Next up: Cougars and Huskies

Tara warns us not to be complacent, "Everyone brings their A-game against Stanford." But fans hope that next weekend's games at home against Washington and Washington State will be a respite for our battle-weary Cardinal.

Washington State Cougars

Many predicted that WSU, led by June Daugherty in her third season as head coach, would jump up in the conference standings this season, but they are not quite there yet. They have been hampered by injuries and youth.

Two key players are out for the season with knee injuries. 6'8" sophomore center Jessica Oestreicher was needed to help take the place of centers Ebonee Coates and Heather Molzen, who graduated in 2009. 5'10" freshman guard Ireti Amojo, who is perhaps the most athletic player on the team, has played on the German U16, U18 and U20 National teams.

The Cougars' best players are quick guards, but they're very young. WSU starts three sophomores and two freshmen. On the bench are two juniors, two sophomores and a freshman. Daugherty said, "I think they are working extremely hard to understand our system. I certainly like the direction we are going, [but] it's a work in progress for us."

5'8" freshman guard KiKi Moore is, according to Daugherty, "... one of those special kids who don't come along too often." She is second on the team in points per game (13.5). She has scored in double digits in 13 of 15 games. She leads the team in steals (3.3 per game, the best in the Pac-10) and assists (3.6 per game), but unfortunately also has the most turnovers (4.7 per game).

5'8" sophomore guard April Cook is the Cougars' top scorer with 13.7 points per game. She too has scored in double digits in 13 of 15 games. She is the best three-point shooter (1.4 per game at a rate of 26.6%).

5'10" sophomore guard Jazmine Perkins is the best rebounder (6.1 per game), second-best three-point shooter (1.3 per game at a rate of 26.0%) and third-best scorer (11.1 points per game). She takes better care of the ball than Moore – 2.1 assists and 2.3 turnovers per game.

6'1" sophomore guard/forward Rosie Tarnowski is the second-best rebounder (5.9 per game). She averages 5.1 points per game and sinks a three less than once a game.

6'5" freshman center Carly Noyes is the Cougars' only active "big". She's not a great rebounder (just 4.5 per game), but does get 1.8 blocks per game.

The five reserves play from eight to 18 minutes each and contribute a total of 15.4 points and 14.6 rebounds per game:

• 5'8" freshman guard Kati Grad gets the most minutes off the bench.
• 5'6" sophomore guard Danielle LeNoir (yes, Camille's sister)
• 6'0" junior guard/forward Katie Calderwood
• 6'0" junior forward Katie Madison
• 6'1" sophomore forward Lexie Pettersen

Although individual defensive statistics aren't impressive, the team as a whole does a good job on defense. They average 42.3 rebounds a game, 3rd best in the Pac-10, just 3.5 less than Stanford. They have the 3rd most steals in the conference (10.3 per game). They have the 3rd fewest turnovers (16 per game), and their opponents have almost six more, giving them the best turnover margin in the conference.

WSU's win-loss record (5-10 overall, 0-4 conference) places them 10th in the Pac-10, their RPI (159) places them 10th, and their strength of schedule (70) places them 8th.

Their performance has been better than the win-loss record indicates. They had a fairly tough non-conference schedule, and six of the ten losses were by no more than ten points. So don't count the Cougars out yet. They have talent and a very good coach — there's lots of room for improvement.

Here are their 2009-10 statistics and their roster.

University of Washington Huskies

2009 wasn't a good year for the Huskies. They finished last in the Pac-10, were picked to finish last again this season and ended the non-conference season in 9th place with a 5-5 record. Third-year coach Tia Jackson said, "We know what it takes to win. It’s important that we capitalize on our aggressive defense – which is kinda what our signature is." They may have known, but they weren't doing it.

It didn't help that they lost four players to injuries. Senior forward Lydia Young, sophomore forward Liz Lay and freshman guard Amanda Johnson (the Huskies' top recruit) had season-ending knee surgeries. Senior guard Sara Mosiman is out indefinitely after undergoing right shin surgery.

But things started to change a couple of weeks ago. There was a new energy about the team. They finally began playing together as a unit. Jackson thinks she knows why, "We learned a lot in our preseason games and in the month of December being away we were together as a team and we learned a lot. We learned how to gel, how to deal, good days, bad days. I think it's a credit to being away and bonding as a group."

They have won their last three games and are now 5th in the Pac-10. But they're not out of the woods yet. They still have the fewest rebounds in the Pac-10, score the second-fewest points per game, have the fewest assists and have the lowest assist-to-turnover ratio.

5'10" senior guard/forward Sami Whitcomb is Washington's star player. She is their top scorer (14.0 points per game), rebounder (6.0 per game) and three-point shooter (1.6 per game at a rate of 37.9%). She's the only Husky who averages double-digit scores. She has scored in double digits in nine of 14 games, over 20 in five of them. She has the best free throw percentage in the Pac-10 (91.7%)). She averages 2.6 assists and 2.6 turnovers per game.

5'10" sophomore guard/forward Kristi Kingma is still rehabbing from an ankle injury. She joined the starting lineup after Sara Mosiman had her surgery. She is the second-best scorer (9.5 points per game) and three-point shooter (1.0 per game at a rate of 33.3%). She and Whitcomb are the only ones who attempt more than one three-pointer per game.

5'8" junior guard Sarah Morton averages 5.6 points. 2.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists with 3.1 turnovers per game.

6'3" redshirt sophomore forward/center Mackenzie Argens is Washington's biggest threat in the paint. She redshirted her freshman year after tearing her ACL, and she played with a brace last year. This season she feels freer on the court and is a lot more aggressive. She averages 7.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

6'3" redshirt sophomore center Regina Rogers sat out last season after she transferred to UW from UCLA. Although she's in the starting lineup, she plays just 16 minutes a game, during which she averages 7.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. She is working hard to improve her physical conditioning.

The Huskies get 16.1 points off the bench from five reserves who play between seven and 18 minutes per game:

• 6'2" senior forward/center Laura McLellan
• 6'2" sophomore forward Mollie Williams
• 5'10" sophomore forward Charmaine Barlow
• 5'8" senior guard Christina Rozier
• 6'0" freshman forward Jeneva Anderson

The Huskies' win-loss record (8-6 overall,3-1 conference) places them 5th in the Pac-10, their RPI (106) places them 8th, and their strength of schedule (63) places them 7th.

Here are their 2009-10 statistics and their roster.