On Saturday at 6:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Bay Area and Varsity Network radio, #2 Stanford women’s basketball will welcome Arizona State to Maples Pavilion on The Farm. Stanford comes in at 13-1 overall and 1-0 in the Pac-12 while Arizona State comes in at 7-5 overall and 0-1 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: On Friday, December 23rd, Stanford defeated Cal 90-69. Haley Jones led the way for the Cardinal with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists while Hannah Jump had 17 points. Jayda Curry led the way for the Golden Bears with 20 points.
RECAP: #2 Stanford WBB powers past Cal on The Farm
On Arizona State: The Sun Devils are off to an ok start with a winning record overall, dropping their first league game to Arizona 84-66 in Tucson in their previous outing. Natasha Adair is in her first year as head coach, so like all first year head coaches, it’s a rebuild situation for the Sun Devils.
The top player on this Sun Devils team is junior guard Tyi Skinner, who is averaging 21.1 points per game on 38.5% shooting from the field, 37.6% shooting from 3-point range, and 81.8% shooting from the foul line. Two other Sun Devils are scoring in double figures on average: junior guards Jaddan Simmons (10.8 points & 7.4 rebounds) and Treasure Hunt (10.8 points & 7.6 rebounds).
As a team, the Sun Devils average 70.0 points per game on 38.0% shooting from the field, 27.8% shooting from 3-point range, and 73.1% shooting from the foul line. They average 41.4 rebounds, 10.6 assists, 7.1 steals, 3.1 blocks, and 13.9 turnovers per game. They also average a -0.1 rebound margin and a +0.4 turnover margin.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is dominate the glass. This is a major weakness of the Sun Devils. If Stanford dominates inside and goes wild on the boards, this game will be a wrap fast.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is simply take care of the ball. Turnovers can make this game closer than it should. If Stanford has good ball security, they’ll win with ease.
Finally, Stanford just needs to make sure at least one player heats up. Whether that’s Hannah Jump, Haley Jones, Cameron Brink, or someone else. Someone needs to get rolling and be the one to carry the load.
Prediction: This one doesn’t need a lot of analysis. I got Stanford winning big: 80-55.
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