Pac 12 as we know it: 23-24 Season Outlook

[azfan]

Adia is blunt. The exact quote about bad fouls (said by Adia) I can't find. She specifically complained about specific fouls in full detail if you read the article. She is probably totally correct.

I have said that - in the PAC - you can pretty much mug away inside without a foul, but if you touch an arm - foul. It isn't particular to Arizona, it is just the way fouls are called, so depending on matchups it can favor or disfavor a team. It apparently went against us in the game where she is complaining, but has worked out both ways in various games this season.

No wonder Esmery is getting testy. When we were at USC a couple weeks ago and she got injured and had to be helped off the court direct to the locker room, it appeared to be a blow to the mid-section and the next day she had back-spasms that caused her to miss one game. As happened apparently this weekend, she was called for the foul in the one we saw.

Adia and Brink ... Both unafraid to constantly reflect on officiating. The kitties never foul and neither does Cameron.

I was listening to the radio broadcast of the Stanford destruction of ASU the other day. Jeff Munn, the long time Sun Devil women's basketball announcer, observed that Brink is a consistent whiner and when she gets to the W that'll get straightened out..... by the veteran players on the court. As to the kitties and Barnes I'm not sure who will straighten her out.... Perhaps a new AD? The new AD is a kitty alum and a lawyer so maybe she'll slap an NDA on Adia.

 

[azfan]

Nevertheless Adia’s comments, as reported, are whining in my book.

That's the way she do....... One person's breath of fresh air is another person's classless.

Who's responsible ultimately for the culture in the program?

I've been relentless in pointing out the failure of Coach Adair on this front as well as every other.

Barnes seems well entrenched down in the dirty t in spite of some of the relatively obvious holes in her ability as a head coach.

 

[DallasDomer]

Wasn't able to keep my eyes open for the Colorado-UCLA game (the weekend is catching up with me). Looking at the box score has me scratching my head however. Has Colorado run out of gas or was UCLA that frustrating on defence? And how is it that Betts only had 4 shot attempts? Hopefully I can find the game on YouTube and piece the puzzle together.

Comments from someone on the Bench who watched. "I watched that game last night and I would hope that isn't indicative of the kind of ball those teams play as it was horrid. It seemed like after a while they only started recording every other turn over as it looked like both teams were playing out of control." So maybe sleeping was a better choice than watching.

 

[cancontent]

Comments from someone on the Bench who watched. "I watched that game last night and I would hope that isn't indicative of the kind of ball those teams play as it was horrid. It seemed like after a while they only started recording every other turn over as it looked like both teams were playing out of control." So maybe sleeping was a better choice than watching.

Wish I could say I went to bed under my own volition though . Obviously my brain decided to take matters into its own hands

 

[Dillon77]

Comments from someone on the Bench who watched. "I watched that game last night and I would hope that isn't indicative of the kind of ball those teams play as it was horrid. It seemed like after a while they only started recording every other turn over as it looked like both teams were playing out of control." So maybe sleeping was a better choice than watching.

@cancontent

And I turned in the last quarter to watch two teams who seemingly didn't want/couldn't run a offensive play to save their lives. It was like someone sent an electric shock treatment through both of them. After a Colorado Buffalo guard dribbled right into the on-stretched hands of a disinterested Bruin defender (who had no choice but to take the ball),, I decided 'nuff is enough.

I thought the 1st quarter of the Marquette-Georgetown game a few weeks back was the low point for offensive anything (9-6 G'Town and htey went on to lose), but the last five minutes here rivaled it. Yikes! Both teams: throw out tape. Don't look. Try again this week.

 

[CalWBBfan]

Wow. Addition by subtraction? To whom is she directing shade? Nnaji? Gilbert? Who’s to blame for the awful hotels and the mixed up food orders? Can’t imagine the respective home teams have any responsibility for that. U of A Athletic Dept administration perhaps? The same AD that must be under pressure to reduce costs because the entire university recently discovered a major budget shortfall? Complaining about foul calls? That’s a Bay Area problem? Whining not a good look Adia. Good luck in the Big 12.

I was at the game on Sunday and my seatmates and I agreed on one thing....we won't miss playing Arizona....smh.

 

[Plebe]

I'm intrigued to see what the reveal looks like on Thursday. The resumes from 3 on down are right now such a messy jumble that I really don't know what to expect.

