On Sunday at 1:00 PM PT on ESPN2 and Varsity Network radio, #2 Stanford women’s basketball will take on the Oregon Ducks on the road in Eugene. Stanford comes in at 22-3 overall and 13-0 in the Pac-12 while Oregon comes in at 18-8 overall and 10-4 in the Pac-12. Stanford won their first meeting at Maples Pavilion 80-68.
Last time out: On Friday, Stanford defeated Oregon State 87-63 on the road at Corvallis. Lexie Hull led the way for the Cardinal with 21 points and 4 rebounds. Stanford clinched the regular season Pac-12 championship with the win.
RECAP: #2 Stanford WBB clinches Pac-12 title at Oregon State
On Oregon: The Ducks are led by redshirt junior forward Nyara Sabally, who is averaging 14.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Junior guard Endyia Rogers (14.2 points) and sophomore guard Te-Hina Paopao (13.2 points) are also scoring in double figures.
As a team, the Ducks average 71.5 points per game on 44.5% shooting from the field, 33.7% shooting from 3-point range, and 71.8% shooting from the foul line. They average 38.5 rebounds, 14.6 assists, 8.9 steals, 3.9 blocks, and 13.3 turnovers per game. They also average a +4.3 rebound margin and a +2.9 turnover margin.
While not elite like they’ve been in years past, this Oregon team is still very good, receiving the most votes in last week’s AP poll of any non-ranked team. So, they’re knocking on the door to be ranked. They’re a dangerous team that is hungry to prove they belong back in the top 25.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do take care of the ball. Stanford averages a +1.7 turnover margin per game, not quite as good as Oregon. Oregon will look to be the team that’s forcing more turnovers and taking better care of the ball. If Stanford wins this battle, they’ll be in a good spot.
Secondly, Stanford needs to get going from the perimeter. When Lexie Hull, Hannah Jump, and others are making their threes, Stanford is almost impossible to beat. Things were close in Corvallis until Stanford started making their threes.
Finally, Stanford needs to make at least one run. A lot of games, what’s separated Stanford from their opponents is a stretch of 5-7 minutes where they go on a 14-2 kinda run and blow things open. If Stanford can find a way to have even just one run of that nature, they should be fine.
Prediction: I got Stanford winning this one 87-72. Oregon’s a good team, but Stanford is clicking at another level right now.
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