Weekly Six Pac: Boogie with Who?

1. USC basketball has been such an afterthought for most of my life that it’s almost an oxymoron, like Kansas football or Stanford not-water polo. With a world class arena, a highly-paid coach, and a foothold in a great recruiting region, there’s no reason for the Trojans to remain so “meh” on the hardwood. Things might be on their way to changing. Trojans Wire writes that the 2024 team could have a combination of top-end talent and depth not seen in the Enfield era and much longer. Guard Boogie Ellis announced his return to play alongside national #1 recruit Isaiah Collier in the backcourt. Meanwhile, rumors have been picking up steam that a certain LA prepster named Bronny could be joining them in the fall.

2. Stanford women’s basketball was the class of the Pac-12 for most of the season. It looked like their year ended on a low note with a rare second round exit as a #1 seed. Things might have become even worse for the Cardinal, though, with a rash of outgoing transfers the likes of which the program is not used to seeing. Freshman Laura Betts was the headliner of the outgoing group. Betts was the #1 recruit in the nation a year ago as a 6’7” center. While she was only a role player in her first year on campus, her departure does not signal stability for the program.

3. Oregon State’s baseball season looks to be back on track after a wobble at the start of conference play. The Beavers took a series against rival Oregon, culminating in a 12-2 statement win in the rubber game of the series. Oregon State was picked as one of the contenders in the conference going into the season but started an abysmal 2-6 in conference. They have won their last three series and will push for a postseason opportunity.

4. Cal men’s basketball knew they was due for some significant turnover when they hired Mark Madsen and the Mad Dog has wasted no time rebuilding the team. Cal already brought in Fardaws Aimaq, a big man who played for Madsen at Utah Valley two seasons ago before a poor transfer experience at Texas Tech (UW also pursued Aimaq last year). Write for California profiles several of the players who may be targets for Madsen at Cal. Some of these names are also likely UW targets as the Dawgs fill out their roster.

5. Stanford softball continues to surge up the national rankings. The Cardinal swept a well-regarded Arizona team over the weekend to improve to 31-6 (8-4 in conference). Meanwhile, Arizona’s fall from grace has been precipitous. The Wildcats have now lost seven in a row and are destined to fall out of the top-25. The streak may get extended when Arizona plays the powerhouse #3 UCLA squad next weekend.

6. Arizona State accomplished something rare without doing anything at the Masters. ASU became the second college ever to produce the top-2 on the Augusta scoreboard. Jon Rahm came to Tempe from the Basque country in norther Spain and Phil Mickelson made a mad dash at the end of the tournament to sneak up to a second-place finish.