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Bay Area teams battle Arizona teams
It's a huge weekend for Stanford, Cal, Arizona and Arizona State in both men's and women's basketball. The local men's teams host the desert duo and the women's teams travel to Tempe and Tucson. A lot is at stake for all four sides.In the ladies' race, 6-0 Cal leads the Pac pack, but 5-0 ASU, after a shaky preseason, is right with them. Stanford is in the unfamiliar slot of being two games back after the lost weekend in L.A. and is looking to make up some ground in cactus land. Can they turn the race back into a three-team scrum? Look for two great battles in Tempe where visitors run up against veteran talent including Briann January and Jill Noe and strong post play from Sybil Dosty and Lauren Lacy. And the Cardinal and Bears better not overlook a Zona team that could surprise someone. See my pics below.
The men's race is a big battle behind the dominant force of UCLA. Washington State looks strong and Oregon has been hot but those two and everyone else other than Washington and OSU are in the big mix in the middle. This weekend's games will sort some of that out.
New coach Herb Sendek has ASU off to a 3-0 start in league play, but they have feasted on home cooking. The thin road ledger includes a 77-54 loss at Illinois and a 62-47 defeat at Nebraska. Freshman James Harden leads the revitalized squad, but tests in Berkeley and Stanford may flunk this squad back a bit.
Talented Arizona has shown sparks of brilliance, along with bits of doubt. Part of the Wildcats' stumbles came when they played without injured star guard Jerryd Bayless. With Bayless back, the 'Cats are much stronger and they look to climb back in the Pac-10 race after a 1-2 start. Bayless averages 19.7 points, Chase Budinger contributes 17.1 and Jordan Hill adds 14.4 along with 8.1 rebounds.
Cal and Stanford want to protect the home court and hope to nab a pair of wins. That will be hard against this duo and even a 1-1 result wouldn't be too bad.
Men's basketball power rankings
1. UCLA (16-1 overall, 4-0 Pac-10): Kevin Love scored 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as UCLA busted out to a 26-8 lead in showdown against WSU.
2. Washington State (14-1, 2-1): Critics questioning WSU after Bruins kicked them early Saturday, but Cougs' dismantling of USC two nights earlier was proof Wazzu is for real.
3. Stanford (13-3, 2-2): Ranked ahead of Ducks? Yes, a close loss in Eugene doesn't shield fact Cardinal is a bit better.
4. Oregon (12-4, 3-1): Tajuan Porter had a steal and four big points in Ducks' 8-0 run in final two minutes of 71-66 win over Stanford.
5. Arizona (11-5, 1-2): 'Cats missed injured Bayless in loss at ASU, but he showed his value when healthy with 33 points in subsequent 85-71 win at 11-2 Houston.
Women's basketball power rankings
1. Cal (15-2 overall, 6-0 Pac-10): Ashley Walker is third in scoring with 17.2-point average, and she's tops in Pac-10 rebounding at 10.0 per game.
2. Arizona State (11-5, 5-0): This is the month for the Pac-10's assist leader, Briann January (4.88 per game).
3. Stanford (14-3, 4-2): Cardinal crushed weak OSU 81-45 and weak Oregon 83-49.
4. UCLA (9-8, 4-2): Senior Lindsey Pluimer (14.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg) is sole veteran among young, young, good, good Bruins.
5. USC (10-7, 3-3): Trojan sparkle flamed out with ugly 60-45 loss at Washington.
Pac-10 men's basketball pics
Thursday, Arizona at Stanford. Pic: Arizona by 3. Budinger and Bayless lead Zona's dangerous attack and that might be a bit too much. Stanford needs several players to step up, especially in the backcourt.
Saturday, Arizona State at Stanford. Pic: Stanford by 9. Young Devils will find road treacherous, especially against tough Bears and big Cardinal.
Pac-10 women's basketball pics
Thursday, Cal at Arizona State. Pic: ASU by 4. Bears have had some close calls (57-52 at USC, 73-70 at UCLA in OT), and veteran Devils will teach them a little lesson.
Sunday, Stanford at Arizona State. Pic: Stanford by 5. ASU is good, but hungry Cardinal is ready to bust out, and Candice Wiggins will lead the way.
E-mail Gordon Kass at gordonkass2@hotmail.com.
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