Top matchups in Pac-12 highlight the week ahead in women’s basketball

By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer

After a relatively quiet December between exams and the holidays, it’s time for women’s basketball to start heating up with the beginning of conference play.

The Pac-12 has been dominant in non-conference play and boasts five of the top 12 teams in the country led by No. 2 UCLA and sixth-ranked USC. The two Los Angeles schools are both in the top 10 this season for the first time since 1981. They’ll meet on Saturday.

The Bruins won both matchups last season by a combined four points and the Trojans didn’t have star freshman JuJu Watkins. She’s averaging 26.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists so far this season.

UCLA has had a potent inside-outside game with transfer Lauren Betts dominating the interior. She’s averaging 16.9 points and 9.2 rebounds while shooting 77.1% from the field. Kiki Rice and Charisma Osborne have been providing the offense from the outside.

The Los Angeles rivalry isn’t the only big matchup in the Pac-12 on Saturday. Eighth-ranked Colorado will host No. 12 Utah in another that same day.

Colorado had one of the biggest wins in the non-conference, knocking off defending champion LSU in the season opener. The Buffaloes lone loss this season came against North Carolina State.

Utah has two losses so far with those coming against 10th-ranked Baylor and No. 1 South Carolina.

Here are other things to look forward to during the last week of 2023.

HARD LUCK HUSKIES

UConn had three defeats in the non-conference season to UCLA, N.C. State and Texas and has also lost three players to season-ending injuries since the summer with Azzi Fudd, Jana El Alfy and Ayanna Patterson all out. Caroline Ducharme has been out with neck issues.

BIG 12 RISING

The Pac-12 is one of three conferences that has no teams with a losing record. The SEC and the Big 12 are the other two. The Big 12 gained a fifth team in the Top 25 this week as West Virginia entered the poll at No. 25 on Monday. The Big 12 now has No. 5 Texas, No. 10 Baylor, No. 11 Kansas State, No. 23 TCU and West Virginia ranked, marking the first time since the 2021-22 season that’s happened.

There’s a massive opening game between Baylor and Texas on Saturday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here.

___

AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball