1. Stanford (6-1). Another week off for the Cardinal in the annual Finals break, more chance to get healthy for a banged-up lineup and then the stretch run of the non-conference schedule with home games against a strong Princeton team and then the Lady Vols.
2. Arizona State (7-1).  The Sun Devils defeated Fullerton for their third straight victory, setting up Friday night’s defining game against DePaul, perhaps the team’s toughest opponent so far this season (with all deference to Rutgers).
3. Cal (8-2). The Bears withstood a pair of comeback attempts from Santa Clara and finished with the victory. Layshia Clarendon has scored in double-digits six times in the last seven games. Next up, a few days off before Saturday’s big matchup with unbeaten Ohio State, the Bears’ fourth ranked opponent this season.
4. USC (4-3). All is quiet with the Women of Troy in the finals break. But momentum is building toward Sunday’s game at Texas A&M. USC passes UCLA this week because they are bouncing back after a brutal start. The talent is very strong on this USC team and it’s getting to be time to best out a big performance.
5. UCLA (5-2). More quiet time in Westwood for the Bruins, who are heading south for what is sure to be an emotional game on Tuesday against LSU and former head coach Nikki Caldwell.
6. Gonzaga (7-2).  The Zags will host UC Riverside this week before heading to Vegas for a tough weekend of games against Gonzaga and Dayton.
7. Fresno State (7-3). The Bulldogs pulled off a big win over Oklahoma, their first over a ranked program since Dec. 2008.
8. Arizona (8-1). The Wildcats continue to move through what it a confidence-building schedule with a win over Long Beach State.
9. San Diego (6-2). The Torreros got a big win over San Diego State, holding the Aztecs to a season-low scoring total.
10. St. Mary’s (6-4). A strong win over UC Davis, the first in four tries for Gaels coach Paul Thomas, gets St. Mary’s into the rankings this week. A win over Cal Poly and a 10-point loss at Cal shows improvement.

1. Stanford (6-1). The Cardinal head into their two-week finals break with wins over UC Davis and Fresno State. Freshman Bonnie Samuelson made the biggest impression of the week, hitting 11 of 16 three-point attempts in the two games.
2. Arizona State (6-1). The Sun Devils won their own tournament this past weekend, defeating Eastern Washington and Illinois State. Kimberly Brandon finished as the tournament MVP, averaging 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds o the weekend.
3. Cal (6-2). The Bears were also a home tournament winner this weekend in Berkeley and it was freshman Reshanda Gray who led the way with 23 points in the championship game over UNLV. It’s WCC week for the Bears with games against St. Mary’s and Santa Clara.
4. UCLA (5-2). The Bruins have won three in a row after Antonye Nyingifa had a career day against Loyola Marymount with 28 points and 14 rebonds. UCLA also takes the week off for finals before their Dec. 13 date against LSU and former coach Nikki Caldwell.
5. USC (4-3). The Women of Troy’s tough schedule finally yielded a big win on the road against Gonzaga. USC has won three in a row and now take the two week break for final exams.
6. Gonzaga (5-2). Despite double-doubles from Kayla Standish and Kelly Bowen, the Bulldogs came up short in a tough game against USC – only the program’s second home loss in the last three seasons – and the loss will probably cost Gonzaga it’s national ranking. For now.
7. Arizona (7-1). The Wildcats keep rolling through what has been a relatively easy non-conference schedule. It will be interesting to see where this team is when the conference starts.
8. Oregon (7-1). The Ducks rebounded from their first loss to beat Portland. Amanda Johnson has six double-doubles in eight games.
9. Fresno State (5-3). The Bulldogs have played a tough schedule thus far with games against USC, Oregon, Stanford and an upcoming matchup with Oklahoma. FSU has won four of its last five games.

10. San Diego. The Torreros are 5-1 to start the season, falling for the first time against Fordham over the weekend in the Bronx. Thursday’s game against San Diego State will be a good measuring stick.

