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4 2015-16 PAC-12 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL MEDIA GUIDE // PAC-12 CONFERENCE PAC-12 CONFERENCE Built on a firm founda- tion of academic excellence and superior athletic perfor- mance, the Conference ush- ered in a new era on July 1, 2011, officially becoming the Pac-12 Conference with the additions of the University of Colorado and University of Utah. Just 27 days after the Conference officially changed its name, Commissioner Larry Scott announced the creation of the Pac-12 Net- works on July 27, 2011, solidifying a landmark televi- sion deal and putting the Conference on the forefront of collegiate athletics. The Networks, including one national network, six regional networks, and a robust digital network marked the first-ever integrated media company owned by a college conference. In addition, the "TV Everywhere" rights allow fans to access Pac- 12 Networks outside the home on any digital device, including smartphones and tablet computers. That same year, the Pac-12 also launched its Glo- balization Initiative to proactively promote the Confer- ence and member institutions through student-athlete exchanges and sport. In the first four years, Pac-12 student-athletes have enjoyed unique cultural and ath- letic experiences in China, fielding full university and Pac-12 all-star teams in women's volleyball and men's basketball, with the first-ever men's basketball regular season game schedule to be played in China between WASHINGTON and Texas to tip off the 2015-16 cam- paign. The Conference and its member schools have gained significant brand exposure for the future and set a foundation for growth. On the field, the Pac-12 rises above the rest, uphold- ing its tradition as the "Conference of Champions ®," claiming an incredible 140 NCAA team titles since 1999- 2000, including nine in 2014-15, an average of nearly nine championships per academic year. Even more im- pressive has been the breadth of the Pac-12's success, with championships coming in 28 different men's and women's sports. The Pac-12 has led or tied the nation in NCAA Championships in 49 of the last 55 years, the only exceptions being in 1980-81, 1988-89, 1990-91 and 1995-96 when the Conference finished second, and only twice finished third in 1998-99 and 2004-05. For the 10th-consecutive year, the Pac-12 had the most or tied for the most NCAA titles of any conference in the country, winning at least six every year since 2000-01. No other conference has won double-digit NCAA crowns in a single year, the Pac-12 doing so sev- en times, including a record 14 in 1996-97. Spanning nearly a century of outstanding athletics achievements, the Pac-12 was the first conference to reach 400 championships in 2010-11. With the inclusion of Colorado and Utah, the Conference surpassed another major milestone, with league teams capturing 450 titles, outdistancing the next conference by nearly 200. In all, Conference teams have won 478 NCAA Championships (291 men's, 158 women's, 29 combined). Pac-12 members have won 291 NCAA team cham- pionships on the men's side, 77 more than the next closest conference. Men's NCAA crowns have come at a phenomenal rate for the Pac-12 - 16 basketball titles by six schools (more than any other conference), 54 tennis titles, 47 outdoor track & field crowns, and 28 baseball titles. Pac-12 members have won 25 of 46 NCAA titles in volleyball, 41 of 46 in water polo, 29 in skiing, and 24 in swimming & diving national champi- onships. Individually, the Conference has produced an im- pressive number of NCAA individual champions. Over 2,000 (2,208) individual crowns have been won by Pac-12 student-athletes over the years with 1,333 by male student-athletes. Student-athletes have also cap- tured 174 individual titles at combined championships (ie., skiing and fencing). On the women's side, the story is much the same. Since the NCAA began conducting women's champion- ships 34 years ago, Pac-12 members have claimed at least four national titles in a single season on 25 occa- sions, including 15-consecutive years from 2000-2015. Overall, the Pac-12 has captured 158 NCAA women's titles, easily outdistancing the SEC, which is second with 97. Pac-12 members have dominated a number of sports, winning 23 softball titles, 21 tennis crowns, 14 volleyball titles, 16 of the last 26 trophies in golf, and 14 in swimming & diving. Pac-12 women student-athletes shine nationally on an individual basis, as well, having captured an un- matched 701 NCAA individual crowns, an average of nearly 21 championships per season. The Pac-12's excellence is further proven in the an- nual Division I Learfield Sports Directors' Cup competi- tion, the prestigious award that honors the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country. STANFORD continued its remarkable run and won a remarkable 21st-consecutive Directors' Cup in 2014-15 leading the Pac-12 to an unprecedented 1-2-3 finish in the final standings. Seven Pac-12 member institutions ranked among the top-30 Division I programs, tying for the most of any conference, and five were in the top 15: No. 1 STANFORD, No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 USC, No. 12 CALIFORNIA and No. 13 OREGON. At least five mem- ber institutions have been ranked in the top 20 in all but one year of the Director's Cup program, with seven ap- pearing in the top 20 on five different occasions (1998, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2006). 