Pac-Tending 02-20-08

"A main charge of the rules committee is to enhance the safety of our student-athletes."

- Bridgewater University head football coach and chairman of the NCAA football rules committee, Michael Clark, commenting on the new rule change proposals made last week.

Hoops season continues at the Creek and five Pac-10 teams – three men's team [UCLA, Stanford and Wazzu] and two women's teams [Stanford and California] are still populating the polls.

Meanwhile, at NCAA HQ, the NCAA football rules committee made several proposals, among them were proposals to more severely penalize helmet contact in tackling, prohibit so-called "horse-collar" tackling, make chop-block penalties easier to assess, institute a 40-second play clock, give the ball to the receiving team on a kickoff at the 40-yard line if the ball is kicked out of bounds, eliminate the five-yard "incidental" face-mask penalty and make all face-mask penalties and create a yardage penalty for sideline control.

Oregon State

In men's hoop, the Beavers remained winless in conference play, losing to Wazzu and Washington to fall to 6-19 overall and 0-13 in conference play with a 253 RPI.

WSU

In men's hoop, 20th-ranked Wazzu swept Oregon State and Oregon to improve to 20-5 overall and 8-5 in conference play with a 23 RPI.

In women's hoop, the Cougars defeated Oregon State but lost to Oregon to move to 4-21 overall and 1-13 in Pac-10 play with a 300 RPI.

In tennis, 44th-ranked Wazzu defeated Utah and Nevada to improve to 7-1 overall on the year.

Washington

In women's hoop, the university will host first and second-round games in the 2009 and 2010 NCAA women's basketball tournament and freshman center Jess McCormack has left the team.

Arizona

In men's hoop, freshman guard Jerryd Bayless was named as the conference's player of the week.

In women's hoop, sophomore guard Marie McGee is out for the year after suffering post-concussion syndrome.

Arizona State

In men's hoop, the Sun Devils defeated Stanford but lost to California to move to 16-8 overall and 6-6 in conference play with a 73 RPI.

USC

In men's hoop, the Trojans lost to rival UCLA to fall to 15-9 overall and 6-6 in conference play with a 35 RPI.

Stanford

In women's hoop, sophomore center Jayne Appel was named as the conference's player of the week.

California

In men's hoop, the Bears lost to Arizona but defeated Arizona State to move to 15-9 overall and 6-7 in conference play with a 74 RPI.

Oregon

In men's hoop, the Ducks beat Washington but lost to Wazzu to move to 15-10 overall and 6-7 in conference play with a 50 RPI.

UCLA

In men's hoop, the Bruins beat rival USC to improve to 22-3 overall and 10-2 in conference play with a 7 RPI.

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