Conference promises tough competition

  USC Sports Information Trojan Ebony
Hoffman will be giving Pac-10 rivals headaches this
season.

By Adam Titcher
Daily Bruin Contributor

The UCLA women’s basketball team has already received an
automatic bid to a postseason tournament this year. As the host
school for the Pac-10 Tournament, which will be held at the Staples
Center in March, UCLA has an opportunity to go to the NCAA
Tournament. But the Bruins do not want to be in any situation for a
sympathy bid. Instead, they want to pick on the Pac-10 teams,
who picked them apart last year.

“We just want to do what we have to, and if we do it, the
wins will come,” sophomore guard Gennifer Arranaga said.
“Every team is good, so we have to approach each game as
if it is our last.”

The potential pitfall lies in the fact that every Pac-10 team is
good.

Stanford is the team to beat. With their record at 8-0, their
best start in five years, the No. 7 Cardinal is making headlines.
They added a couple of freshmen who will contribute, and they
are a team with a solid core of players. Sophomore forward Nicole
Powell averages almost a double-double per game with 9.6
rebounds and 16.6 points. Alongside Powell is senior guard Lindsey
Yamasaki, who adds 18.5 points per game. Not only will the Bruins
face the Cardinal at home, they will also have to play at Maples
Pavilion, where it is a crazy house.

Down the road, California poses a threat for the Bruins. While,
they will show some weakness with nine new players, the Bruins know
the Bears are a tough team.

Up north, the Washington schools are a yin and yang. Washington
ended on a high note last year, making it to the Elite Eight of the
NCAA Tournament. Despite the Huskies’ 4-3 start, UCLA
head coach Kathy Olivier knows that junior guards Loree Payne and
Emily Autrey threaten for the Bruin defense. They can easily put up
double figures on any night, and Olivier knows that experience is
an advantage for the Huskies. UCLA demolished them last year at
Pauley, but the Bruins were dismantled in Seattle.

“They are solid inside and out,” Olivier said.
“They are prepared to take chances because of their good
decision-making. They really can stretch you out and nail you from
the inside.”

On the other hand, there is not much to Washington State. The
Bruins worked the Cougars last year at home. However, playing
in Pullman, Wash., is a different story. It is a location that
has plagued the Cougars’ recruitment, but it also hurts
opponents. And the Bruins will have problems there despite the
Cougars’ 2-4 start.

Another pair of threats for UCLA is Oregon and Oregon State. The
Bruin team feels that Oregon is a little better of the two,
but with a new coach, anything is possible. Still, Ducks redshirt
junior guard Shaquala Williams returns after missing last season
due to a knee injury. She averages 16 points per game and has
helped the Ducks to a 4-3 season start. Likely their new inside
group will be their weakness that the Bruins can feast off of.
However, the key to beating the Ducks is beating their crowd. The
Pac-10 tournament is held this year in Eugene, Ore. because the
fans pack the arena with over 7,000 people each game.

Oregon State threatens the Bruins with senior guard Felicia
Ragland, who averages 16.7 points per game, but despite her
experience, the Beavers’ are off to a tepid 3-3 start.

“Felicia literally took over the game the last time we
played,” Olivier said. “(Senior forward Ericka) Cook
also does the little things, and (head coach) Judy Spoelstra does a
great job with the talent she has.”

Their 3-3 start is only a mirage of how talented the
Beavers can be at home. Like Oregon,who plays in front of
rabid crowds at “the Pit,” Oregon State can fill Gill
Coliseum with over 8,500 people.

The Arizona schools will not be easy for the Bruins but
victories are anticipated. Arizona has a new point guard, and
senior forward Elizabeth Pickney has the potential to light it up
every night, averaging 18.2 points per contest. At 3-3 the Wildcats
have already upset last year’s NCAA champion, No. 15 Notre
Dame and impressed more than just the Bruins.

Arizona State is a team that over-achieved last year but should
do well this year. Currently second in the Pac-10 with a 6-3
record, the Sun Devils have been in and out of the national
rankings. They have size, speed and scoring weapons mixed with a
lot discipline. They will be one of the other teams the Bruins will
need to play tough.

Last but not least is USC. Olivier feels that the Trojans
have the most athletic team in the conference. Senior Tiffany
Elmore is a solid guard, and sophomore Ebony Hoffman. Hoffman was
the only freshman to get All-Conference honors last year. Despite
their 2-4, the Trojans should never be overlooked.

“We want to beat USC, but we want to approach a lot of the
games like we have approached our non-conference games,” UCLA
senior center Malika Leatham said.

The Bruins are guaranteed a spot in the tournament, but a low
seed is not what they want.

In order to do well, the team knows it needs to win at least 13
conference games. This means road wins ““ a feat they
could not accomplish last year, but have achieved this year. More
than that, they need to win their home games.

In the end, though, all of these games are a crapshoot
regardless of who has better talent.

“We just never know what is going to happen,”
Olivier said. “We need to be a group, be fully focused all
the time and just win.”