Pac-12 WBB Preview – UCLA vs USC at the top, tough competition and rivalries

Nothing is hotter than Los Angeles in the sizzling world of Pac-12 women’s basketball.

UCLA is ranked a school-record No. 2 in the AP poll, behind only South Carolina, while USC is No. 6 — the highest placement for the Trojans since 1994.

Both teams are undefeated and feature two of the Pac-12’s brightest young stars in 6-foot-7 sophomore Lauren Betts (UCLA) and 6-2 freshman JuJu Watkins (USC).

Their first crosstown showdown, Dec. 30 at UCLA, is expected to draw more than 10,000 fans to Pauley Pavilion; a repeat of that crowd on Jan. 14 would completely fill USC’s Galen Center.

In a conference that’s on pace to send eight teams to the NCAA Tournament before it dissolves, the L.A. schools are a tick above even 2023 regular season co-champions Stanford and Utah. (Colorado also is highly ranked.)

The buzz about women’s basketball is “so palpable, it’s everywhere we go,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb told the Hotline.

“It’s hard not to think about it (playing UCLA), because someone is mentioning it every other day. Cori (Close) and I, in building these programs, had the vision of making this the best rivalry in the (athletic department).

“There’s no reason we can’t be. It’s L.A. that really loves and embraces basketball and winning teams and star power. It’s an exciting time for women’s basketball, and we’re happy to be part of that.”

Close is in her 13th season at UCLA and Gottlieb her third at USC (following eight at Cal). They understand the conference’s evolution to greatness beyond Stanford’s enduring success and the meaning attached to the 38th season of Pac-12 women’s basketball with no plans for No. 39.

“I’m so proud to have been a part of the ascension of women’s basketball in the Pac-12,” Close said. “I’m going to relish every moment of this last year.

“I don’t want my pendulum to swing too far about leading into the Big Ten and what’s next, and I don’t want to stay moping about what we’re losing in the Pac. I’m going to do the best I can to stay in this place of healthy tension, honoring all the people that have made the Pac-12 so special and still trying to lead to what we’re going to do in the future.”

The Pac-12 leads all conferences in NET ranking with a 116-20 non-conference record through Dec. 20.

Three of the 10 remaining undefeated teams in Division I are from the Pac-12.

And don’t forget: Two conference games have been played – rivalry wins by Washington and Arizona – and four other rivalries are coming up Dec. 29-31. Full conference action begins Jan. 5.

Our predicted order of finish:

(NET rankings through Dec. 21)

1. UCLA (11-0)

NET ranking: No. 6
Coach: Cori Close (13th season)
Top scorer: Lauren Betts (16.9 ppg)
Comment: Five players averaging in double figures adds up to UCLA’s best start since the 2019-20 season (16-0) and includes three wins over AP top-25 teams (Ohio State, Connecticut, Florida State). There have been some close calls (77-74 over Princeton, for example), but the Bruins have dominated most opponents thanks to the addition of Betts, a Stanford transfer. “It was almost like this (puzzle) piece designed for Lauren Betts,” Close says. “It’s just the right fit,” with returners Charisma Osborne, Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez and Londynn Jones.

2. Stanford (10-1)

NET ranking: No. 2
Coach: Tara VanDerveer (37th season)
Top scorer: Cameron Brink (19.2 ppg)
Comment: The Cardinal slipped up on Dec. 3, losing by 18 points at Gonzaga when Brink, an All-American, was sick and didn’t play in the second half. That said, the Zags are ranked 20th and 3-1 head-to-head against the Pac-12. Stanford has won twice since then and beat No. 16 Indiana, No. 21 Florida State and Duke earlier in the season. Kiki Iriafen is almost averaging a double-double and Hannah Jump now is the school’s career 3-point shooting leader. VanDerveer is seven wins shy of becoming the winningest coach in college basketball history (men’s or women’s).

3. Utah (10-2)

NET ranking: No. 3
Coach: Lynne Roberts (9th season)
Top scorer: Alyssa Pili (23.8 ppg)
Comment: The Utes lost arguably their second-best player, guard Gianna Kneepkens, for the season when the junior broke her right foot on Dec. 2 against Brigham Young. They are 3-1 since the injury and hung tough against powerhouse South Carolina on Dec. 10. Roberts is taking a collective approach to replacing Kneepkens, asking more of a guard corps that includes Jenna Johnson, Kennady McQueen, Isabel Palmer and Ines Vieira. Pili is third nationally in scoring.

4. USC (10-0)

NET ranking: No. 11
Coach: Lindsay Gottlieb (3rd season)
Top scorer: JuJu Watkins (26.8 ppg)
Comment: All Watkins has done in her first nine collegiate games is to trail only Iowa star Caitlin Clark nationally in scoring, win five Pac-12 Freshman of the Week awards and double up as Pac-12 Player of the Week on Dec. 4. Watkins and Rayah Marshall were out due to illness on Dec. 21 against Long Beach State, so McKenzie Forbes, playing through the flu, responded with a career-high 36 points. Forbes, Kayla Padilla and Kaitlyn Davis are Ivy League graduate transfers making a significant impact.

