Stanford women’s basketball is back in the AP rankings, coming in at 24th after dominating No. 25 Arizona State and Arizona over the weekend. The Cardinal were unranked after their defeat against No. 7 Tennessee, which dropped them to a 6-6 record before conference play.

It was the last time Stanford was unranked since 2001.

However, 10 games later, and with an 8-2 Pac-12 record (tied for second in the conference), the Cardinal are back on the strength of veterans and a talented group of role players.

Part of the reason for the Cardinal’s stumbles in the nonconference slate was attributed to the fact that three seniors left the team after last season, so head coach Tara VanDerveer had to make adjustments.

Another big reason was senior guard Brittany McPhee’s injury. After playing in the first two games of the season, McPhee missed the next nine games. She came back strong against Tennessee and scored 27 points in the loss, and it was a sign of things to come.

She is averaging a team-high 16.2 points per game as she has helped the Cardinal against Pac-12 competition.

Joining McPhee in double-digit scoring is junior forward Alanna Smith, who is averaging 13.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. The duo have helped lead a team that needed a veteran presence to overcome the tough start to the season.

McPhee and Smith don’t do it alone as sophomore DiJonai Carrington and freshman Kiana Williams have elevated their play in the Pac-12. Carrington’s physicality stifles the other teams, and Williams can get hot from the outside.

Their combined efforts, along with the play of the other roles players, have the Cardinal back where they belong in the rankings.

Stanford takes a trip to the Northwest to play No. 16 Oregon State on Friday at 6 p.m. and No. 6 Oregon (first in Pac-12) on Sunday at noon. The games will be broadcasted by the Pac-12 Networks and ESPN2, respectively.

Contact Jose Saldana at jsaldana ‘at’ stanford.edu.