Pac-12 women hope to send record number of teams to NCAAs

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Pac-12 Conference ishaving likely its best women’s basketball season, which has achance to get even stronger.

As the conference tournament gets underway Wednesday with fourfirst-round games, the Pac-12 could place at least eight teams inthe NCAA Tournament. The Pac-12 sent seven teams in 2017, aconference high.

“I think from top to bottom we’re as strong as we’ve ever been,”said Rhonda Lundin Bennett, Pac-12 associate commissioner forwomen’s basketball and sports management.

Lundin Bennett was chairwoman of the NCAA Division I women’sbasketball committee in 2018 and 2019. She also served on thecommittee from 2014-21, except for 2020, when COVID-19 wiped outNCAA Tournament.

She said the circumstances change year to year in how fields areput together, but there are general principles that remain the samesuch as strength of schedule and how well teams are playinglate.

Many Pac-12 teams have been playing well throughout the season,and the conference has five in the AP Top 25, including No. 3 Utahand No. 6 Sanford.

Eight teams are in the top 40 of the NET rankings, one of thefactors the committee uses to determine at-large spots for thetournament.

“I think we definitely have at least eight very qualityprograms, and possibly nine, that deserve consideration,” LundinBennett sad. “It just depends on how they finish out and what otherteams do. But I think we’ve got a really, really strong season andtop to bottom are one of the best leagues, if not the best leaguein the country.”

Utah’s Lynne Roberts, named Tuesday as the conference’s coach ofthe year, said the depth of competition should help the Pac-12teams that make the NCAA Tournament.

“Every weekend you’re playing somebody that’s top 25, somebodythat’s coached by an elite coach, and it really does prepare you,”Roberts said.

A NO. 2 GOING FOR A NO. 1

Utah (25-3) enters the conference tournament as the No. 2 seed,even though the Utes are ranked ahead of No. 1 seed Stanford(27-4).

Both teams went 15-3 in league play and split their twomeetings, but the Cardinal had a better record against third-seededand 20th-ranked Colorado (22-7, 13-5).

The Utes built on last season’s achievements. They made theconference championship and then appeared in the NCAA Tournamentfor the first time since 2011.

“That was a great confidence boost, and there’s really no betterway to get confidence than from success,” Roberts said. “Itpropelled us into the offseason. I do think it was a springboard ofgenuine confidence like: ‘OK, we can we can do this. Let’s just getbetter.’”

STANFORD GETS TESTED

Stanford captured at least a share of its third consecutivePac-12 regular-season title, but it was tight down the stretch.

The Cardinal not only lost 84-78 to Utah on Saturday, itrecently went to double overtime to beat Colorado, edged No. 19UCLA by five points and defeated Southern California by three.

“This has been a tough road for us at the end of the season,”Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said after the loss to Utah. “Ourteam battled (the Utes). We were right there. It could’ve goneeither way, and hopefully this will make us very hungry coming intothe Pac-12 Tournament.”

BUFFS ON THE RISE

Colorado reached 20 victories last season for the first time innine years, and now the Buffaloes have their best seeding sinceentering the Pac-12 in 2011. They are expected tp make their secondNCAA Tournament in a row for first time since appearing fourstraight years (2001-04).

ODDS AND ENDS

Utah junior forward Alissa Pili was named Pac-12 player of theyear after leading the conference with 20.6 points a game andshooting 59.9% on field goals. Only she and Indiana’s MackenzieHolmes have put up those kinds numbers nationally this season. Pilihas scored in double figures in all but one game. ... No. 21Arizona has won at least 10 conference games for the fourthconsecutive season. ... USC went 11-7 in Pac-12 play, the firsttime it has reached double figures since 2014.