ross has rounded out her skill-set. She has become a distributor and a defender. And a leader. Not that the Bulldogs lack for candidates in that last category.

Fresno State is an experienced team, with 10 upperclassmen. The starting lineup includes two juniors and two seniors.

In her freshman season, the Bulldogs started the season 0-6 in 2007 before rallying to finish 22-11.

“We never forget that feeling, we never forget what we had to do to get out of that hole,” Ross said. “Sometimes we talk about it as a team, but mostly, people just use it individually.”

Wiggins, who took over the Bulldogs program in 2005 after the messy tenure of Stacy Johnson-Klein (which ended with Johnson-Klein winning a $6.6 million settlement against the university for wrongful termination) and has averaged 22 wins a season, said his team has benefitted from its considerable experience.

“The one thing we’ve tried to do is to recruit players that came from winning high school programs,” Wiggins said. “They expect to do well and they know how to get there. You don’t just wake up good. It’s a process. We talk a lot about that and they will listen.”

Heading into the season, a large group of the Bulldogs veteran players stayed in Fresno for a month and a half to prepare together for the upcoming season.

The extra work has paid off. Fresno State is off to its best start since joining the WAC in the 1998-99 season. With a No. 37 RPI, the Bulldogs are putting themselves in a position to be in the NCAA field, even if they were to be upset in the conference tournament for the automatic bid.

While Fresno State is in position for its third straight conference title, this season, this success feels a little more different.

“This team has won a lot of games,” Wiggins said. “But in the past we’ve really had to fight, the margins of victory had been narrow and we’d lost some on the road that we shouldn’t. But they aren’t doing that this year.”

Wiggins also has considerable praise for Ross.

“She came in here and she was more of a catch-and-shoot player,” Wiggins said. “After her freshman year, she came back out of shape and not ready and honestly, I was a little disappointed. But I didn’t say much. The last two years she’s come back in tremendous shape. She’s been ready to play and she’s been able to develop. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a player develop that quickly.”

But if she stays uncomfortable for the duration, that’s OK, by Wiggins. And it should work out pretty well for his team.

“We’ve been preparing this, this isn’t something new,” Wiggins said. “We have big goals and we want to do well. I hope they are excited and they expected this.”

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.”

Cal’s final exams break came not a moment too soon. The Bears had a very bad night Wednesday against San Jose State, falling 68-66, the Spartans first win in this series since – as one local television station put it, “the Reagan administration.”

This is not only a tough loss for Cal, but a damaging one.

If the Bears are an NCAA bubble team, and right now, they look a little bit that way, this could be a costly result in terms of RPI and the regard of the committee.

San Jose State came into the game with a 1-7 record. The Spartans had already lost to Fullerton, Northridge, Fordham and Denver.

“I’m embarrassed,” Bears coach Joanne Boyle said “I told them the one thing I have always taken pride in is that we’ve always had tough teams. People would knock you on your butt before they’d get an offensive rebound in the last two minutes of a game. You might have four fouls and five turnovers, but you knew when you left, you had played your butt off. We are soft. Physically and mentally, from top to bottom, we were soft tonight. And we have a habit of that. Being soft and not being mentally tough will get you a loss to anybody. That’s where we are right now.”

Even with three losses in five games, it was tough to see this one coming. All three of those previous losses came to Top 10 teams and they played better with each successive game.

But losing what should have been an easy home win against San Jose State is a major stumble.

The Bears are adrift at the moment, in need of some senior leadership.  Alexis Gray-Lawson is taking the vast majority of the team’s shots and hitting 35 percent of them. Senior guards Natasha Vital and Lauren Greif are struggling with their roles. The young posts are full of potential, but need more experience.

“I can’t lead them. I am obviously not doing a good job with them in teaching them that being soft is not acceptable at this level. I am not asking them to make baskets. I am not asking them to do anything but play hard and rebound. When someone comes into your gym and scores 32 on you. And the team scores 36 points in the paint and no one is over 6-feet tall, that is a problem. I need to step away and they (the team) need to figure out what they want for their season. Or tell me how to coach them better.”

Stanford comes off its own finals break to begin its marquee stretch of the season, starting with Sunday’s game against DePaul. It’s a matchup that was better on paper a couple of weeks ago.

DePaul was ranked No. 21 when the lost to Wisconsin-Green Bay on Dec. 2. Two games before, the Blue Demons lost senior guard Dierdre Naughton to a season-ending knee injury, a torn ACL in her right knee.

Naughton was averaging 17.5 points a game at the time of her injury, was the team’s leading scorer through the first five games and has scored 1,470 points in her career.

The Cardinal haven’t played since defeating Gonzaga on Nov. 29.