2014-15 REVIEW The Conference's nine NCAA titles came in the form of four men's and four women's, and one combined team title. Five different league schools claimed NCAA titles and, of the seven NCAA institutions to have won multiples titles, three were from the Pac-12. No other conference in the country had more than one team win multiple NCAA titles. OREGON was one of only two programs in the coun- try to win three NCAA titles this academic season. The Ducks successfully defended its indoor and outdoor NCAA Track & Field titles, and also won the women's outdoor crown for the first time in 30 years. It is the second straight year UO has won three national titles in an academic year. COLORADO and STANFORD each claimed a pair of titles, as well. The Buffaloes claimed the academic year's first NCAA title, taking home its second-straight men's cross country crown in dominat- ing fashion, posting a 33-point margin of victory. Colo- rado then grabbed the hardware in skiing, their third in five years. STANFORD extended its streak of winning NCAA Championships to 39 years, winning the wom- en's water polo championship for a second-straight year and the program's first-ever women's golf crown. In addition to the nine national championships, the Pac-12 also had runners-up in 11 NCAA Champion- ship events: men's cross country (STANFORD), men's soccer (UCLA), men's water polo (USC), women's gymnastics (UTAH), men's gymnastics (STANFORD), men's swimming (CALIFORNIA), women's indoor track & field (OREGON), men's golf (USC), rowing (CALIFOR- NIA), women's tennis (UCLA) and women's water polo (UCLA). Overall, the Conference had 31 teams finish in the top four at 19 NCAA Championship events, includ- ing an all-Pac-12 women's water polo final four. Participation in the postseason was a common oc- currence for the Pac-12 in 2014-15. Of the 22 sports sponsored by the Conference, 20 witnessed at least half its teams participating in NCAA or other postseason ac- tion. The men sent 67 of a possible 97 teams into the postseason (69.1 percent), while the women sent 79 of a possible 115 teams (68.7 percent). Eight Pac-12 teams earned bowl bids with Pac-12 Champion OREGON reaching the inaugural College Football Playoff Championship Game. League teams produced a 6-3 record, equaling the record for wins achieved in 2013 when the Conference had a league- record eight teams play in bowl games for the second- straight year. Despite losing in the title game, the Ducks produced the only 13-win season on record in Pac-12 history. For the first time in league history, four teams won 10 or more games, while six had at least nine wins. A record-tying eight teams boasted a winning record for the third-consecutive year. UO claimed the Pac-12 crown for the second time in four years by virtue of a 51-13 win over South Division Champion ARIZONA. The Pac-12 Football Championship Game was held at a neu- tral site for the first time in the Game's brief four-year his- tory and was played at the new Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The Wildcats went on to play in the VIZIO Fi- esta Bowl. Also joining Oregon and UA in the postseason were UTAH (Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl), ARIZONA STATE (Hyundai Bowl), USC (National University Holiday Bowl), STANFORD (Foster Farms Bowl), UCLA (Valero Alamo Bowl) and WASHINGTON (TicketCity Cactus Bowl). Six Pac-12 teams appeared in the final Associ- ated Press poll marking the second time in league history that six teams were in the final ranking. The teams in the top 25 were: Oregon (2), UCLA (10), Arizona State (12), Arizona (19), USC (20) and Utah (21). Seven Pac-12 men's basketball teams participated in the postseason with ARIZONA earning the Confer- ence's automatic bid after winning the tournament title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the team's first tournament title since 2002. The Wildcats also captured their 14th regular-season crown. OR- EGON, UCLA and UTAH were also selected to play in the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins and Utes reached the Sweet Sixteen while the Wildcats advanced to the Elite Eight for the second straight year. For the second- straight year, Pac-12 teams had eight NCAA Tourna- ment wins. ARIZONA STATE and STANFORD partici- pated in the NIT, and the Cardinal swept through the postseason and won its third NIT crown and second in four seasons. COLORADO was a participant in the CBI. The Pac-12 women's basketball season also pro- duced historic moments, including OREGON STATE capturing the program's first-ever Pac-12 regular-sea- son title also claiming the No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament at KeyArena in Seattle, Wash. It was the first time in the history of the event STANFORD was not the top seed. However, the Cardinal still went on to win its 11th Conference title as the No. 3 seed overall. Five league squads earned NCAA Tournament berths for the second-consecutive year, while two more participated in the WNIT with UCLA claiming its first-ever WNIT crown. ARIZONA STATE reached the Sweet Sixteen and CALI- FORNIA and WASHINGTON also participated in the Big Dance. Four teams appeared in the final top-25 of the Associated Press poll: ASU (9), OSU (10), Stanford (14) and Cal (24). It marked the first time the Beavers were in the final poll since 1995-96. WASHINGTON STATE also made its second-straight postseason appearance, joining the Bruins in the WNIT. Pac-12 volleyball also had an unprecedented season with a league-record 10 teams earning NCAA Tourna- ment berths, a year after a then-league best nine teams advanced to the tournament in 2013. Five teams re- ceived a top-16 seed as STANFORD nabbed the top seed, while all 10 won their first-round match. The Pac- 12 also set a new league record for most teams ranked in the final poll with nine teams appearing in the final AVCA top 25. The Cardinal won its 16th Pac-12 crown and advanced to the national semifinal for the first time