Can anyone beat Stanford?
Heading into the Pac-10 women’s basketball tournament, which begins today in Los Angeles, that’s the most obvious question on everyone’s mind.
And the simple answer is: yes, they can. Connecticut did it two-and-a-half months ago.
But barring a sudden re-alignment that would put the top-ranked UConn Huskies and their 19-game winning streak into the Pac-10 field, the Stanford Cardinal look like a virtual lock to take home this year’s prize.
The Cardinal (28-1 overall, 18-0 in Pac-10 play) haven’t lost a game since the Huskies beat them in December, and 17 of Stanford’s 18 wins during a perfect Pac-10 regular season saw it win by 15 points or more.
The only team to give Stanford a real scare was UCLA, which was within two points of the Cardinal with a minute remaining in a January matchup before losing 65-61. The Bruins (22-7, 15-3) finished second in the Pac-10 regular-season standings and wouldn’t have to face Stanford until Sunday’s final.
They’re the lucky ones.
It was pretty telling when University of Washington head coach Tia Jackson said Tuesday that for the Cardinal to be beaten “their big three (Nnemkadi Odwumike, Jayne Appel and Kayla Pedersen) would have to struggle quite a bit.”
It’s safe to say that Stanford is a heavy favorite heading into this week’s tournament, but that doesn’t mean the Cardinal are the only quality team in the Pac-10.
UCLA is ranked 23rd in the country and looks like the odds-on favorite to meet Stanford in Sunday’s championship game. The Bruins and Cardinal are the only two teams that get a first-round bye, with UCLA awaiting the winner of today’s game between seventh-seed UW and Oregon State.
USC (18-11, 12-6) also has the potential to make a run, having won five games in a row after a midseason swoon, while fourth-seeded Cal (17-12, 11-7) could be a formidable semifinal opponent for Stanford because of the Bears’ go-to scorer (Alexis Gray-Lawson, who torched UW for 35 points in one meeting this year) and emerging youngsters (two Cal players were named to the conference’s all-freshman team).
Stanford has won six of the past seven Pac-10 tournaments and three in a row. UCLA was the last team other than the Cardinal to win it, having taken home the crown in 2006.
And as for someone taking down the mighty Cardinal this year?
“I definitely think anything’s possible,” said UW’s Jackson.
If it happens, maybe Al Michaels should call the championship game and break out his 30-year-old call. Because anyone who thinks Stanford won’t win this year’s title must believe in miracles.
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