On Friday at 6:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Networks and Varsity Network radio, #4 Stanford women’s basketball will take on #8 Utah in a top-ten home matchup. Stanford comes in at 17-2 overall and 5-1 in the Pac-12 while Utah comes in at 15-1 overall and 5-1 in the Pac-12, so first place in the Pac-12 is on the line.
Last time out: On Sunday, Stanford fell to USC on the road by a final score of 55-46. Stanford was never able to get into any sort of offensive flow and USC got enough points to win with relative comfort in the end.
RECAP: Stanford WBB stunned by USC at the Galen Center
On Utah: The Utes are off to a fantastic start, dropping only one game all season long to Colorado on the road. Their most recent victory is an 80-79 victory at home over #14/10 Arizona, propelling them into the top ten. Their first signature win was a dominating 124-78 win over Oklahoma, who was ranked in the top 20 at the time. They also dominated rival BYU 76-59 on the road, picking up a strong victory in enemy territory.
The Utes are led by junior forward Alissa Pili, a transfer from USC who is averaging 19.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Gianna Kneepkens is the number two scorer on this Utah team, averaging 14.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Together, Pili and Kneepkens form a really good duo. The Utes also have two more players who score in double figures on average in sophomore forward Jenna Johnson (11.7 points) and sophomore guard Kennady McQueen (10.6 points).
As a team, Utah is averaging 86.8 points per game on 50.4% shooting from the field, 35.2% shooting from 3-point range, and 76.7% shooting from the foul line. They average 38.3 rebounds, 19.1 assists, 9.4 steals, 3.9 blocks, and 15.1 turnovers per game. They also average a +8.3 rebounding margin and a +3.7 turnover margin per game. Their opponents average 60.6 points per game on 38.8% shooting from the field, 29.6% shooting from 3-point range, and 64.7% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is get Hannah Jump going. The past few games she’s scored in single digits, taking away a big part of their offensive game. They need a bounce back game from her and they also need to help her out. Teams have figured out a way to guard her and take her out of the game and it’s on the Stanford coaching staff to counter and free her up again.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is contain Pili. She’s a dominant offensive presence for Utah and will look to get going tonight. If Stanford can hold her under her scoring average by at least four points, that would be huge.
Finally, Stanford needs to take care of the ball. Utah is used to winning the turnover margin decisively. If Stanford is taking good care of the ball and not allowing Utah to win the turnover battle, they should be in good shape.
Prediction: Utah absolutely could win tonight and it wouldn’t shock me in the least if they did. They’re really good. That said, Stanford is at home and coming off a frustrating loss. I expect the Cardinal to bounce back by a final score of 80-75.
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