Stanford’s injury updates are as follows: neither guard Mel Murphy (knee) or forward Joslyn Tinkle (foot) are ready to play this weekend.

Murphy could be rea dy for the Pac-10 opener on Jan. 2 against Cal. Tinkle is participating in practice in a limited fashion and no longer wearing her protective boot.

USC had Duke down by 14 points in Durham before falling by a six-point margin on Sunday.

Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie had this to say about the Women of Troy:

“USC is 10 times better than last year,” McCallie said. “They have really improved. They simply go harder, execute better. They are no-nonsense and they are shooting with a lot of confidence and (Ashley) Corral is playing out of her mind.”

More back-from-break news from UCLA, where the Bruins will travel to UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday night before hosting Texas Tech on Friday, Dec. 18. UCLA has not played at home since Nov. 25. The Lady Raiders are 8-1, winners of seven in a row since a nationally televised loss to Tennessee in mid-November.

San Diego State is looking to pull out of its tailspin tonight against Long Beach State. The Aztecs have lost four of five games, including an overtime loss to upstart Pepperdine on Tuesday night.

Coach Beth Burns said Thursday at a media gathering that her team “is not in a great place.”

“We are working really hard to change that and (we did) a lot of study yesterday over things that can (make) us better,” Burns said. “The beauty of this game is we have a practice this afternoon and another opportunity Friday night to get it right.”

Junior guard Coco Davis, a starter, has a bruised knee. The Sacramento native did not play against the Waves and will not play tonight.

“Coco [Davis’s knee] is structurally sound,” Burns said. “She didn’t do anything that is going to require surgery, but it’s swollen and she can’t bend it, and she’s out. It’s not going to change. It just gives us a little bit more time to do things differently.”

Stanford Athletics

Months of preparation, week of practice and here were are.  The season is here.

Here’s a look at the marquee matchups of the opening weekend of the 2009-2010 season.

Friday, Nov. 13

Stanford at Old Dominion. The second-ranked Cardinal make the trek east to take on the Monarchs for only the second time since Ticha Penichero and Clarisse Machanguana knocked Stanford out of the 1997 Final Four.

ODU saw its run of 17 straight CAA titles end last season and has been picked to finish third in the Colonial Athletic Association behind Drexel and James Madison. Coach Wendy Larry’s team returns two starters in senior forward Jessica Canady (12.6 ppg/9.6 rpg) and junior guard Shadasia Green (9.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg).

Road or not, this one shouldn’t be a problem for the Cardinal. Just get the ball inside.

Xavier at USC. The Women of Troy, playing their first game under new head coach Michael Cooper, open at home with a substantial challenge – the 11th-ranked Musketeers. Xavier, which opens the season with its highest ranking ever, is built around the supremely talented duo of Amber Harris and Ta’Shia Phillips.

Phillips was the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, averaging 13.9 points and 12.1 rebounds a game. Harris is back after missing last season with a knee injury. Harris was named Miss Indiana Basketball in 2006.

Xavier posted a 25-7 record last year and won the Atlantic 10 regular season title. The Musketeers led the nation in field-goal percentage defense.

Gonzaga at South Dakota State. The Bulldogs head to the home court of last year’s most impressive newcomers on the national scene. SDSU is coming off its record-breaking 32-2 season that ended with a second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Baylor.

The Jackrabbits have been picked to repeat as Summitt League champions.

Gonzaga, the pick to win the West Coast Conference title, is led by junior guard Courtney Vandersloot and senior forward Heather Bowman.

UC Davis at Seattle. Former Arizona coach Joan Bonvicini, hired in August to take over the Redhawks program, makes her debut at Seattle against UC Davis. The Aggies have been picked to finish second in the Big West Conference, behind perennial champion UC Santa Barbara. Davis returns 11 players from last year’s 11-18 team.

Sunday. Nov. 15

Stanford at Rutgers. Stanford’s difficult trip continues in Piscataway against the No. 25 Scarlet Knights, who will find out what kind of team they are without Epiphanny Price or Kia Vaughn. The Cardinal’s last trip to Rutgers was a productive one, Candice Wiggins hitting a pair of free throws to lead the Cardinal to a win over the then-No. 3 ranked Scarlet Knights.

Idaho State at Cal. The 18^th-ranked Bears open the season at home and mark the debut of their heralded freshman class with a game they should win. In Cal’s lone exhibition, first-year post DeNesha Stallworth got off to a good start with 21 points and Breanna Heater pulled down 17 rebounds.

UCLA vs. Iowa/Santa Clara. Even without knowing the opponent, it will be interesting to see how the Bruins fare in the first weekend at the Hawkeye Challenge. Particularly if Doreena Campbell and company have to face the home team.