Oregon State "Best In Class"

Oregon State's women's basketball team has been named "Best In Class" by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association when they released their post-season rankings.

The Beavers, after winning both the Pac-12 Regular Season and Tournament titles, and then the Dallas Regional of the NCAA Women's basketball Tournament, fell to Connecticut in the first game of the Final Four last Sunday. But they came a little closer than Syracuse did in Tuesday's National Championship game, in which the Huskies completed a perfect season for their 4th consecutive, and 11th overall, title, and are ranked #2, up from #6 prior to the tournament. The Orange Women from 'Cuse came in 3rd.

UConn finished the season where they started, as the unanimous #1, and were on another level all year.

It's the highest the Oregon State women have ever been ranked. The Beavers have been ranked continuously since following the 2014 season, when they reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Oregon State led a strong Pac-12 performance that placed 5 teams in the top 16.

Washington also made their deepest run ever, also reaching the Final Four, and the Huskies, who finished 5th in the Pac-12 in the regular season, vaulted from unranked to 8th in the final poll.

Stanford, which Washington had to beat in the Elite 8 to get to the Final 4, finished 11th, up from 16th.

UCLA wound up 13th, and Arizona State rounded out the Pac-12 effort, at 16th.

The teams Oregon State beat in Dallas, Baylor and DePaul, wound up 4th & 17th, respectively.

Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com