Week 15 with the Pac-12: Close Calls and Upsets
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Almost all is said and done for the regular season, but we still don’t know how the seeding for the Pac-12 Tournament is going to shake out. Stanford will be first. Washington will likely be last. Between the two? Who knows.
Last week, the Cardinal traveled to Oregon. Haley Jones had a big game to bring Stanford from behind and keep their conference record clean. It cost the Ducks a couple of places in the Pac-12 standings, which was the tale of two of the top four teams last weekend.
More surprising was the Ducks’ game against California. The Golden Bears played tough on the road against both Oregon and Oregon State, but their game against the Ducks was a squeaker. Cal has only won two games in conference play, but they pushed Oregon, losing by just five points in Eugene.
Cal was done in by a seven-point second quarter. The Bears trailed the Ducks by one in the first quarter, outscored them by one in the third, and tied them in the fourth. The 12-5 margin in the second quarter ended up also being the final margin.
Two days later, the Golden Bears dropped a nine-point game at Oregon State. For a team that has only won one Pac-12 game on the court (their other win comes from a forfeit from Arizona State), it was a glimpse of what the future might hold for Cal with its talented young core. Maybe next year is when they finally take the next step forward.
Another big win that had an impact on the standings came in Pullman, Wash. For the second straight season, Washington State upset Arizona in Beasley Coliseum. The loss came two days after the Wildcats let a 15-point lead dwindle to four at Washington before walking out with a nine-point win that was much closer than the score indicates.
The Wildcats went into the half ahead by two, but the Cougars had a big third quarter to take a five-point lead into the final quarter. As Arizona tried to come back in the fourth, leading scorer Cate Reese went down with a dislocated shoulder after a collision with WSU’s Johanna Teder.
Not only did the loss drop the Wildcats to fourth in the conference for a few days, but they will be without Reese until at least the Pac-12 Tournament championship game–if they can advance that far. Arizona has temporarily reclaimed third place after Oregon’s double OT loss to Colorado on Wednesday night, but the question is whether the Wildcats can maintain it with victories over UCLA and USC without Reese. There is a chance she will not return until some point in the NCAA Tournament, which could conceivably cost Arizona a chance to host the opening rounds.
Underrated Player of the Week
Quay Miller’s decision to transfer from Washington after the coaching change last year was a big blow to the Huskies. It was a big boost to conference foe Colorado. Miller went from a starter in Seattle to not starting a single game in Boulder. She didn’t lose her impact on the game, though.
Miller is playing 20.8 minutes per game off the bench this season. Other than star forward Mya Hollingshed, Miller is the only member of the Buffs scoring in double digits. Her 20.1 points per 40 minutes during Pac-12 play ranks ninth in the conference. In Division I women’s basketball, she is in the 90th percentile or above in points, field goals attempted, field goals made, field goal percentage, two-pointers made, two-pointers attempted, two-point percentage, free throws attempted, free throws made, defensive rebounds, and steals on a per-minute basis.
Miller gives Colorado another strong returner next season. With Hollingshed playing in her final season, keeping their second-leading scorer will be critical for the Buffs.
Voting for the Best
Player of the Week
My vote: Johanna Teder, Washington State
Winner: Johanna Teder, Washington State
Jo Teder is a mainstay of the international roster the Cougars rely on. She also can hit the open three if you give it to her. Both Arizona State and Arizona found that out the hard way. Teder went 9 for 14 from distance in two games against the Arizona schools.
Teder was critical in her team’s two wins over the weekend, leading them in scoring both times. It pushed them into a tie for second in the league. After Oregon’s loss, the Cougs now stand alone in second, although there are still games to be played at Stanford and Cal this week.
Teder’s weekend against the Arizona schools might be the reason the Cougars end up with an NCAA Tournament berth. They now sit at No. 62 in the NET and 77th in our Her Hoop Stats rating.
Freshman of the Week
My vote: Rayah Marshall, USC
Winner: Rayah Marshall, USC
As mentioned several times in this space, I think Marshall has great potential. She won’t win Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, but she’s one of the top freshmen this season. She showed that once again with double-doubles against Utah and Colorado, two teams with NET rankings indicating that they are comfortably in the NCAA Tournament.
Marshall not only had back-to-back double-doubles but also averaged three blocks per game. She is now seventh overall in the country in blocks per game (2.40) and leads all freshmen in the stat.
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