On Sunday at 2:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Networks and Varsity Network radio, #4 Stanford women’s basketball will take on #24 Colorado at Maples Pavilion. Stanford comes in at 18-2 overall and 6-1 in the Pac-12 while Colorado comes in at 15-3 overall and 6-1 in the Pac-12. Once again, Stanford will be battling for first place in the Pac-12 as they were on Friday against #8 Utah.
Last time out: On Friday, Stanford defeated Utah 74-62 on The Farm. Cameron Brink and Haley Jones each scored 25 points for the Cardinal.
RECAP: #4 Stanford WBB takes care of business against #8 Utah
On Colorado: The Buffaloes are off to a superb start. Their three losses are an overtime loss at Texas Tech, a double digit loss at then No.23/24 Tennessee, and a blowout loss at Utah, who at the time was ranked just outside the top ten, but has since climbed into the top ten. Aside from that they’ve been sound and in recent history, they’ve given the Cardinal some trouble. While Stanford has won 20 of their last 21 games against Colorado, they did lose in overtime in Boulder in 2021 and six of the last nine games against Colorado have been decided by single digits, including two overtime games.
The Buffs are led by senior center Quay Miller, who is averaging 14.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. The number two scorer on this Buffs team is junior guard Frida Formann, out of Denmark. She is averaging 12.0 points per game on 41.8% shooting from 3-point range and 93.8% shooting from the foul line. The other Buff in double figures is sophomore center Aaronette Vonleh (11.6 points & 4.3 rebounds) though they do have a fourth player knocking on the door: Senior guard Jaylyn Sherrod (9.8 points).
As a team, the Buffs average 72.8 points per game on 46.1% shooting from the field, 37.9% shooting from 3-point range, and 71.1% shooting from the foul line. They average 37.9 rebounds, 15.9 assists, 10.3 steals, 2.8 blocks, and 16.2 turnovers per game. They also average a +7.2 rebound margin and a +1.9 turnover margin. Their opponents average 56.8 points per game on 36.7% shooting from the field, 28.6% shooting from 3-point range, and 71.0% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: The first thing Stanford needs to do is control the glass. Colorado is used to dominating the paint as is Stanford (+17.1 rebound margin). If Stanford decisively wins the battle in the paint, they should be in a good spot to win.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is be sound at point guard. Talana Lepolo was in a boot after spraining her ankle against Utah, so I would doubt she’s available for today’s game, though perhaps she’ll surprise us. If she isn’t a go, Stanford better be ready for others like Indya Nivar and Haley Jones to step up at this position. And then even if Lepolo can go, I’m sure it would be limited minutes. So, bottom line is point guard needs to come through today no matter who is running it due to Lepolo’s injury on Friday.
Finally, Stanford needs to make sure Hannah Jump gets in double figures. She got back in double figures against Utah and hopefully for Stanford, she’ll do so again today. If not, this could be another game against Colorado that goes down to the wire.
Prediction: While Colorado has been a tough opponent for Stanford as of late, Stanford has not lost at home to Colorado ever. That’s right. Ever. So, picking Stanford is the smart and obvious choice here, but it’s also smart to pick Colorado to play them tough. Stanford 75 Colorado 65 is how I see this one going. Especially with point guard being a bit shaky going into the game.
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