For the Pac-12, I give Utah about a 55% chance of breaking into the top 16 after big wins over Colorado and at USC.

Much has been made (and rightly so) about the grievously imbalanced Pac-12 schedule, so I wanted to track W-L record and % vs. the other teams in the top 6

Stanford 3-2 (.600)
UCLA 5-4 (.556)
USC 5-4 (.556)
Oregon State 5-4 (.556)
Utah 4-5 (.444)
Colorado 3-6 (.333)

While Colorado now has the lowest win % vs the top 6 among these 6 teams, they're the only one of the 6 that has no losses to the bottom half of the conference.

But a caveat on that point is that a key player was absent in 3 of the 5 losses sustained by top-half teams to bottom-half teams (Stanford without Brink vs. Arizona, UCLA without Betts vs. WSU, Oregon State without Beers vs. Washington).

 

[cancontent]

Once estranged from USC, Cheryl Miller finds ‘home’ again at the Galen Center

The former program legend, once disillusioned with her alma mater over a believed lack of investment into women’s basketball, has been a fervent supporter during a dream season.

www.ocregister.com

Tripped across this on Twitter (sorry, refuse to call it X). This is so great to see.

 

[dabears17]

PAC-12 doesn’t have the Stanford- Oregon State came on TV?!? Fire the commissioner!

 

[nwhoopfan]

PAC-12 doesn’t have the Stanford- Oregon State came on TV?!? Fire the commissioner!

Do they even have a commissioner anymore? George K.....whatever his name is seems to have disappeared months ago.


Oh jeez, they have a brand new commissioner as of a few hours ago. Teresa Gould, whoever that is.

 

[dabears17]

Pac-12, Commissioner George Kliavkoff Agree to Part Ways After Exits of Oregon, More

After nearly three years in the role, George Kliavkoff is out as Pac-12 commissioner. According to Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, the Pac-12 board of…

bleacherreport.com

 

[nwhoopfan]

Pac-12, Commissioner George Kliavkoff Agree to Part Ways After Exits of Oregon, More

After nearly three years in the role, George Kliavkoff is out as Pac-12 commissioner. According to Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, the Pac-12 board of…

bleacherreport.com

That happened without any fanfare. His legacy will be losing the entire conference. Did Larry Scott pay George K. to make people forget about his ineptitude?

 

[CompSci87]

PAC-12 doesn’t have the Stanford- Oregon State came on TV?!? Fire the commissioner!

It was on the Pac-12 Oregon feed. The national feed and the Pac-12 Bay Area feed had MBB.

I had to watch it online because Comcast in the Bay Area only carries the national and Bay Area feeds on cable channels. The picture was okay, but the online feed doesn't allow pause and rewind, so it's not as nice.

 

[LoTrader]

OSU played a spirited game w/o Raegan Beers tonight. I really think this team will kick it into gear when Raegan returns.

 

[LoTrader]

I'm excited for the Boneyard faithful to see Oregon State in the NCAA Tournament. While most here know about Raegan Beers, and how important Rae is to the OSU Beavers WBB Team, many will finally get to see a supremely talented Talia von Oelhoffen. In my mind TvO is one of the most complete guards in the nation. And a flat out gamer.

 

[visitingcock]

So, today is the regular season wrap up.

Utah trailing Washington by 16. Mid third period! Puli only 2 points. Wowsers!

 

[TheFarmFan]

So, today is the regular season wrap up.

Utah trailing Washington by 16. Mid third period! Puli only 2 points. Wowsers!

Speaking from experience, Washington is really good at making the other team look like trash. Doesn't always get them the win, but I'd say they're probably one of the 10-15 best defensive teams in the country. I'm just surmising, but my sense is that either Tina or someone on her staff is a scouting wizard, because they seem really good at neutralizing the opposing team's Plan A.

 

[Plebe]

Speaking from experience, Washington is really good at making the other team look like trash. Doesn't always get them the win, but I'd say they're probably one of the 10-15 best defensive teams in the country. I'm just surmising, but my sense is that either Tina or someone on her staff is a scouting wizard, because they seem really good at neutralizing the opposing team's Plan A.

Massey has them ranked as the #10 defense (but #99 offense).

