PAC-10 WOMEN: After top two, it’s anybody’s guess

Published 12:01 am Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The difference between the men’s and women’s Pac-10 basketball tournaments starts at the top.

Unlike the men’s bracket, which forces only the bottom four teams to play their way into the quarterfinals, the women’s tourney leaves eight teams needing two rounds just to get a shot at one of the

top two seeds. And never has it seemed more appropriate.

This year, top seeds Stanford and UCLA might as well get byes past the semifinals and right into the finals.

The Pac-10’s top two teams have been so dominant that it would take the biggest upset in recent conference history just to avoid a final that includes the Cardinal and Bruins.

If there’s a bright side to the eight Cinderellas trying to spoil the ball, it’s that there’s so much balance after the top two that anything could happen in the first two rounds today and Thursday.

There is hope for schools like Washington and Washington State … but only until Friday’s semifinal round. That’s where the mighty Cardinal and Bruins wait, with a likely third meeting on the line for the top-10 teams in Saturday’s Pac-10 final.

Here’s a look at this year’s field:

The favorite | Stanford
The Cardinal beat UCLA twice already, and pretty handily, so Stanford has to be the team to beat. A win over Connecticut earlier this season certified the second-ranked Cardinal as a national-championship contender, so this week’s tournament is just a stepping stone of sorts.

The top contender | UCLA
The Bruins are chomping at the bit to get a third shot at Stanford, and they probably just need one win to earn it. Seventh-ranked UCLA might be the favorite in every other conference tournament outside of the Big East, but they’re still a bridesmaid until the Cardinal are ready to give up the ring.

The spoiler | Arizona
With a 6-1 record down the stretch, and their only loss coming by four points against UCLA, the Wildcats are playing as well as anyone as of late. They’ve also got one of the best post players in Ify Ibekwe, who has the ability to put a team on her shoulders for four days.

The longest of shots | Oregon St.
UW’s lowpoint of the season was losing to the Beavers at home. That marked OSU’s first conference win of the year, and the Beavers only won one more. A starting lineup featuring only one player who had played Division I basketball before this season is in way over its head.