USC Picked to Finish Third in Pac-10 Basketball Race

USC was chosen to finish third in the Pac-10 Conference women's basketball race, according to a poll of media members who cover Pac-10 women's basketball. The Stanford Cardinal was chosen to finish first.

The poll shows Stanford, the seven-time Pac-10 champion, to repeat for the third consecutive season. The Cardinal received 14 first-place votes to total 140 points. Stanford returns all five starters from its 1995-96 Final Four squad and USA Basketball Coach of the Year, Tara VanDerveer, is back at the helm. Oregon finishes in a strong second with 122 points and looks to be a tough Pac-10 competitor with two All-American candidates returning. The race for third through sixth is tight with USC edging out Arizona by one point. UCLA and Washington are not too far behind with the Bruins tabbed to finish fifth and the Huskies sixth. Washington State is chosen to finish seventh, followed closely by California and Oregon State. Arizona State is slotted to finish 10th.

The 1996-97 Pac-10 Women's Basketball Media Poll

     Team          Pts
 1.  Stanford      140
 2.  Oregon        122 
 3.  USC            91
 4.  Arizona        90
 5.  UCLA           84
 6.  Washington     83
 7.  Washington St. 53
 8.  California     43
 9.  Oregon State   40
10.  Arizona State  24