5. Colorado (10-1)

NET ranking: No. 22
Coach: JR Payne (8th season)
Top scorer: Frida Formann (15.3 ppg)
Comment: The Buffaloes stunned defending NCAA champion LSU by 14 points in the season opener. (LSU has not lost since and is ranked No. 7, one spot ahead of Colorado.) Six weeks later, no one in the Pac-12 has a more impressive win. Colorado’s only loss was to third-ranked North Carolina State. Formann and Aaronette Vonleh lead a balanced  scoring attack, with Michigan transfer guard Maddie Nolan adding to a veteran team.

6. Washington (11-1)

NET ranking: No. 29
Coach: Tina Langley (3rd season)
Top scorer: Lauren Schwartz (12.3 ppg)
Comment: The 23rd-ranked Huskies won their first 11 games, including a road upset of then No. 21 Washington State,  before losing at No. 19 Louisville. (The victory in Pullman was their first since 2019.) The 11-0 start tied WSU’s 1976-77 team for the best in school history. The Huskies lead the nation in scoring defense (46.8 ppg allowed) and, by extension, are in the top 20 in scoring margin even without a prolific individual scorer.

7. Washington State (11-3)

NET ranking: No. 20
Coach: Kamie Ethridge (6th season)
Top scorer: Bella Murekatete (13.9 ppg)
Comment: The Cougars are the only Pac-12 team with a victory over Gonzaga — three others have tried and failed — but they are just 4-3 since Nov. 25 with losses to Green Bay, Washington and Auburn. As a result, WSU dropped out of the AP poll. Charlisse Leger-Walker is averaging 12.9 points, well off her scoring pace in previous seasons, although she was recently one rebound shy of a second straight triple-double.

8. Oregon State (10-0)

NET ranking: No. 25
Coach: Scott Rueck (14th season)
Top scorer: Raegen Beers (18.7 ppg)
Comment: It’s difficult to assess the Beavers’ unbeaten start because their non-conference schedule ranks 206th nationally. The highlights are wins over Villanova and Texas Tech. Beers, a 6-4 sophomore forward, is averaging a double-double while Talia von Oelhoffen is making a solid return from an injury that cut her sophomore season short. ESPN’s bracketology includes Oregon State among the conference’s eight projected NCAA Tournament qualifiers.

9. Arizona (8-4)

NET ranking: No. 41
Coach: Adia Barnes (8th season)
Top scorer: Kailyn Gilbert (15.2 ppg)
Comment: The Wildcats are 3-4 since Nov. 19, with losses to No. 5 Texas and No. 20 Gonzaga. They walloped Arizona State (by 39 points) on Dec. 17 but couldn’t sustain that success three days later against the Zags. Gilbert was named Pac-12 Player of the Week on Dec. 18, but Arizona will need more from its post players to contend for a fourth consecutive NCAA appearance. “Finding Helena (Pueyo), finding Esmery (Martinez), we’re only going to be good if they contribute,” Barnes said.

10. Cal (10-2)

NET ranking: No. 46
Coach: Charmin Smith (5th season)
Top scorer: Marta Suarez (14.3 ppg)
Comment: The Bears couldn’t quite get past Gonzaga, losing 78-70 in overtime four days after the Zags upset Stanford. Still, it’s been a positive non-conference season in Berkeley even with transfer guard Ioanna Krimli (15.0 ppg) out since the middle of November with a knee injury. The other significant transfers are Suarez from Tennessee and McKayla Williams from Gonzaga as Cal seeks its first winning record under Smith. The Bears’ non-conference RPI is a respectable No. 51.

11. Oregon (9-4)

NET ranking: No. 92
Coach: Kelly Graves (10th season)
Top scorer: Grace VanSlooten (16.2 ppg)
Comment: Without guards Te-Hina Paopao (now at South Carolina) and Endyia Rogers (Texas A&M), it’s been a rough start for the Ducks, who aren’t used to struggling through losses to Santa Clara, Portland and Utah Tech. Freshman guard Sofia Bell is learning on the fly in a backcourt with sophomore Chance Gray. Oregon does have size in 6-8 Phillipina Kyei, 6-7 Kennedy Basham and the 6-3 VanSlooten. The Ducks had an encouraging 70-63 win over Oklahoma State on Dec. 21.

12. Arizona State (8-4)

NET ranking: No. 135
Coach: Natasha Adair (2nd season)
Top scorer: Jalyn Brown (13.8 ppg)
Comment: ASU let games slip away against Grambling and Grand Canyon and had an almost sure victory over Xavier taken away due to the game being canceled. The Sun Devils already have equaled their 2022-23 win total. but without last season’s leading scorer, Tyi Skinner (knee injury), they could struggle again in conference play. Brown, a transfer from Louisville, and Kadida Toure (from James Madison) are making a difference; so, too, is Maggie Besselink, who’s back from an injury absence last season.