1. Stanford (4-1).  A 10-point loss on the road to Connecticut exposed some things the Cardinal needs to work on in the next few weeks before Tennessee comes to town. One thing is clear, Nneka Ogwumike needs to stay on the floor. She has been dominant thus far.
2. Arizona State (4-1). Falling just short against Rutgers proves that ASU might be ready to regain its place as the Pac-12’s No. 2. The Sun Devils’ next big challenge on the schedule doesn’t come until the Dec. 16 game at DePaul.
3. Cal (4-2).  Beating Virginia and former coach Joanne Boyle – the program’s first win over a ranked opponent since 2009 – was a big way to end a Hawaiian tournament for the Bears. Layshia Clarendon posted her first double-double of the season in the win.
4. Gonzaga (3-1). Katelan Redmon and Kayla Standish scored 47 of their team’s 99 points in Sunday’s win over Portland State. On Wednesday the Zags will take on Washington State for the first time in 10 years.
5. USC (2-3). The Women of Troy finished up their brutal road run with a win over Gardner-Webb, but now have to come back to California and rebuild their resume and their confidence after losses to Nebraska, Georgia and Notre Dame. The next big challenge is Sunday’s road game against Gonzaga.
6. UCLA (3-2). A 33-point loss to Baylor was humbling for Cori Close’s team, but the Bruins have big opportunities to get some momentum back with a Wednesday road game against San Diego State before a big December that includes games against LSU (and former coach Nikki Caldwell), Tennessee and the start of conference play against Cal and Stanford.
7. UC Davis (5-0). The Aggies are 5-0 for the first time since the 2007-08 season. Samantha Meggison has scored in double figures in every game so far. The biggest challenge of the preseason comes Wednesday night at Stanford.
8. Arizona (4-0). The Wildcats are off to a strong start and have posted a 3-0 record on the road. BYU will provide Arizona a tough test in Hawaii on Thursday.
9. Oregon (6-0). How do you rate a Ducks team that hasn’t played away from home, hasn’t played anyone that will truly challenge them, but keeps on winning? They are 6-0 for the first time since 2004-05. But Thursday’s road game against Fresno State should be a good barometer.
10. San Diego State (4-1). This team has good wins over DePaul and Washington and the Pac-12 portion of the schedule has commenced. Next up is UCLA on Wednesday and Washington State on Friday. Courtney Clements, the transfer from Arizona, is leading the way at 19.2 points a game.

1. Stanford (3-0). It’s time to find out if a strong start means an elite team for the Cardinal. Tonight’s game against UConn in Hartford doesn’t mean a lot, but it will say a lot about where the Cardinal are in late-November.
2. Arizona State (3-0). A very good start for the Sun Devils, who are 3-0 for the first time since 2006-07. Kimberly Brandon emerging as the team’s offensive leader with 18 points on Sunday against Boston College.
3. Cal (3-0). Back to back 24-point victories for the Bears lead into a trip to Hawaii for the Thanksgiving weekend and games against Hawaii, Texas and Joanne Boyle’s Virginia team, coming off Sunday’s big upset of Tennessee.
4. Gonzaga (2-1). Kelly Graves won his 300th game against Idaho last Thursday and take a weeklong break before playing at home against Portland State on Sunday.
5. USC (1-2). Questioning the wisdom of such a tough schedule to start the season. The Women of Troy lose on the road at Nebraska and Georgia and now on to the Bahamas for two more tough games. Not out of the realm that USC comes home 1-4. How does that help?
6. UCLA (2-1). A 33-point loss to No. 1 Baylor stings, but the Bruins should be able to gather itself in the Northridge tournament this weekend with games against West Virginia and Northridge.
7. UC Davis (4-0). The Aggies are 4-0 for the second straight year and playing well under first-year head coach Jennifer Gross. Next up – games against USF and Santa Clara before a big date with Stanford.
8. Arizona (3-0). Davellyn Whyte and Candice Warthen are combining to average 45 points a game and the preseason schedule continues to look friendly to the ‘Cats with games this week against New Mexico State and North Texas.
9. St. Mary’s (2-2). The Gaels are alternating wins and losses so far, but have a chance to gain some momentum with their annual Thanksgiving tournament this weekend. SMC will face Virginia Tech on Friday to open.
10. Fresno State (2-2). Fresno State pulled out a big one-point win over Cal Poly on Sunday, a good bounce-back after the double-overtime loss to Pepperdine on Friday night. The ‘Dogs are now headed to the SMU Tournament in Texas to open against Tennessee State.

1. Stanford (2-0).No cupcake start for the Cardinal. A good win at Texas without Nneka Ogwumike and a home win over Gonzaga that wouldn’t have happened without Nneka Ogwumike.

LCH File Photo

2. USC (1-0). The Women of Troy open with a home win over Fresno State and then wait a week before hitting a defining stretch that includes games at Nebraska, Georgia and then Notre Dame and likely Duke in the Bahamas.

3. Arizona State (2-0). The Joseph Anders era opens with two wins this weekend, including a hard-fought road win at Colorado State. It was ASU’s first overtime game since February 2010.

4. Gonzaga (1-1). The Zags look strong as they move forward after the Courtney Vandersloot era. This team will be ranked before the end of 2011.

5. Cal (0-1). The Bears comported themselves well on the road against Rutgers, leading at the half and losing narrowly.

6. UCLA (2-0). What do the Bruins earn for their first two wins in the Preseason WNIT? A semifinal game against Baylor in Waco on Thursday. Senior Rebekah Gardner posted her first career double-double against Tennessee State on Sunday.

