Stanford's Tara VanDerveer on cusp of passing Coach K for most wins in college basketball history
Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer reacts as confetti flies after she helped cut down the net after Stanford beat Texas 59-50 in a college basketball game in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA tournament, Sunday, March 27, 2022, in Spokane, Wash. Credit: AP/Young Kwak
Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer can become college basketball's all-time wins leader this week when the Cardinal face Oregon and Oregon State at home.
The Hall of Fame coach, who already has the most victories in women's basketball, sits one win behind former Duke men's coach Mike Krzyzewski's record of 1,202 for the most ever.
The eighth-ranked Cardinal are coming off a split against Utah and Colorado.
VanDerveer spent seven seasons at Idaho and Ohio State before her arrival at Stanford in 1985-86. She is 1,201-267 all-time in her career and 1,049-216 with the Cardinal.
“We’re not really focused on that,” VanDerveer said of chasing the mark. “Honestly, we’re just trying to play well each game.”
Sitting seven wins behind VanDerveer is UConn coach Geno Auriemma. The ninth-ranked Huskies have had to find ways to reinvent themselves again after another rash of season-ending injuries changed the roster that Auriemma expected to have.
The team seems to have hit its stride over the last month, playing and thriving as a collective unit with 10 consecutive victories.
“Each individual, I think, has committed themselves differently,” Auriemma said after a win over St. John's on Saturday. “I said to somebody earlier out there, we spent all of November trying to find out: ‘Who I am. Who I am. Who I am.’ And we spent all December trying to figure out: ‘Who do we need to be. Who do we need me to be.’ And it’s really changed the entire trajectory of our team.”
Next up for the Huskies, who have been running through the Big East, is Seton Hall on Wednesday. UConn still has two strong nonconference matchups left, playing Notre Dame at home and visiting No. 1 South Carolina.
CLARK SCORING WATCH
Caitlin Clark sits 253 points behind Kelsey Plum's all-time scoring record of 3,527 points. The Iowa star currently is in fifth place but likely will pass Brittney Griner on Tuesday night for fourth when the Hawkeyes host Wisconsin. Clark sits nine points behind Griner. Jackie Stiles is third with 3,393 points and Kelsey Mitchell is second with 3,402.
PAC-12 SHOWDOWNS
While VanDerveer goes for the milestone at home this weekend, the top spot in the conference standings will be on the line when No. 5 UCLA and sixth-ranked Southern California visit No. 3 Colorado and 20th-ranked Utah. The Buffaloes are 5-0, with Stanford, UCLA and USC all having one loss.
IVY LEAGUE MARQUEE MATCHUP
Princeton will host Columbia on Saturday in a matchup of last year's regular-season champions. The Tigers have won eight straight games and the Lions have matched a program record with 10 consecutive victories. Each team won on the road last year, with Columbia coming away with an overtime victory at Princeton.
