Least Surprising News of the Season

These may be the two least surprising news items of the season:

• Tara signs six-year contract extension.

  More than two decades after she arrived, Tara VanDerveer feels as if she's hitting her stride as the Stanford women's basketball coach. And VanDerveer will stride into the next decade after signing a six-year contract extension that will keep her at the helm of the Cardinal program through the 2011-12 season. (More ... )

• Stanford picked to win Pac-10 title.

  For the seventh year in a row, six-time defending conference champion Stanford has been voted as the favorite to win the 2006-07 Pac-10 women's basketball title, according to the preseason coaches poll. (More ... )