SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stanford has been picked by the Pac-12 coaches to win the conference title again this season behind reigning Player of the Year Chiney Ogwumike.
Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer’s Cardinal received a maximum 121 points and 11 first-place votes ahead of Thursday’s Pac-12 media day.
California is picked to finish second after the Golden Bears reached their first Final Four in program history last season in coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s second year.
Stanford missed reaching a sixth straight Final Four in VanDerveer’s 27th season at Stanford and 34th overall in Division I. The Cardinal lost in the NCAA tournament’s Spokane Regional semifinals, 61-59 to Georgia, to finish 33-3.
The rest of the preseason coaches’ poll: Colorado (third), Washington, UCLA, USC, Utah, Oregon State, Washington State, Arizona State, Arizona, Oregon.
