Preview: #2 Stanford WBB welcomes Oregon to Maples Pavilion
On Friday at 7:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Networks and Varsity Network radio, #2 Stanford women’s basketball will take on Oregon at home. Stanford comes in at 9-3 overall and 1-0 in the Pac-12 while Oregon comes in at 7-4 overall and 0-0 in the Pac-12. Oregon’s home slate against Colorado and Utah last week was postponed, which is why they are yet to play a Pac-12 game this season.
Last time out: Stanford defeated Washington State 82-44 on Sunday in Pullman. Haley Jones finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds en route to Pac-12 player of the week honors. Kiki Iriafen was named Pac-12 freshman of the week following her 13 points and 8 rebounds.
RECAP: Shorthanded #2 Stanford WBB powers past Wazzu in Pullman
On Oregon: The Ducks have had a tough time getting in sync this year as their top two scorers junior forward Nyara Sabally (16.3 points & 5.8 rebounds) and junior guard Endyia Rogers (13.0 points) have played in a combined six games as they’ve spent much of the season injured. They’re just getting back and that’s made things a real challenge.
The top player who has played in all 11 games for the Ducks is sophomore guard Sydney Parrish, who is averaging 12.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. She’s done her part to help the Ducks stay afloat, but she needs more help. She can’t be doing it all on her own.
As a team, the Ducks are averaging 76.2 points per game on 47.4% shooting from the field, 36.3% shooting from 3-point range, and 67.0% shooting from the foul line. They average 40.9 rebounds, 16.7 assists, 8.9 steals, 4.6 blocks, and 14.9 turnovers per game. They also average a +7.3 rebound margin and a +2.6 turnover margin per game. Their opponents are averaging 59.8 points per game on 34.9% shooting from the field, 30.2% shooting from 3-point range, and 71.9% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: Stanford was without five players in their previous game at Washington State, so it remains to be seen who of those players will be back. Regardless, Stanford should be able to bring intensity on defense and make life tough on the Ducks as they go about trying to score. If Stanford is able to bring the type of defensive energy and focus that they’ve been bringing throughout the season, that’ll really make things tough on a Ducks team that is still figuring out their rhythm.
As an extension of this, Stanford needs to defend the 3-point line. Sydney Parrish is shooting 19-50 (38.0%) from 3-point range while senior guard Ahlise Hurst is shooting 27-67 (40.3%) from 3-point range. If Parrish and Hurst get rolling from deep, the Ducks could hang around in this game. Stanford has to do all they can to make sure those two don’t find a groove.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is make threes of their own. Junior guard Hannah Jump leads the Pac-12 in most 3-pointers made with 32 and is ranked 35th overall in the nation. If she’s doing her thing from deep and others like the Hull twins and Anna Wilson are knocking down threes as well, Stanford is going to be tough to stop.
Finally, Stanford needs to take care of the ball and make their free throws. Oregon is one of those teams that does a great job of capitalizing off of the mistakes made by their opponents. Stanford cannot expect to win this game if they’re turning the ball over and not making their free throws. They have to play a clean game and be efficient.
Prediction: It’s hard to predict this game in the sense that we don’t know for sure who will be on the floor for either of these teams, but I do think Stanford will win this game when it’s all said and done. Oregon is not a ranked team this year and aren’t as strong as they’ve been in years past. Stanford has the depth to win even if they are not at full strength and it helps that they are at home. Stanford 72 Oregon 55 is how I see this playing out.
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