On Sunday at 11:00 AM PT on Pac-12 Networks and Varsity Network radio, #8 Stanford women’s basketball will face #5 Colorado on the road in Boulder. Stanford comes in at 15-1 overall and 4-0 in the Pac-12 while Colorado comes in at 14-1 overall and 4-0 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: On Friday, Stanford defeated Utah 66-64 on the road in Salt Lake City. Kiki Iriafen led the way for Stanford with 25 points, 16 rebounds, and four assists.
RECAP: #8 Stanford WBB pulls out gritty win at #19 Utah
On Colorado: The Buffaloes’ only loss is to NC State on a neutral floor by a final score of 78-60. NC State is currently ranked #6 in the nation so that’s not a bad loss at all, though the final score was rather decisive. They are coming off a commanding 76-61 win at Cal on Friday and are looking like a possible Final Four team. They are that good.
The Buffs are led by junior center Aaronette Vonleh (15.7 points & 4.7 rebounds), graduate student guard Jaylyn Sherrod (13.9 points), and senior guard Frida Formann (13.7 points). Graduate student forward Quay Miller is also close to scoring in double figures on average with her 9.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
As a team, the Buffs average 82.1 points per game on 49.1% shooting from the field, 33.9% shooting from 3-point range, and 72.3% shooting from the foul line. They average 37.8 rebounds, 20.6 assists, 11.5 steals, 3.5 blocks, and 14.5 turnovers per game. They also average a +7.0 rebound margin and a +4.3 turnover margin per game. Their opponents average 64.1 points per game on 41.3% shooting from the field, 33.8% shooting from 3-point range, and 75.5% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: The first thing Stanford needs to do is keep Cameron Brink on the floor. Colorado is going to look to get her in foul trouble and have her on the bench. Stanford needs Brink to be on the floor as much as possible. This is a game where maybe you don’t sit her if she picks up an early foul or two. She did a good job of not fouling in the second half at Utah, which shows she can avoid fouling. The more she plays, the better the odds for Stanford that they win.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is hit timely threes. At Utah, Jzaniya Harriel hit a couple of clutch threes, Talana Lepolo rattled one in, etc. Stanford needs to make enough threes that they can have an effective inside/out game. They don’t need to go wild from deep, but they need to hit their threes when they need them to fall.
The final thing Stanford needs to do is do a good job on the defensive glass. Colorado will look to get second chance points and maybe take advantage of Stanford getting tired from the altitude. If Stanford is rebounding well on defense and taking away second chance scoring opportunities from Colorado, they’ll have a chance to win this game.
Prediction: This is a tough one. I think if I’m just being straight up objective, I gotta roll with Colorado by a final score of 70-67. They’re at home, they are ranked higher, and Stanford has not had an easy time on the Rocky Mountain road trip. Colorado is the smart pick here even though I won’t be surprised at all if Stanford wins. Should be entertaining to see who comes out on top.
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