Stanford picked to win Pac-12 regular-season crown

A poll of league coaches has predicted a 15th consecutive Pac-12 basketball win for the Cardinal women.|
JANIE MCCAULEY
ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN FRANCISCO — Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer's Stanford team has been picked to win a 15th consecutive Pac-12 regular-season women's basketball championship.

A poll of the league coaches gave the Cardinal 116 points and seven first-place votes, the Pac-12 announced during its media day Wednesday. Bay Area rival California was chosen to finish in second place.

Despite losing Pac-12 Player of the Year and All-American Chiney Ogwumike to the WNBA, VanDerveer welcomes back 12 letterwinners from last season, when the Cardinal reached the Final Four for the sixth time in seven years.

Cal has been to the postseason in nine straight seasons, including the program's first Final Four berth in 2013 under coach Lindsay Gottlieb.

Following the Golden Bears in the preseason poll are Oregon State, UCLA, Washington, USC, Arizona State, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado, Utah and Arizona.

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