Best of the West – Power Rankings for the Week of Feb. 20

Michelle Smith — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:54:17 +0000

With two weeks to go until conference tournaments, the picture crystallizes…

Stanford (24-1, 15-0). The Cardinal have clinched their 12^th straight conference title and it’s the final Pac-12 home weekend with Utah and Colorado making their first visits.
Cal (20-7, 11-4). The Bears get to 20 wins for the fifth time in the last six years and get a big weekend in Oregon from junior guard Layshia Clarendon, who combined for 49 points in the two wins.
Fresno State (22-4, 10-0). The Bulldogs remain perfect in the WAC at 10-0 after an 18-point win over second-place Utah State on Saturday. One more win and FSU clinches the league title.
Gonzaga (13-2, 24-4). The Zags are back in first place and get a rematch against BYU this weekend with the conference regular-season title on the line.
San Diego State (20-5, 10-1). The Aztecs have a two-game lead over second-place Colorado State with three to play.
BYU (23-5, 11-3). Thursday’s home loss to last-place USF is going to cost the Cougars their spot in the national rankings and it’s a bad late-season loss for a team that wants to make the case that it deserves to be included in the NCAA field.
Arizona State (18-8, 9-6). An important sweep this weekend for ASU, who moved into sole possession of third place. The Sun Devils, on the road for their final three Pac-12 games, cannot afford a stumble at the finish if the Sun Devils want a look from the NCAA selection committee. And the trip next weekend to L.A. is going to be tough.
USC (14-11, 8-6). The Women of Troy might finally be finding a groove, getting back-to-back wins over top-tier conference foes in Cal and UCLA.
UCLA (12-13, 7-7). Markel Walker posted her ninth double-double of the year in the loss to USC.
Oregon State (17-9, 8-7). This past weekend was something of a reality check for the Beavers, getting swept by the powerful Bay Area schools. OSU drops into fourth place in the conference standings and will want to hang on to that spot in order to finish with a first-round bye in the conference tournament.

Best of the West: Power Rankings for Week of Feb. 13

Michelle Smith — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:25:42 +0000

Stanford (22-1, 13-0). The Cardinal battled for their weekend sweep against USC and UCLA and head up to Oregon for a surprisingly big game on Thursday night against Oregon State.
Cal (18-7, 9-4). The Bears lost a painful game in overtime at home to USC on Saturday night, one of the best conference games in a long while. Just happy it was on TV for people to see. Now an Oregon trip fraught with peril for the Bears, who aren’t interested in dropping into the mess in the middle of the Pac-12.
Fresno State (20-4, 8-0). Fresno State hit a school-record tying 18 3-pointers in defeating Nevada-Reno on Saturday. I gave them a vote in the AP poll this week.
BYU (22-4, 10-2). Beating up on Gonzaga at home this week makes a statement in the WCC.
Gonzaga (11-2, 22-4). On the other side, the Zags were beaten soundly by BYU and it might be costly come time to place the Bulldogs in the NCAA bracket.
San Diego State (18-5, 8-1). The Aztecs solidified their spot at the top of the Mountain West with a big road win at UNLV in which they broke open a close game in the second half.
USC (13-11, 7-6). Will Saturday’s big win at Cal be enough to build some momentum for the capable Women of Troy? Will Ashley Corral’s injured ankle derail that momentum?
Oregon State (17-7, 8-5). Suddenly, the Beavers are the team in sole possession of third place in the Pac-12 and a very dangerous matchup for Stanford and Cal who will come to Corvallis this week.
UCLA (12-12, 7-6). The Bruins have a very big game coming up at USC next weekend, one in which they could cement their spot in the top half of the conference standings and perhaps stay in line for a first-round bye in the tournament.
Arizona State (16-8, 7-6). The Sun Devils snapped a three-game losing streak by winning at Colorado to salvage their first trip to the new Pac-12 schools. ASU was looking tournament-worthy a couple of weeks ago, now they just look like another team in the scrum.

Live blogging Stanford-UCLA in about 5 minutes!!!!

