Next up: L.A. road trip

The Cardinal head south to what may well be their toughest weekend of the conference season. UCLA and USC both performed well in non-conference play and began the Pac-10 season with wins against the Arizona teams – on the road.

USC Trojans

USC had a non-conference schedule that was ranked among the top 10 toughest in the nation. They did better than their 6-5 win-loss record indicates. Two of the losses were to ranked teams Xavier (in overtime) and Duke (by six points, on the road). They defeated two ranked teams (Texas and Mississippi State, on the road in the Paradise Jam).

The knee injuries and the woeful lack of fan support continue. Four players are out with ACLs – freshman guard Vicky Tagalicod, sophomore forward Michelle Jenkins, red-shirt sophomore guard Stefanie Gilbreath for the third straight season, and red-shirt junior guard Jackie Gemelos for the fourth straight season (but it is expected that she'll be cleared to play this month or the next).

The presence of new head coach Michael Cooper hasn't attracted fans to the Galen Center. The average attendance is 707. But Cooper has had a strong positive impact on the team. Michelle Smith reports in this article that, "He has fostered a championship mentality embraced by a team that was weary of the roller coaster of inconsistent performances over the past few years."

USC is not strong in the post, but they shoot the ball well – they make 38.5% of their 3-point attempts, the best in the Pac-10.

5'9" sophomore guard Ashley Corral has replaced Camille LeNoir's scoring and leadership at the point. She is USC's top scorer (15.7 points per game), top 3-point shooter (2.6 per game at a rate of 34.7%), top free throw shooter (85% ), top "assistant" (5.8 assists with 4.4 turnovers per game), top stealer (1.8 per game) and second-best rebounder (5.8 per game).

6'1" sophomore guard Briana Gilbreath, who was the 2009 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, continues to improve. She makes the most blocks (1.8 per game) and is the second-best scorer (12.9 ppg) and rebounder (5.8 rpg).

6'2" senior guard/forward Aarika Hughes is the best rebounder (6.6 per game) and averages 8.9 points per game.

6'5" junior center Kari LaPlante is USC's tallest player, but is not a strong presence in the post. She makes 4.3 rebounds and 5.5 points per game.

The fifth starter is 6'2" senior guard Hailey Dunham.

Coming off USC's short bench are:

• 5'10" senior guard Heather Oliver contributes 9.2 points per game, 5.8 of them from beyond the arc. She is USC's most accurate 3-point shooter at 50%.
• 5'7" senior guard Daniela Roark also makes 50% of her three point attempts, but doesn't try as many. She averages 3.5 points per game.
• 6'1" freshman forward Christina Marinacci.
• 5'10" junior forward Michelle Franco.

The Trojan's win-loss record (8-5 overall, 2-0 conference) places them 3rd in the Pac-10, their RPI (39) places them 3rd, and their strength of schedule (4) places them 2nd.

Here are their 2009-10 statistics and their roster.

UCLA Bruins

The Bruins are off to a good start under second-year head coach Nikki Caldwell. They had a fairly difficult non-conference schedule. They lost to two ranked teams on the road (Tennessee by 14 points and Kansas by five).

UCLA may be the most athletic and best defensive team in the Pac-10. Their pressure defense has held their opponents to no more than 61 points so far, which is second-best in the Pac-10 (to Oregon State, which has had a much weaker schedule).

6'1" freshman forward Markel Walker may be the best freshman in the Pac-10. She is UCLA's top scorer (12.9 points per game) and rebounder (8.5 per game). She has the most steals (2.2 per game).

5'11" sophomore guard Jasmine Dixon transferred from Rutgers and has been in the starting lineup since she became eligible to play in mid-December. She is just behind Markel in points (12.7) and rebounds (7.7) per game.

5'8" junior guard Darxia Morris opens up the floor with her dribble penetration.She has scored in double digits in all but three games this season. She averages 10.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.6 turnovers per game.

5'10" junior guard Doreena Campbell provides leadership and solid consistent play. Her statistics are almost the same as Morris' – 10.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 turnovers per game.

6'0" senior guard Erica Tukiainen is the main source of three-pointers for UCLA. She averages 2.0 per game at a rate of 50%. Morris and Campbell hit about one per game, and no other Bruin has a significant number of attempts.

UCLA has a long bench. These five reserves contribute almost 20 points a game and play an average of about 16 minutes:

• 6'6" senior center Moniquee Alexander
• 6'4" junior forward Christina Nzekwe
• 6'1" junior forward Nina Earl
• 6'0" sophomore guard Rebecca Gardner
• 5'3" freshman guard Mariah Williams

Completing the roster are:

• 5'11" sophomore guard/forward Atonye Nyingifa, who was on the Pac-10 All-Tournament team last season. She had a knee operation in May and has appeared only briefly in UCLA's last game against Arizona State.
• 5'8" senior guard Allison Taka
• 5'10" walk-on freshman guard Jackie Shephard

The Bruin's win-loss record (9-4 overall, 2-0 conference) places them 2nd in the Pac-10, their RPI (24) places them 2nd, and their strength of schedule (22) places them 3rd.

Here are their 2009-10 statistics and their roster.