 

[nwhoopfan]

Massey has them ranked as the #10 defense (but #99 offense).

So I wasn't just making stuff up when I've been complaining about their offense all season.

 

[Gate81]

I'm excited for the Boneyard faithful to see Oregon State in the NCAA Tournament. While most here know about Raegan Beers, and how important Rae is to the OSU Beavers WBB Team, many will finally get to see a supremely talented Talia von Oelhoffen. In my mind TvO is one of the most complete guards in the nation. And a flat out gamer.

Yes, very excited as I'll be in Albany. Anyone who can get their hands on a replay of the Stanford-OSU game will see TvO's offense and what felt like a TvO match vs. Cam Brink where one would score then the other, at a wonderfully packed Gill Coliseum. My first time there and hope to get back there again soon.

 

[JellyBean]

Jeez. I have been watching the Oregon Ducks WBB program for roughly 22 years and today, the team just looked like they just ran out gas. Shots just weren't falling. 18% from the field. 7% from 3point land? Yikes!! It is going to be interesting off season for the Ducks.

 

[azfan]

U of A credit rating assessment downgraded to "negative"

Moody's Investors Service, a nationwide bond credit rating business, has changed its outlook on the UA from "credit positive" to "negative."

tucson.com

Kitties negative

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

U of A credit rating assessment downgraded to "negative"

Moody's Investors Service, a nationwide bond credit rating business, has changed its outlook on the UA from "credit positive" to "negative."

tucson.com

Kitties negative

Yeah, they were spending money like they could print it. As I was recently reading, while athletics is a "bad look" it really didn't drive the fiasco. The "global campus" stuff didn't help, of course, but also didn't drive it. I wondered where the money was coming for all these initiatives that were being pushed - and now we know, it wasn't.

Pre-pandemic - and maybe once a few months ago - we would talk to a research professor in the sciences and his wife at some shows and concerts at the Gaslight, he's in his early 80's and I haven't seen them recently, but he had been talking about the poor leadership at the UofA for a long time, based on his career experiences elsewhere before he got the professorship out here. I bet he isn't surprised.

 

[jake0414]

U of A credit rating assessment downgraded to "negative"

Moody's Investors Service, a nationwide bond credit rating business, has changed its outlook on the UA from "credit positive" to "negative."

tucson.com

Kitties negative

Any sense of how cost control measures will affect the WBB Program? Arizona led the conference in WBB Home Attendance with 7,333 avg per game and 7,569 avg per conference game. The community supports the team. How well do the boosters support WBB financially?

 

[jdote33]

Pac 12 23-24 Standing Prediction

1) UCLA - Too talented. Easily 9 deep. I think Lauren Betts will vie for Conference Player of the Year.
2) Stanford - Cam Brink is that good. Tara is too. Despite their losses, they have enough talent to be atop the conference.
3) Utah - Probably overachieved last year, but basically return everyone. Definitely have a shot at finishing first.
4) USC - Slight surprise pick. Seem like a hungry team, that got an infusion of talent via the portal
5) Washington State - Won the Pac-12 tourney last year and return several key players. CLW being a senior already is kinda wild. This may be the year she puts it all together for a full season.
6) Arizona - This is an Adia Barnes/Breya Cunningham pick. They lost a lot this offseason, and did seem like they needed to hit reset a bit after a somewhat disappointing season. Nevertheless, they still have talent and Barnes can coach defense
7) Colorado - This is admittedly probably too low. I liked them getting Maddie Nolan and they return several starters. Could easily be top 4.
8) Oregon - Seems low, but couldn't really rank them any higher. I actually like their roster, and the Priscilla Williams pickup. But they definitely need Chance Gray to have a more efficient season, and another guard who won't mind distributing the ball.
9) Washington - They had some impressive wins last year, and are only going to improve with experience. It's just a tough conference to move up in.
10) Oregon State - One of my favorite teams. I like their talent, just not sure they know how to win.
11)California - Not much to say
12) Arizona State- ...

My bad Oregon State, I was disrespectful. I was a bit too high on Arizona. But overall, though off, I think my picks made sense and the descriptions kinda played out.

Sad to see the PAC go. Made some of my Friday nights (Oregon State vs UCLA may have been my favorite game this season). Salute to all the great players and coaches. I guess we still got the tournament so a bit more to come.