At the start of the season, UCLA tackled the toughest nonconference schedule in the nation. The Bruins ended nonconference play with seven losses — four of those losses were served from top 10 teams.
UCLA is now three games into Pac-12 conference play, winning its first game against USC and dropping the past two games to Oregon State and Oregon.
The road ahead for the Bruins is far from easy. A series of games against a competitive Pac-12 still awaits them.
While East Coast schools tend to dominate the NCAA tournament, coach Cori Close believes that the Pac-12 has grown to be a strong force in women’s basketball as well.
“Our conference is as good as it’s been in, I believe, 15 years. We’re going to have a chance to be tested every night,” Close said. “Our players want to reach their potential on the court and as young women. This conference gives them the best opportunity, I believe, in the county to do that.”
The race for the conference title
The Bruins, once projected to finish fourth in the Pac-12, are now 1-2 in the conference and reside in ninth place as of Tuesday.
“I couldn’t care less what people think we’re going to finish. I just want us to get better,” Close said. “We need to focus on one thing and one thing only: How can I be a great teammate tomorrow?”
UCLA is watching from below while the top spot in the Pac-12 is fought over by four undefeated teams. Stanford (10-4, 2-0 Pac-12), which has won or shared 14 consecutive conference titles, is now ranked fourth, due to three other aggressive unbeaten Pac-12 teams with better overall records.
Arizona State (13-1, 2-0 Pac-12) has lost only one game this season and is still undefeated in the Pac-12 after winning games against the University of Washington and Washington State.
Similarly, Oregon State (12-1, 2-0 Pac-12) has only lost one game this season to No. 7 Tennessee. The Beavers are the highest ranked Pac-12 team in the national standings at No. 11. Stanford and Arizona State are ranked 15th and 18th, respectively.
Cal (10-3, 2-0 Pac-12), projected to either take the title or finish second by the end of the Pac-12 tournament, is yet another undefeated team vying for the title.
“I’m not scared of any of those teams. We’ve already played Oregon State, who’s probably the best team in our conference right now in terms of rankings,” said redshirt sophomore guard Kari Korver. “It gives us confidence going against Cal and Stanford … that there’s nothing to fear. We’re trying to grow each game.”
In order to climb back up in the rankings, it is crucial for UCLA to bring home wins from two away games this weekend against Colorado and Utah, both 0-2 teams in the Pac-12.
“We’re not afraid of challenges, that’s why we are at UCLA,” said redshirt junior forward Kacy Swain. “We’re all excited. … It’s a great opportunity.”
The top names in the Pac
The Pac-12 houses not only top-ranked teams but also some of the nation’s top talents.
Washington guard Kelsey Plum, the second-ranked player in the NCAA in points per game, had a career high of 45 points this season on the Huskies opening night against Oklahoma.Plum was the nation’s top scorer until Washington faced ASU’s guard Promise Amukamara, the most recent Pac-12 Player of the Week. Amukamara posted a strong defensive effort that forced Plum to eight points below her scoring average.
Although the Bruins were able to snap Oregon forward Jillian Alleyne’s 21 straight double-double streak, Alleyne still comes in at second in the nation in defensive rebounds per game and 13th in offensive rebounds, and leads the nation in double-doubles.
While Cal guard Brittany Boyd leads the nation in assists and comes in at fifth in steals per game, Sydney Wiese and Ruth Hamblin of Oregon State have also proved dominant in competitive play this season, both offensively and defensively.
Stanford’s Amber Orrange and Lili Thompson have been consistent threats on the court. Thompson scored 24 points against the once top-ranked University of Connecticut, and Orrange sunk the three-pointer that ultimately pushed the game into overtime and led to a Stanford win, ending the Huskies’ 47 game winning streak.
Although her team of newcomers faces the inevitable task of playing nationally ranked players, Close looks at the tough competition as one reason why her players decided to commit to UCLA, and is eager to see her team improve.
“It’s why (our players) came here. … They want to represent UCLA in the best way. The road ahead is that we get to challenge ourselves against the best every single time,” Close said. “The road ahead is that there are no nights off in this conference. Those don’t exist anymore.”