Pac-12 preview revisited: UW a surprise, WSU in a slump, USC even better than expected

It’s finally here.

The Pac-12’s last women’s basketball season is about to heat up before nearly everyone scatters to the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12.

If the rivalry games are any indication, it’s setting up to be even more exciting that originally expected.

Colorado’s Jaylyn Sherrod was dominant on both ends of the court — 34 points, 6 steals — as the Buffaloes knocked off  Utah 76-65 on Saturday.

Washington upset then-No. 21 Washington State, 60-55, in early December behind 41 combined points from Lauren Schwartz and Hannah Stines.

UCLA’s Londynn Jones knocked down five 3-pointers, and Lauren Betts blocked six shots as the Bruins edged the Trojans, 71-64, Saturday.

That’s not all.

Five teams are ranked – No. 2 UCLA, No. 5 Colorado, No. 8 Stanford, No. 9 USC and No. 15 Utah — and two are receiving votes: Washington and Oregon State.

And all that talent. From current All-Americans like Stanford’s Cameron Brink, Utah’s Alissa Pili and UCLA’s Charmisa Osbourne to most likely future All-Americans USC’s JuJu Watkins, UCLA’s Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice and Arizona’s Breya Cunningham.

Wildcats’ coach Adia Barnes has said this might be the most competitive Pac-12 season ever. For years, each game was a battle. If top of the Pac teams could come out unscathed, either splitting or taking both games every weekend, it was considered a win.

However, that’s all in the past. This year, it’s on another level.

“I think about how hard it's going to be even split every weekend in the Pac-12. Well, that's going to be really hard, I think, for any team, especially a young team to be .500 in the Pac-12,” Barnes said. “It's going to be challenging for anybody. There is no bad team.”

Arizona won’t have to wait long to see how the difficult nonconference schedule prepared it for what's next, as Colorado and Utah are the first league opponents in McKale Center this weekend.

Here’s a look at how the media picked teams to finish before a ball was tipped and how it’s played out so far.

Utah (9-3, 0-1)

It seemed like an easy pick, as all five starters returned. Then, Gianna Kneepkens was lost for the entire season after breaking several bones in her foot. Pili will need to continue her unstoppable ways (37 points in a loss to No. 1 South Carolina) and others will need to step up to fill the gap.

UCLA (12-0, 1-0)

UCLA is as good as advertised. A combination of strong inside presence with Betts, tremendous guard play from the trio of Osbourne, Rice and Jones and role players that make them the complete package. The only thing that might hold UCLA back is the fouls. While the defense was the key to stopping USC’s sensational freshman, Watkins, she still scored 27 points, with 11 of them coming from the free-throw line.

Stanford (12-1, 1-0)

All it took was one loss to Gonzaga for Stanford to be on the outside of the Top 5 teams in the country. Despite that loss, this squad, with the emergence of Kiki Iriafen, Nunu Agara and Elena Bosgana, will make a long postseason run, again.

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Colorado (11-1, 1-0)

The Buffaloes have the key ingredients for finishing in the top third of the Pac-12 and a run in the NCAA Tournament. A prolific point guard (Sherrod), a 3-point shooter (Frida Formann) and a big (Netty Vonleh). When all three are firing — or even two of the three — they roll over opponents. The trio combined to score 70 of the Buffaloes’ 92 points in the upset of defending champ LSU in the first game of the season.

Washington State (11-3, 0-1)

The Cougars are just 4-3 since Nov. 25. What’s going on with the Cougars, who brought back important pieces in their Pac-12 Tournament title run last spring? It’s anyone’s guess, but it’s easy to see that star Charlisse Leger-Walker is in a deep slump, averaging 12.9 points — well under her career average of 17.6. She scored only four points against South Dakota State and is hitting 19% from long distance. WSU goes as Leger-Walker goes.

USC (10-1, 0-1)

It all starts with Watkins, who is averaging a league-leading 28.6 points per game — second nationally only to Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. She missed one game with an illness, and McKenzie Forbes, who also was sick herself, with the flu — stepped up with 36 points, 7 rebounds, four assists and two steals in an 85-77 win over Long Beach State.

Arizona (9-4, 1-0)

Everyone on the squad plays a big role because of the short bench. While it’s easy to look at the stats and say that Kailyn Gilbert has to keep up her scoring (15.4 ppg), the number of games the Wildcats win will really depend on the little things like staying disciplined, post players not getting in foul trouble and playing as a team on both ends of the court.

Oregon (9-5, 0-1)

It’s hard to get a read on the Ducks this season. While they played only one elite-level team in No. 6 Baylor (a loss) and Oklahoma State (a win), they lost to Santa Clara, Portland and Utah Tech. They have good pieces in Chance Gray, Grace VanSlooten, Phillipina Kyei and freshman Sofia Bell.

Washington (11-1, 1-0)

The Huskies are the surprise of the year so far. They’ve gained momentum and are using the top-scoring defense in the nation (only letting opponents score 46.8 points) and that slow-down offense using every second of the shot clock to do it.

Oregon State (12-0, 1-0)

While the Beavers are undefeated and are receiving votes in AP’s Top 25, they’ve played 10 of the 12 games at home and didn’t schedule one Top 25 opponent. Still, they have a double-double machine in sophomore Raegan Beers (19.6 points, 11.9 rebounds) and strong guard play with Talia von Oelhoffen, who is averaging 5.5 assists per game.

Cal (10-3, 0-1)

Cal has put together an impressive season so far. Marta Suarez leads the way with 13.5 points per game, with super senior Leilani McIntosh having the best season of her five-year career at Cal (11.8 ppg, 6.5 apg, and 28 steals). The Golden Bears also lead the league in offensive rebounds, averaging 14.5 per game.

Arizona State (8-5, 0-1)

It’s tough when you look at multiple statistical categories, and the Sun Devils are dead last or even in the bottom third. ASU lost Tyi Skinner to a season-ending injury, and it’s been hard to climb out of the hole. Jaddan Simmons, Jalyn Brown, Kadidia Toure, Trayanna Crisp and others are trying to put their mark on the season.