ESPN is previewing the upcoming season all this week. There are two articlies of interest to Cardinal fans today:
The ESPN panel (Mechelle Voepel, Graham Hays, Charlie Creme and Melanie Jackson) rank Stanford #4 with this evaluation:
A great deal was on the shoulders of Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen the last four years, so they'll be missed. However, Stanford could be a speedier team overall this season, taking advantage of how fast posts/sisters Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike are. They will be the team leaders in all aspects. But expect the big freshman class to have an immediate impact, too, for the Pac-12 favorites.
Baylor leads the way as 2011-12 opens by Mechelle Voepel
The article is summarized well by its subtitle — "The run to Denver could hold many surprises". Voepel thinks there is no prohibitive favorite this season, and that that's great. This is what she has to say about Stanford:
The Pac-10 turned into the Pac-12 this season, but one thing didn't change a bit. The league remains the Stanford show, as the Cardinal look to tie UConn and LSU this season with five consecutive appearances in the Final Four. The Huskies won in four of those -- 2000, '02, '03 and '04 -- while the Tigers never got past the semifinals. Stanford made two title-game appearances and lost twice in the semis the last four years. A deep team that adds some speed and shooters with a highly regarded freshman class, Stanford will miss stalwarts Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen, now both in the WNBA. But led by sisters Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike, the Cardinal are positioned well again to contend for what would be the program's first NCAA championship since 1992.
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