Preview: #7 Stanford WBB heads to the Bahamas for Thanksgiving weekend
#7 Stanford women’s basketball is spending Thanksgiving weekend in the Bahamas for the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship. Stanford will face #4 Indiana (4-0) on Thanksgiving Day at 10:30 AM PT, #18 South Florida (4-2) on Black Friday at 9:00 AM PT, and #2 Maryland (6-0) on Saturday at 12:00 PM PT. All three games will air on FloHoops and Varsity Network radio. Stanford comes in at 3-1 overall.
Last time out: Stanford defeated Gonzaga 66-62 on the road on Saturday without Haley Jones. Francesca Belibi and Hannah Jump each had 14 points to lead the way.
RECAP: #7 Stanford WBB pulls out gritty victory at Gonzaga
On Indiana, South Florida, and Maryland: Indiana defeated Butler 86-63, Kentucky 88-67, Norfolk State 72-42, and Quinnipiac 67-59 in their first four games. So, this tournament will be their first major test of the season.
Indiana is led by junior forward Mackenzie Holmes (18.0 points & 6.0 rebounds) and senior guard Grace Berger (15.0 points & 5.5 rebounds), though three other players are also scoring in double figures on average: Graduate transfer guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary (13.0 points & 6.3 rebounds), graduate transfer guard Ali Patberg (12.8 points), and senior forward Aleksa Gulbe (11.5 points & 7.3 rebounds).
The Hoosiers have a loaded starting five that might be the best in the country. You just rarely see starting fives with that kind of firepower across the board. They got multiple options they can go to, making them really difficult to go up against. However, the Hoosiers don’t have much of a bench and that’s where their weakness is, so it’s really incumbent on the starting five to carry the load.
As a team, the Hoosiers average 78.3 points per game on 50.8% shooting from the field, 38.6% shooting from 3-point range, and 87.9% shooting from the foul line. They average a +10.3 rebound margin, 18.5 assists, 4.0 steals, 3.0 blocks, and 14.5 turnovers per game. Their opponents are averaging 57.8 points per game on 38.4% shooting from the field, 32.3% shooting from 3-point range, and 75.0% shooting from the foul line.
Taking a look at South Florida, their four wins have come against UT-Rio Grande Valley (63-56), Alabama State (72-37), Syracuse (77-53), and #9 Oregon (71-62). Their two losses were to #3 UConn (53-60) and #11 Tennessee (49-52). It’s been kind of a mixed bag from the Bulls so far.
The Bulls are led by sophomore guard Elena Tsineke (16.0 points) and junior guard Sydni Harvey (15.3 points), and senior forward Bethy Mununga (10.3 points & 12.0 rebounds). The three of them form a very dynamic trio that has the Bulls off to a solid start.
As a team, the Bulls average 65.3 points per game on 37.2% shooting from the field, 31.6% shooting from 3-point range, and 71.2% shooting from the foul line. They average a +3.5 rebound margin, 14.8 assists, 8.8 steals, 1.5 blocks, and 12.5 turnovers per game. Their opponents are averaging 49.5 points per game on 32.7% shooting from the field, 25.0% shooting from 3-point range, and 59.6% shooting from the foul line.
Last but certainly not least is Maryland. Maryland is the toughest opponent on paper that Stanford will face this weekend. Maryland has won every game so far this year, going 6-0 against Longwood (97-67), Villanova (86-67), James Madison (81-45), Mount Saint Mary’s (98-57), UNC-Wilmington (108-66), and #6 Baylor (79-76). The Baylor win is obviously their signature win up to this point.
Like Indiana, Maryland has a loaded lineup as they have six players scoring in double figures on average: Sophomore forward/guard Angel Reese (19.0 points and 11.5 rebounds), junior guard Ashley Owusu (16.5 points), redshirt junior forward Mimi Collins (15.2 points & 7.8 rebounds), graduate student guard Katie Benzan (13.4 points), freshman guard Shyanne Sellers (12.0 points & 4.2 rebounds), and graduate student guard/forward Chloe Bibby (11.7 points & 6.3 rebounds).
As a team, the Terrapins average 91.8 points per game on 47.6% shooting from the field, 38.3% shooting from 3-point range, and 78.5% shooting from the foul line. They average a +13.3 rebound margin, 17.0 assists, 10.3 steals, 2.2 blocks, and 9.5 turnovers per game. Their opponents average 63.0 points per game on 40.5% shooting from the field, 33.1% shooting from 3-point range, and 75.4% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the weekend: I’m going to do this a little differently since I’m previewing all three games here. I’ll address things that Stanford needs to do collectively over all three games in order to sweep.
The first thing Stanford has to do is take care of the basketball. Turnovers have been an issue as they average 17.3 turnovers per game. Stanford will not get the sweep in the Bahamas if their turnovers are like that. They have to make sure they’re staying under control and having cleaner possessions.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is make their free throws. They are shooting 60.2% from the foul line on the year. That’s bad. You are not going to win many close games if your free throw numbers are at that level. Stanford needs to be shooting at least 70.0% at the foul line and that needs to start this weekend.
Lastly, Stanford needs to shoot better from the perimeter. Stanford is shooting 31.0% from deep on the season. That’s not good, either. They have to get more threes to fall and show that they are a team you have to guard out on the perimeter.
Prediction: Given how Stanford played at home against Texas and the close game they had at Gonzaga, I don’t see them winning all three of these games in the Bahamas. I think they’ll win two of three. I see them beating South Florida and getting a split between Indiana and Maryland. If Stanford is able to do that, that’ll be a good weekend.