Despite being in its final moments, the Pac-12 Conference has emerged as a formidable force in this year’s NCAA women’s tournament, sending five teams into the Sweet 16, solidifying the conference's status among the elite in college basketball.
UCLA women's basketball coach Cori Close declared the Pac-12 “the best in the country” after the Bruins' 67-63 win over Creighton Monday.
“Every coach is campaigning that their conference is the best in the country. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard that. Well, I’m going to say it, and I’m going to say our numbers are backing it up,” Close said, per Joe Reedy of the Associated Press.
The Pac-12’s achievement is part of a longer trend of excellence, with the conference consistently positioning teams in the Sweet 16 since 2017, and achieving an all-Pac-12 final in 2021 when Stanford triumphed over Arizona. The conference's current success is a testament to its enduring legacy of producing top-tier women's basketball programs.
USC women's basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb, with a Women’s Final Four appearance under her belt, was not surprised by the conference's dominant performance, attributing it to the intense competition within the Pac-12.
“It was such a good league top to bottom. I’ve said the whole time I think even the teams in the middle were better than people realized,” Gottlieb said after USC beat Kansas 73-55 on Monday to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1994. “We knew that we were playing Sweet 16, Elite 8, quality games, Final Four-quality games, night in and night out and sometimes three and four times in a row.”
UCLA women's basketball, USC, three other Pac-12 teams eye Elite Eight
The spotlight is particularly shining brightly on USC, led by All-American freshman JuJu Watkins, as they prepare to face Baylor on Saturday. Both UCLA and USC drew significant crowds for their regional game. Watkins, who scored 28 points in the win Monday vs. Kansas, acknowledged the fans' dedication, expressing gratitude for their support on a busy weekday night in Los Angeles.
“It’s a Monday night in LA. We have students who probably have homework and school in the morning, so just to know that people really support us throughout their busy schedule,” said Watkins, who scored 28 points. “They could really be doing anything else, but they decided to be here so we’re grateful for them.”
Looking ahead, UCLA and Colorado are set to compete Saturday in the Albany 2 Regional, with the Bruins facing the defending national champion LSU, and Colorado up against No. 1 seed Iowa. Oregon State and Stanford are also vying for a spot in the Elite Eight on Friday, with the Beavers tackling Notre Dame and Stanford taking on North Carolina State.
This collective effort and success have fostered a sense of unity among the Pac-12 coaches, evidenced by a group chat started by Stanford's Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer, wishing luck to her conference counterparts.
According to Gottlieb, VanDerveer’s message was, “I know we’re going our separate ways, but let’s appreciate what we’ve all done together and let’s all send it out the best we can.”
Close highlighted the group chat as evidence of how far things have come in the conference.
“I just thought, you know, it used to be Stanford and the 11 dwarfs, and now look at it, and who is the first person to champion that balance? Tara,” Close said. “I just think it really has been a very special experience. We’ve built this together taking off our institutional hats and choosing to grow the game, and grow the conference was more important and that was a real big honor to be a part of.”
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