Defending champion Stanford gears up for Pac-12 Tournament

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Tara VanDerveer's No. 2 Stanford team had just fended off last-place Washington when the Hall of Fame coach took time to exhale and ponder the remarkable depth of the Pac-12 Conference.

The reigning national champions routinely get quite a push right at home in their own conference — something the Cardinal and others count on leading up to the NCAA Tournament.

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"If that's our 12th-best team, we've got a hell of a league," VanDerveer said to begin her postgame remarks following the Cardinal's 63-56 victory Saturday.

The Pac-12 has sent six teams to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past four seasons and has had five teams earn bids for seven consecutive years.

So VanDerveer certainly realizes how tough it will be defending a title given NCAA runner-up and rival Arizona still stands in the way at this week's Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas.

"Honestly right now we're turning our attention to the Pac-12 Tournament because that's the NCAA seed," she said. "That's how you get the NCAA seed."

Stanford forward Cameron Brink (22) celebrates a victory in an NCAA college basketball game against Washington, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in Stanford, Calif (AP Photo/Scot Tucker)

Stanford (25-3) went a perfect 16-0 through the Pac-12 schedule and is riding a 17-game winning streak since losing 65-61 at No. 1 South Carolina on Dec. 21. The Cardinal also have 31 consecutive victories against Pac-12 opponents, which includes that 54-53 win in the national title game last year to capture the program's first championship since 1992 and third overall.

In their lone conference meeting this season, Stanford held off