Expectations haven't been this high on the Farm in a number of years. The number two ranked recruiting class will do that. The number one overall recruit will do that. Returning four starters from an elite eight team will do that. Having nine of the programs twenty-four McDonalds All Americans on this roster will do that. Being the defending PAC-12 Conference Tournament Champions will do that. But what all of that will not do is guarantee a ticket to the Final Four. The work required for that starts now.

For all the excitement surrounding the freshmen and justifiably so, it's the injury issues that give one pause. The emotional and physical driver of this train is DiJonai. Her minutes will be managed to save wear and tear on her knees. Nadia is on the court but really only looks to be about 80%. Which is fine against the likes of Northern Colorado and WSU but not so much versus Oregon and UCLA. And then there is Maya. We need her veteran post presence and she is in a walking boot. Health. Have to get and stay healthy.

The upperclassmen leadership has the team grounded in the 'one day at a time' mentality to handle the challenges that a season brings. The non-conference schedule includes Ohio State, Tennessee and a holiday tournament matchup against Mississippi State if the chalk holds. The PAC-12 Conference is the toughest in the land and this year is no different. It is quite possible, depending on what other teams do, that Stanford v. Oregon in January could be a matchup of the top two teams in the country.

This will be an exciting ride and the journey starts on Tuesday.

Go Card!