Michelle Smith — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:49:02 +0000

Stanford vs. UCLA

Live blog on Stanford-USC, NOW

Michelle Smith — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:20:55 +0000

Stanford vs. USC

Best of the West: Power Ranking for the Week of Feb. 6

Michelle Smith — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:26:07 +0000

OK, I decided to add BYU into the mix. They are playing in the West Coast Conference , after all…

1. Stanford (20-1, 11-0). The Cardinal got pushed again by ASU and then thumped the Wildcats in Tucson. Another telling weekend coming up against USC and UCLA.
2. Cal (17-6, 8-3). A big sweep in Arizona for the Bears, who maintain their standing as the undisputed No. 2 team in the conference and a chance to avenge the L.A. weekend losses coming this week.
3. Gonzaga (21-3, 10-1). The Zags have nailed down their sixth-straight 20-win season and face their biggest challenge of the WCC season on the road against Utah on Thursday night in Provo.
4. Fresno State (19-4, 7-0). A very big down-to-the-wire win in Ruston against Louisiana Tech propels the Bulldogs to an unbeaten first half of WAC play.
5. Arizona State (15-7, 6-5). The Sun Devils have a shot at making the NCAA Tournament, despite this weekend’s sweep at the hands of the Bay Area schools. But they need to win most of the rest of the way and feel fortunate that the unbalanced schedule means they won’t see either Cal or Stanford again until the conference tournament.
6. San Diego State (16-6, 6-1). The Aztecs 12-game winning streak came to an end at TCU on Saturday, a loss in which they shot just 23.4 percent from the floor. Saturday’s game against UNLV is an important one.
7. BYU (21-4, 9-2). OK, throwing BYU into the mix after deciding they are indeed on the West Coast radar. The Lions are challenging the status quo in the WCC, giving Gonzaga and run and also competing well in a conference that is as competitive as it has been in recent memory.
8. UCLA (12-10, 7-4). It’s a nice run for the Bruins, who have collected four straight wins, including two overtime victories, heading into the difficult Bay Area trip. Markel Walker is setting the tone, posting the conferences first triple-double since 2004 (14 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists) with her performance against Washington State.
9. San Diego (15-5, 6-2). The Torreros are now in sole possession of third place in the WCC behind BYU and Gonzaga.
10. USC (12-10, 6-5). The wheels are coming off for USC, who fell to Washington at home for the first time since 2006 last weekend. Heading north to the Bay Area schools doesn’t make the picture much brighter.

Live Blog – Stanford vs. Arizona State – Tonight!

Michelle Smith — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:47:39 +0000

Stanford vs. Arizona State

Best of the West: Power Rankings for the Week of Jan. 30

Michelle Smith — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:46:18 +0000

1. Stanford (18-1, 9-0). A to-the-limit overtime win over Cal sling-shots the Cardinal into the second half of the Pac-12 schedule. Chiney Ogwumike could end up as the conference player of the week for the third week in a row, a reward for her surging play.
2. Cal (15-6, 6-3). Oh-so-close for the Bears, who should have some good momentum heading into the Arizona trip this weekend.
3. Gonzaga (19-3, 8-1). The Zags avenged their only conference loss by winning at St. Mary’s on Saturday. They needed it to keep pace with BYU, which keeps winning and is now nationally ranked.
4. Arizona State (15-5, 6-3). The winners of five straight games, the Sun Devils are hosting the Bay Area schools this week and that will present a big challenge to their win streak.
5. Fresno State (17-4, 5-0). Six straight wins all by double-digits for the Bulldogs, the only unbeaten team in the WAC, who may start to get a look in the national rankings.
6. San Diego State. (16-4, 6-0). Twelve straight wins for Beth Burns’ team, the program’s longest winning streak in 17 years.
7. USC (10-9, 5-4). The Women of Troy got swept in their first-ever road trip to Colorado and Utah and their NCAA hopes are dimming fast.
8. San Diego (15-5, 6-2). The Torreros are now in sole possession of third place in the WCC behind BYU and Gonzaga.
9. St. Mary’s (16-7, 7-3). The Gaels couldn’t hold at home on to pull off the season sweep against Gonzaga, but are keeping pace in an improved conference this season.
10. UNLV (17-5, 6-1). Four straight wins and seven of eight for Kathy Olivier’s Rebels.

Live blog – Stanford vs. Washington State, Thursday at 7 p.m.

Michelle Smith — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:41:01 +0000

We’ll get going in a few minutes!!!

