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Three Pac-10 Women's Basketball Teams Ranked in Preseason AP Poll
Nov. 3, 2009 WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - Coming off one of the most successful Pac-10 women's basketball seasons in recent history with three teams advancing to the 2009 NCAA Sweet Sixteen and one advancing to the NCAA Final Four, three Conference squads are ranked in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, which was recently released. Making its second-straight trip to the NCAA Final Four and returning three all-conference performers and the 2009 Pac-10 Player of the Year from last year's team, STANFORD was ranked No. 2 in the nation, garnering 951 points. ARIZONA STATE is rated 16th with 317 points and CALIFORNIA, who boasts the No. 1-ranked recruiting class this year, came in at No. 18 with 294 points. The Sun Devils made their second NCAA Elite Eight appearance in three years last season, while the Golden Bears' advanced to their first-ever NCAA Sweet Sixteen. Also receiving votes in the polling were UCLA (26) and USC (5). Entering the second season under head coach Nikki Caldwell, the Bruins have an experienced squad with four letterwinners returning from a team that was one win shy of 20 last year and welcomes the No. 10-ranked recruiting class in the nation. The Women of Troy have a new head coach in Michael Cooper who left his position with the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks to coach at Galen Center. USC is coming off its first-ever Pac-10 Tournament finals appearance, upsetting two ranked opponents along the way. The Pac-10 women's basketball regular season officially gets underway with USC and OREGON STATE hosting games on Friday, November 13, while the Cardinal begin an East Coast-swing at Old Dominion. The remaining league squads tip-off the season Saturday and Sunday, November 14 and 15. The Pac-10 slate begins at the turn of the new calendar year on Friday, January 1 and the ninth-annual State Farm Pac-10 Women's Basketball Tournament takes place March 11-14 at Galen Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PRESEASON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL POLL
Others receiving votes: Texas A&M 137, Maryland 114, Mississippi St. 110, San Diego St. 78, S. Dakota St. 70, Pittsburgh 48, Purdue 45, Kansas State 33, Gonzaga 30, Marist 26, UCLA 26, Michigan 16, Iowa State 14, Minnesota 14, Boston College 12, Louisiana Tech 11, Tulane 9, Bowling Green 8, Arkansas 7, TCU 7, UW-Green Bay 7, Auburn 6, Nebraska 6, Texas Tech 6, USC 5, Florida 3, Fresno State 3, Oklahoma State 3, Delaware 1, Florida Gulf Coast 1, Temple 1.
- www.pac-10.org - |
