USC Sports Information Trojan Ebony Hoffman will be giving Pac-10 rivals headaches this season.

By Adam Titcher

Daily Bruin Contributor



The UCLA women’s basketball team has already received an automatic bid to a postseason tournament this year. As the host school for the Pac-10 Tournament, which will be held at the Staples Center in March, UCLA has an opportunity to go to the NCAA Tournament. But the Bruins do not want to be in any situation for a sympathy bid. Instead, they want to pick on the Pac-10 teams, who picked them apart last year.

“We just want to do what we have to, and if we do it, the wins will come,” sophomore guard Gennifer Arranaga said. “Every team is good, so we have to approach each game as if it is our last.”

The potential pitfall lies in the fact that every Pac-10 team is good.

Stanford is the team to beat. With their record at 8-0, their best start in five years, the No. 7 Cardinal is making headlines. They added a couple of freshmen who will contribute, and they are a team with a solid core of players. Sophomore forward Nicole Powell averages almost a double-double per game with 9.6 rebounds and 16.6 points. Alongside Powell is senior guard Lindsey Yamasaki, who adds 18.5 points per game. Not only will the Bruins face the Cardinal at home, they will also have to play at Maples Pavilion, where it is a crazy house.

Down the road, California poses a threat for the Bruins. While, they will show some weakness with nine new players, the Bruins know the Bears are a tough team.

Up north, the Washington schools are a yin and yang. Washington ended on a high note last year, making it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Despite the Huskies’ 4-3 start, UCLA head coach Kathy Olivier knows that junior guards Loree Payne and Emily Autrey threaten for the Bruin defense. They can easily put up double figures on any night, and Olivier knows that experience is an advantage for the Huskies. UCLA demolished them last year at Pauley, but the Bruins were dismantled in Seattle.

“They are solid inside and out,” Olivier said. “They are prepared to take chances because of their good decision-making. They really can stretch you out and nail you from the inside.”

On the other hand, there is not much to Washington State. The Bruins worked the Cougars last year at home. However, playing in Pullman, Wash., is a different story. It is a location that has plagued the Cougars’ recruitment, but it also hurts opponents. And the Bruins will have problems there despite the Cougars’ 2-4 start.

Another pair of threats for UCLA is Oregon and Oregon State. The Bruin team feels that Oregon is a little better of the two, but with a new coach, anything is possible. Still, Ducks redshirt junior guard Shaquala Williams returns after missing last season due to a knee injury. She averages 16 points per game and has helped the Ducks to a 4-3 season start. Likely their new inside group will be their weakness that the Bruins can feast off of. However, the key to beating the Ducks is beating their crowd. The Pac-10 tournament is held this year in Eugene, Ore. because the fans pack the arena with over 7,000 people each game.

Oregon State threatens the Bruins with senior guard Felicia Ragland, who averages 16.7 points per game, but despite her experience, the Beavers’ are off to a tepid 3-3 start.

“Felicia literally took over the game the last time we played,” Olivier said. “(Senior forward Ericka) Cook also does the little things, and (head coach) Judy Spoelstra does a great job with the talent she has.”

Their 3-3 start is only a mirage of how talented the Beavers can be at home. Like Oregon,who plays in front of rabid crowds at “the Pit,” Oregon State can fill Gill Coliseum with over 8,500 people.

The Arizona schools will not be easy for the Bruins but victories are anticipated. Arizona has a new point guard, and senior forward Elizabeth Pickney has the potential to light it up every night, averaging 18.2 points per contest. At 3-3 the Wildcats have already upset last year’s NCAA champion, No. 15 Notre Dame and impressed more than just the Bruins.

Arizona State is a team that over-achieved last year but should do well this year. Currently second in the Pac-10 with a 6-3 record, the Sun Devils have been in and out of the national rankings. They have size, speed and scoring weapons mixed with a lot discipline. They will be one of the other teams the Bruins will need to play tough.

Last but not least is USC. Olivier feels that the Trojans have the most athletic team in the conference. Senior Tiffany Elmore is a solid guard, and sophomore Ebony Hoffman. Hoffman was the only freshman to get All-Conference honors last year. Despite their 2-4, the Trojans should never be overlooked.

“We want to beat USC, but we want to approach a lot of the games like we have approached our non-conference games,” UCLA senior center Malika Leatham said.

The Bruins are guaranteed a spot in the tournament, but a low seed is not what they want.

In order to do well, the team knows it needs to win at least 13 conference games. This means road wins – a feat they could not accomplish last year, but have achieved this year. More than that, they need to win their home games.

In the end, though, all of these games are a crapshoot regardless of who has better talent.

“We just never know what is going to happen,” Olivier said. “We need to be a group, be fully focused all the time and just win.”