7. UC Davis (2-0). The Aggies went to Washington and came home with two wins, including a big one over Washington.

8. Arizona (2-0). The Wildcats won two games on the road in Georgia behind the scoring of sophomore Candice Wirthen, who scored 49 points in two games.

9. St. Mary’s (1-1). After opening with a loss at DePaul, the Gaels rallied for a road win against Montana. Jackie Nared, the redshirt sophomore guard who transferred from Maryland, broke out for 19 points and 10 rebounds against the Grizzlies.

10. Fresno State (1-1). The Bulldogs played well on the road against a good USC team, and opened at home with a win over Santa Clara.

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

Last rankings of the year. The results take care of themselves from here.

1. Stanford (27-2). The Cardinal will need to play only two games in the conference tournament. WIll an 8-day break bring rest or rust to a well-oiled machine?

2. UCLA (26-3). The Bruins have been the no-doubt-about-it No. 2 team in the Pac-10 again this year. But there has to be plenty of doubt about whether the Bruins could unseat Stanford.

3. Gonzaga (27-4). The Zags are in great shape for the NCAA field no matter what happens in Monday’s title game against St. Mary’s.

4. Arizona State (19-9). The Sun Devils took care of business. They won five of six games to close the Pac-10 schedule and nail down the No. 3 spot in the conference race.

5. USC (18-11). An overtime win over Washington on Sunday keeps the Women of Troy in good shape for an NCAA bid. A first-game loss in the tournament, however, would be a very bad thing.

6. Fresno State (23-7). The Bulldogs bid a fond farewell to the best senior class in school history with a win at home against Nevada and earned the No. 2 seed in the WAC Tournament.

7. Arizona (19-10). Yes, I know the Wildcats have a better record than USC and that it’s been a long time since this program sat on the verge of a 20-win season. But

8. Cal (15-14). The Bears played a strong first-half against Stanford on Thursday night. Had they played like that more often down the stretch of the Pac-10 schedule they might not have ended up in the play-in game in the tournament on Wednesday.

9. St. Mary’s (19-11). The Gaels snuck by San Diego to reach the WCC title game against Gonzaga. SMC lost two games against the Bulldogs this season by a combined margin of 69 points.

10. UC Santa Barbara (19-10). Lindsey Gottlieb’s Gaucho team has won seven in a row to earn a share of the Big West title, but will settle for the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. This is a big comeback for a team that started the season 1-5.

1. Stanford (26-2, 17-0). The Cardinal, who clinched their 11th straight title this weekend, are withstanding the physical punishment of Pac-10 opponents every game now. Next up Thursday night’s regular-season finale against Cal and then a week-long break before the Pac-10 semifinals.
2. UCLA (24-3, 14-2). No stumbles for the Bruins in the desert this weekend. A sign of toughness to be sure.
3. Gonzaga (26-4, 14-0). The Zags beat second-place St. Mary’s by 40 points and then closed out a second consecutive unbeaten conference season with a win over San Diego. This WCC Tournament isn’t likely to have a surprise ending.
4. Arizona State (17-9, 9-7). The Sun Devils, who have won four of six, are one game ahead of Arizona and USC for the No. 3 spot in the Pac-10 with two games to go.
5. Fresno State (21-7, 12-2). The Bulldogs have won six in a row heading into the final weekend of the WAC schedule.
6. Arizona (17-10, 8-8). The Wildcats are finishing with a flourish with four wins in five games and have a chance to do even better with a road trip against the struggling Oregon schools.
7. USC (16-11, 8-8). The Women of Troy are again putting their postseason hopes in jeopardy with a pair of weekend losses in Arizona. They are going to need a sweep this weekend at home against the Washington schools and at least one win in the Pac-10 Tournament to stay in the NCAA picture.
8. Cal (15-13, 7-10). The Bears ended their five-game losing streak by beating Oregon State on Saturday. And now a regular-season finale at Maples against Stanford. Barring a unlikely ending at the Pac-10 tourney, this may be the first time since Joanne Boyle arrived in Berkeley that the Bears miss the postseason altogether.
9. St. Mary’s (19-10, 11-3). The Gaels might be the second-best team in the WCC, but are they a true threat to Gonzaga next week in Las Vegas? St. Mary’s heads into the conference tournament having won five of six games.
10. Cal Poly (16-10, 12-3). The Mustangs won at least a share of the program’s first-ever Big West title this weekend with a win over Long Beach State.

1. Stanford (24-2, 15-0). The Cardinal won a big game yesterday, beating second-place UCLA on the road without Nneka Ogwumike. As a bonus, Stanford got great minutes from freshman guard Toni Kokenis. Stanford should clinch at least a tie for the Pac-10 title on Thursday night against Oregon State.

