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If the Utah women's basketball team is to climb back into Pac-12 contention this season, it'll have to fight injury and conference powerhouses.
Add low expectations to the list as well.
Pac-12 coaches picked the Utes to finish 11th in the conference for the 2014-15 season, according to a preseason poll released Wednesday morning. Despite returning all-conference forward Taryn Wicijowski for her senior year, Utah's overall inexperience combined with a 4-14 conference record last year makes them one of the underdogs of the Pac-12.
After reaching the Final Four last year, Stanford was picked to win the conference for the 14th year in a row. Cal and Oregon State were voted second and third, respectively.
Utah enters the season with a few unknowns. Outside of Wicijowski, Danielle Rodriguez, Cheyenne Wilson and Malia Nawahine are important returning contributors, but Anthony Levrets' squad may lean heavily on contributions from its five newcomers.
The Utes are without last year's top player double-double machine Michelle Plouffe, who graduated, and second-leading scorer and rebounder sophomore Emily Potter who suffered a season-ending injury.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Pac-12 women's basketball preseason coaches' poll
Team points
Note: First-place votes in parantheses
1. Stanford 116 (7)
2. Cal 111 (3)
3. Oregon State 105 (2)
4. UCLA 84
5. Washington 72
6. USC 65
7. Arizona State 64
8. Washington State 56
9. Oregon 48
10. Colorado 31
11. Utah 28
12. Arizona 12