Stanford's women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer is on the brink of a historic milestone, poised to become the all-time winningest coach in college basketball history. The achievement could come as soon as Friday as her team, the eighth-ranked Cardinal, prepares for their upcoming home games against Oregon on Friday and Oregon State on Sunday. VanDerveer, a Hall of Fame coach, currently holds 1,201 victories, just one shy of surpassing the record set by former Duke men's coach Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski.

VanDerveer's career spans over four decades, including seven seasons at Idaho and Ohio State, before taking the helm at Stanford in 1985-86. With a career record of 1,201-267 and 1,049-216 at Stanford, her journey has been marked by both dedication and success.

However, despite nearing the monumental record, VanDerveer remains unphased and focused on the Cardinal's future matchups.

“We’re not really focused on that,” VanDerveer said, as reported via Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press. “Honestly, we’re just trying to play well each game.”

Meanwhile, UConn coach Geno Auriemma, is sitting seven wins behind VanDerveer, and has been navigating his team through a series of challenges, including significant injuries. The ninth-ranked Huskies have shown impressive resilience in the face of adversity, stringing together 10 consecutive victories.

“Each individual, I think, has committed themselves differently,” Auriemma said after a win over St. John’s on Jan. 13. “I said to somebody earlier out there, we spent all of November trying to find out: ‘Who I am. Who I am. Who I am.’ And we spent all December trying to figure out: ‘Who do we need to be. Who do we need me to be.’ And it’s really changed the entire trajectory of our team.”

As VanDerveer approaches this historic milestone, the Pac-12 conference remain competitive. Notable matchups include the top-spot battle in the conference standings with No. 5 UCLA and sixth-ranked Southern California visiting No. 3 Colorado and 20th-ranked Utah. Stanford, with their one loss, remains a formidable contender.