29 Comments

Thank you for this fantastic breakdown of all the teams. Love listening to Ann. Eager to see this last season play out and watch everyone battle each other!

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She’s been on the mic for 42 years… figured she’d know something.

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She even played college basketball back in her hometown Omaha at Creighton. She is such an asset to women's sports. So lucky to have her here in Oregon.

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I sure am looking forward to your deep dive into OSU and Oregon’s recent troubles this year. I hope it’s a great season for them both. What does Rueck’s contract look like? I figure they won’t let him go with the uncertainty of finances next year?

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Thanks for the informative story. I hope the coverage will be a weekly feature during the season. Would love to see reporting on recruiting/transfers after the season. Huskies just might surprise some folks. So far, their freshmen are some sharpshooters.

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Ann was a great resource to set the stage. Knows her stuff.

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Here’s to watching the women in the last PAC12 go around. Appreciate Ann’s insights.

Love watching Cameron Brink

Coach Langley and the Huskies have their work cut out for them. UnderDogs, indeed

GO DAWGS

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Amazing that a 7-seed won the whole thing last season.

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Go Cougs!

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Yup

GO DAWGS

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John, glad you have started to have coverage on PAC12 basketball, men and women, Using the broadcast legend and college athlete herself Ann Schatz (Creighton basketball & softball) is genius. I love her take as I am trying to savor this last PAC12 WBB season. With a fellow ND grad who also live in Corvallis who has a granddaughter at UO we decided to spend $99 bucks each and buy Duck WBB season tix this final year. We also want to go to as many Beaver WBB PAC12 games we can attend given the UO & OSU games are often on the same night. Still we already have tix for both Civil Wars.

The PAC12 has clearly been the greatest and most competitive WBB conference ever if you use NCAA tourney results with its incredible history led by 3x NCAA champion Coach Vanderveer, most recently 2021. She has taken Stanford to more NCAA tournaments than any other NCAA coach including the great Pat Summitt & Geno Auriemmo by making every tourney since 1988. No other conference has come close to having more than 1/2 of its schools make at least 1 final 4. (Stanford-15, USC-3 (including 2 championships), & then 5 PAC12 schools (Cal, UW, OSU, Oregon & Arizona) who have all made a Final 4 in the last 10 years. Technically you could even add UCLA who made 2 Final 4s and had a National Championship in 1978 when CWBB was governed by the AIAW before the NCAA took over WBB in 1982. UCLA along with ASU have had 2 NCAA Elite 8's and they along with Colorado and Utah have all made at least 1 Sweet 16 in the last 10 years which means 11 of the 12 have been that competitive, Then you add WSU who won the PAC12 championship last year, no conference has come close to the overall quality of PAC12 women's basketball.

This PAC12 season started out with a bang as Ann pointed out with Colorado's upset of #1 LSU. Then you add #21 USC's upset of #7 tOSU the PAC12 is the only undefeated conference in NCAA division 1 (14-0) as each team has played at least 1 game and are 3-0 against other Power 5 schools.

Such a shame this is its last season. We all need to savor it. Thanks again for highlighting PAC12 WBB Hope you do it all season.

Ed from Corvallis

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"runnin Ann Schatz"& ED Whelan were fun on Portland TV. Whelan's " burnt biscuit" awards was good fun.

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John, great article. Thank you for focusing on Ann and her analysis. Ann should be a HOF broadcaster. I love hearing her broadcast a game and focus on the players, regardless of whether it is basketball, soccer, softball. She often does broadcasts on her own in the Pac-12 network and make the game fascinating to listen to.

I think her analysis of this years Pac-12 women’s basketball is right on. It is going to be an amazing year, sadly the last.

I just hope that OSU/WSU in their Pac2 keep her on the broadcasts! She is Oregon’s treasure!

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Love Ann Schatz. Bring her back!

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I believe OSU will surprise some teams this year if they can stay healthy!!! and stay out of foul trouble!!!

There is no question the top three are very good!!!

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Ann is a great resource, and is as honest as the day is long. I agree with her analysis, including about the Beavs team. Need to keep Timea Gardiner on the court contributing. Donovyn Hunter looked terrific in their first game, and the team showed good ball movement—a switch for OSU offense.

Gonna be fun to watch these great teams—tough conference! Thanks John!

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Seems like Oregon is not up to it's usual standard under coach Graves. What gives? Go Ducks!

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Mr. Kiwi,

Indeed, “What gives?” It is difficult you me to understand how the Ducks could fall so far, so fast.

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P.H. Brenner & Kiwiduck, When a team has problems playing the game they love to play, apply analysis to the environment, team, and situation; then, start at the top and slowly work your way down (such as the HC, his staff of assistants) and determine whether they are leading and teaching, or doing something else (something like command climate) and the chemistry they create (or fail to create). Something has not been right on that team since Sabrina left.

VR, J Horvath

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Mr. Kiwi,

Please forgive my terrible editing - wanted to say - for me.

By the way, I live on the Puget Sound which, from my limited knowledge has no resemblance to the climates of New Zealand, and yet our Kiwi vines produce a bumper crop of fruit each year! Go figure!

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Best Sav Blanc and Pinot Noir just about anywhere. Used to buy NZ wines when living in OR and WA - and now that Aōtearoa is home always try to support the local winemakers and grape growers!

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I have followed Ann for years. Love reading her prospective. Good luck in “the booth” Ann.

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Ann and Ed Whalen and the Blazers consistently on top, magical memories. She even traveled to Houston to talk to Clyde after he won with them and he actually looked relieved that a person from Portland was there:)

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Ann and Ed are my all-time favorite duo. They were untouchable on KOIN. 'No charge dude.'

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Ed always introduced her as “Runnin’ Ann Schatz”

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RIP Ed & more Running Ann Schatz!

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Wazzu has more depth than they have had in the past, maybe ever. I look for them to be in the top 4. Go Cougs!

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It’s Leger-Walker, not Ledger. 😁

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Thanks John. Always appreciate you reaching out to others when it's appropriate and they can add their expertise. You've got fantastic connections and know how to use them!

One thing I'd be interested in learning more about is what's caused OSU and Scott Rueck to fall so far? He's been signing some phenomenal talent in recruiting, yet that talent either leaves or never lives up to their potential. Something isn't right.

I hear people say the problem is the conference has gotten stronger. I don't buy it. Not to fall this far in a continuous multi year slide. OSU wasn't just strong in the Pac 12, they were a national power getting to multiple sweet 16s in a row and even a final 4. That's not the type of program that should get so completely derailed just because the conference fot better. So many teams outside of the Pac 12 passed them by as well. There's got to be more to the story. Appreciate any investigative journalism you might be able to do. At least we know you'll shoot straight and tell the truth, whatever it may be.

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