Cal is giving them a game, as I expected. Cal has size and athleticism up front.
Fouls have been one of Chiney's few weak spots. In rounds 4 and later, she needs to stay on the floor. I expect to see the Cardinal pull away at some point and win by 15.
Congrats to Stanford. No knock on the Cardinal, as they certainly hold up their end of the bargain putting a quality team on the court year-in and year-out, but the PAC-12 is a joke.
Will Cal be the only other PAC-12 team besides Stanford that makes the NCAAs? Stanford is the only team in the conference in the Top 25 and Cal being the 2nd best team, has 9 losses and not a single victory over a ranked team this year!
I wish the Pac-12 was better for the sole reason of getting Stanford on TV more often. Other than their games with UConn and TN, how many of their other games been nationally televised? I trust what everyone (and stats) say about Nneka and Chiney being star players, but I want to see their greatness for myself . It's a shame that they don't get the spotlight more often. I'd rather see Stanford play a good OOC opponent than see UConn beat UNC by 50 again.
It's a shame that they don't get . I'd rather see Stanford play a good OOC opponent than see UConn beat UNC by 50 again.
I'm sure it does. It also gets old watching the same predictable script play out every year...it's always Groundhog Day in the PAC-12.You know, it gets old hearing that about the Pac 10/12.
.... It also gets old watching the same predictable script play out every year...it's always Groundhog Day in the PAC-12.
The difference is that the PAC is especially weak this year, Stanford had to play more league games than previously, and their OOC slate was shorter as a result and not awe-inspiring. They haven't played a quality opponent since December. For a team with a lot of youth, that's not ideal.Stanford has made the final 4 in the past four years and the championship game in two of those years. I often hear how facing tough competition prepares you for the tournament, yet Stanfords run through the Pac 10/12 each year seems to defy that logic.
Then again according to the NCAA raings the Pac12 is rated the 4th toughest conference behind Big 12, SEC, and Big East.
Go figure.
Congrats to Stanford. No knock on the Cardinal, as they certainly hold up their end of the bargain putting a quality team on the court year-in and year-out, but the PAC-12 is a joke.
Will Cal be the only other PAC-12 team besides Stanford that makes the NCAAs? Stanford is the only team in the conference in the Top 25 and Cal being the 2nd best team, has 9 losses and not a single victory over a ranked team this year!
The difference is that the PAC is especially weak this year, Stanford had to play more league games than previously, and their OOC slate was shorter as a result and not awe-inspiring. They haven't played a quality opponent since December. For a team with a lot of youth, that's not ideal.
Scott Rueck (Oregon State coach) said it well: after Stanford and Cal, every team from #3-#12 in the Pac-12 can beat any other team this year. I don't think that makes the Pac-12 a joke -- those teams are definitely a couple of steps down, but none of them are awful.
p.s. The Pac-12 plays the same number of league games as the old Pac-10 -- it's no longer a full double round robin, just 18 games. Maybe that still is more league games than some conferences (?).
The Big East continually gets bashed in football so we know your pain and we understand your argument. But facts are facts, painful as they may be.
No, it's a very good analogy. Big East teams win head-to-head matchups against other BCS conferences and often kick the you-know-what out of highly regarded teams in top conferences in the BCS bowls yet because of the perception that the BEast is weak, people are screaming for the conference to lose its BCS bid. WVU beat Clemson 70-33 in the Orange Bowl but everyone pooh-poohs the win because WVU is [now, was] in the Big East. Why should WVU be judged by how bad Syracuse is?not a good analogy Nan. It would be true if a Big East football team that regularly played for National Championship or was a top 4 team in the land like Stanford women's bball.