PAC-10 UPDATE GAME OF THE WEEK
VS The Sun Devils, riding a conference-leading
three-game win streak, will host a struggling Arizona squad that
has lost two straight in a bttle for second place in the
conference. An ASU victory will not come easy, however, as the
Wildcats currently have a 14-game win streak against the Sun
Devils, and Arizona head coach Joan Bonvicini seeks career win No.
499. PAC-10 FOOTBALL STANDINGS OVERALL CONFER.
Oregon 11-4 4-1 Arizona 14-4 4-2 Washington 11-5 4-2 Arizona St.
12-6 4-2 Washington St. 8-8 3-3 Oregon St. 10-5 2-3 Stanford 8-7
2-3 UCLA 3-13 2-3 USC 6-9 1-4 California 5-10 1-4
SCHEDULE GAME
TIME Thursday USC @ Oregon 1 p.m.
UCLA @ Oregon St. 7:05 p.m. Washington St. @ California 7:30 p.m.
Washington @ Stanford 7:30 p.m. Source: Pac-10 Conference Original
Graphic by VICTOR CHEN/Daily Bruin Web Adaptation by JUSTIN HONG
and NATALIE DAVIS
No clear leader
Just last week it seemed 19th-ranked Arizona (14-4, 4-2 Pac-10)
and No. 20 Oregon (11-4, 4-1) were the odds-on favorites to win the
Pac-10 conference, but after a miserable weekend for both teams,
anything seems possible in the current conference situation.
While Arizona traveled to Los Angeles and suffered two tough
losses to USC and UCLA, Oregon lost a close contest to Washington
State.
Now it seems everything is up for grabs. Before the week
started, Oregon and Arizona were a combined 7-0 in conference play,
but when all was said and done they ended up losing to three teams
whose combined Pac-10 win record was only three games.
The new trend gives hope to teams who weren’t considered
in the running for the conference title.
“We play each other so much that we all know each
other’s strengths and weaknesses,” said UCLA head coach
Kathy Olivier, whose 3-13 Bruins received two votes in the latest
ESPN Coaches Poll. “It explains why Pac-10 games are so
close.”
Wounded Ducks
The Oregon Ducks may have sole possession of the top spot in the
Pac-10 standings this week, but their impending play against UCLA
and USC could be hampered this week in light of injuries suffered
in their Jan. 18 victory over Washington.
Starters Angelina Wolvert and Lindsey Dion both sustained
injuries against the Huskies, a likely factor in Oregon’s
loss to Washington State, their first in conference play, two days
later.
Dion (ankle sprain) is listed as probable for this
weekend’s contests, while Wolvert (knee sprain), the
Ducks’ leading scorer, is doubtful.
Stanford falls from rankings
After a weekend in which they defeated Cal in their rivalry
matchup, Stanford fell from the top 25 in both the AP and ESPN
polls. Previously unranked Villanova (13-4) and Colorado (13-3)
surpassed the Cardinal to claim the No. 24 and 25 spots in the AP
Poll.
Arizona and Oregon remain the only two Pac-10 squads in the top
25 at No. 19 and No. 20, respectively. Stanford received 16 votes
in the AP and 31 votes in the Coaches Poll, while Washington and
Arizona State received eight and one votes, respectively, in the
AP. UCLA also received two votes in the Coaches Poll.
Levens named Player of Week
Arizona State guard Amanda Levens was named the Pac-10
Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for her part in driving
her team to its first-ever road sweep of the Los Angeles
schools.
Levens averaged 15 points, four rebounds, and 2.5 assists over
the weekend to earn player of the week honors for the first time in
her career.
Notes compiled by Joshua Mason, Daily Bruin Reporter.