2. UCLA (22-3, 12-2). The Bruins had an opportunity yesterday against Stanford and they missed it. UCLA needs to regroup and finish the Pac-10 strong to keep a top 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

3. Gonzaga (24-4, 12-0). The Bulldogs clinched their seventh straight WCC regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the tournament this past weekend. St. Mary’s should provide a good pre-tournament test at home on Thursday.

4. Arizona State (16-8, 8-6). The Sun Devils did what they had to do up in Washington, coming up with a hard-won sweep that keeps them on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. Hosting the L.A. schools this weekend is a chance to keep up the good work.

5. USC (16-9, 8-6). The Women of Troy want to be the solid No. 3 team in the Pac-10. Thursday’s game at Arizona State will be a big step in that direction.

6. Fresno State (18-7, 9-2). The Bulldogs seniors have won 90 games during their college careers and will set a school record with one more victory.

7. Arizona (16-9, 7-7). Three straight wins for the Wildcats puts them in the top half of the Pac-10 standings with four games to go. Senior Ify Ibekwe finishing her career strong with another big scoring performance against Washington with 24 points.

8. Cal (14-12, 6-9). Such a tough stretch for the Bears with five straight losses. The Oregon schools – the bottom two teams in the Pac-10 standings – are coming into Haas Pavilion, giving the Bears a chance to get on a winning track. With three games to go and a season-closing date at Stanford, the Bears could well finish with a losing record in conference play for the first time since Joanne Boyle arrived six years ago.

9. St. Mary’s (17-10, 9-3). The Gaels have won four in a row and closed out their home schedule this weekend with wins over USF and San Diego. If St. Mary’s wants to demonstrate some real momentum, the time to show it is this weekend on a regular-season closing trip to Gonzaga and Portland. Louella Tomlinson is on a roll with six straight double-doubles.

10. Cal Poly (14-10, 10-3). The Mustangs are hanging on to first place in the Big West despite two straight losses. Cal Poly has a one-game lead over UC Santa Barbara.

Who’s feeling the love on Valentine’s Day?

Stanford, UCLA and Gonzaga are NCAA locks at this point. The Bulldogs now have an NCAA track record and have done enough that even if they were to be upset in the conference tournament they will still be in the field of 64.

USC’s Oregon sweep was a big step toward the postseason. At 7-5, The Women of Troy have an opportunity to separate themselves in the Pac-10 standings from Cal and Arizona State. A split this weekend at home against Stanford and Cal is huge.

Arizona State is on shaky ground after the loss to Arizona over the weekend.

Cal’s weekend home sweep, losing to Washington and Washington State has probably sealed the Bears fate as a team that would be happy to end up in the WNIT.

1. Stanford (22-2, 13-0). The Cardinal looked mortal this weekend, played a close first half against Washington State and then played nearly to the wire against Washington. Tara VanDerveer said a “wakeup call” before the L.A. weekend is a good thing. Time to find out.

2. UCLA (21-2, 11-1). The Bruins can earn a share of the Pac-10 lead this weekend  if they can pull the upset against the Cardinal. Nikki Caldwell said after her team’s weekend in Oregon that she wants more help from her bench. UCLA has allowed an opponent more than 60 points just once in the last six games.

3.  Gonzaga (22-4, 10-0). The Bulldogs were down by nine points at home against Pepperdine and rallied for the win Saturday. Courtney Vandersloot became the fourth player in NCAA women’s basketball history to surpass 1,000 assists.

4. USC (15-8, 7-5). The Women of Troy went on the road and came back with two wins. That is no small trick in this conference this year. Now on to the next challenge – Stanford on Friday night and then Cal.

5. Fresno State (17-7, 8-2). Down by 12 points in the first half and seven in the second half, the Bulldogs rallied to beat Utah State at home. Utah State came in on a five-game win streak.

6. Arizona State (14-8, 6-6). The Sun Devils lost their rivalry game against the Wildcats for the first time in 12 games. Having Dymond Simon back on the floor is helpful, but ASU has to play well up in Washington, which has suddenly turned into a tough trip.

7. Cal (14-10, 6-7). Cal was swept by the Washington schools at home and the road this season and have lost three in a row after winning three in a row. The Bears aren’t looking like postseason material at this point.

8. Washington State (8-17, 6-7). The Cougars are breaking new ground with three wins in four games. They swept Cal for the first time since 1998. Six Pac-10 wins are the most since 2001.

9. Cal Poly (14-8, 10-1). The Mustangs bounced back from their first conference loss to win two in a row and still hold a 2-1/2 game lead over UC Santa Barbara.

10. St. Mary’s (16-10, 8-3). A sweep of Bay Area rivals Santa Clara and USF keeps the Gaels alone in second place by a two-game margin over Pepperdine. Louella Tomlinson has five straight double-doubles.