Stanford vs. Washington State

Best of the West: Power Rankings for the Week of Jan. 16

Michelle Smith — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:29:38 +0000

Stanford (15-1, 6-0). The new entrants in the Pac-12 didn’t prove to be much of a challenge for the Cardinal, who blew through Utah and Colorado. Joslyn Tinkle is coming off of late and coach Tara VanDerveer is happy to have another scorer not named Ogwumike.
Cal (13-5, 4-2). The Bears have righted the ship since the Pac-12 opening sweep in Los Angeles. Back to winning games they should win and out-rebounding pretty much everyone.
Gonzaga (15-3, 4-1). A tough day at home against St. Mary’s results in the program’s first home loss since 2009. Kelly Graves is hoping it will “refocus” his team.
USC (9-6, 4-1). The Women of Troy are figuring things out, winning four straight since losing to Stanford in the conference opener. The win snapped a four-game losing streak to UCLA in the Southern California rivalry game. Ashley Corral passed Cheryl Miller as the program’s all-time assists leader.
Arizona State (11-5, 2-3). The Sun Devils barely snapped a three-game losing streak by defeating Oregon in Eugene. Next up are home games against Utah and Colorado.
UCLA (7-9, 2-3). Injuries continue to plague this season. Freshman Moriah Faulk, who played in 15 games off the bench and provided perimeter scoring, injured her leg last week against Arizona State.
St. Mary’s (14-5, 5-1). Following the lead of their men’s team, the Gaels posted their first win over Gonzaga since Paul Thomas took over as head coach, defeating the Zags in Spokane for the first time since 2002. Alex Carbonel making an early case for WCC Player of the Year.
Fresno State (13-4, 1-0). Coach Adrian Wiggins won his 200^th career game as a head coach and the Bulldogs are 7-0 in WAC season openers after defeating Nevada. FSU has won eight of nine.
San Diego State (12-4, 2-0). The Aztecs have won eight straight, including this week’s overtime road win over UNLV, a battle between the top two teams in the Mountain West Conference this season. Courtney Clements has scored at least 20 points in five games this season.
Washington State (9-8, 3-2). One of only four Pac-12 teams with a winning record in conference play thus far, the Cougars took a step backward by losing at home to the rival Huskies.

Best of the West: Power rankings for the week of Jan. 9

Michelle Smith — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:16:59 +0000

1. Stanford (13-1, 4-0). Saturday’s Oregon State win was not a good look for the Cardinal, who are struggling to get more production from their guards while the Ogwumike sisters carry the scoring load. Next up are first-time Pac-12 meetings on the road against Utah and Colorado.
2. Gonzaga (14-2, 3-0). The Zags have won nine in a row and get out of their first conference road trip with a pair of decisive wins against Pepperdine and LMU.
3. USC (8-6, 3-1). The Women of Troy showed a lot by going on the road to sweep the Arizona schools. Five players scored in double-figures in the Saturday win over Arizona. Next up, the rivalry game against UCLA on Saturday.
4. Cal (11-5, 2-2). The Bears followed up a tough weekend in LA with a home sweep against the Oregon schools. Chalk it up to winning the games they should win. Saturday’s 90-point effort against Oregon was Cal’s highest-scoring game of the year.
5. Arizona State (10-4, 1-2). This was not the way to prove that the Sun Devils are contenders to be among the top teams in this conference. ASU is shooting a conference-worst 26.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
6. UCLA (7-8, 2-2). The Bruins beat the Sun Devils, but the fact that they don’t have a winning record keeps them below the ASU in these rankings. Still, it was an as-good-as-one-can-hope-for weekend for Cori Close’s team in the desert.
7. Washington State (9-7, 3-1). A one-point loss to Colorado puts the first blemish on the Cougars’ conference mark, but this kind of start is still a sign of very good things in Pullman.
8. San Diego (10-3, 1-0). A 17-point win over St. Mary’s is an emphatic move to establishing the Torreros as the second-best team in the WCC.
9. Fresno State (11-4). A nailbiting loss to UNLV is the second-to-last game on the non-conference schedule. A game against Seattle U on the 11th puts the finishing touch on the preseason. The defeat ended a run of six straight wins.
10. St. Mary’s (11-4, 2-0). The Gaels have to pick up after the San Diego loss, which ends a seven-game win streak, and find the bright side after a career-high 24 points from Alex Carbonel.