1201....
The trip to the mountains has been the toughest road trip for the last several years. This two-game gauntlet requires playing both games at altitude with a plane flight in between. It was always a difficult challenge and now that both Utah and Colorado have excellent teams it is extremely rough - especially for the second game. Last year the CARD beat Colorado in double overtime, then lost a tough game to Utah. This year the CARD won a tough game against Utah then lost to Colorado.
Colorado has what is probably their best team ever this year and was highly motivated to beat Stanford. Last year's loss to the CARD was one of several heartbreaking defeats in recent years including the miracle win several years ago when Kiana Williams led a surreal comeback win in the final 30 seconds of the game. The combination of Colorado's talent and motivation along with the physical demands of the trip was too much for the CARD. They lost 59-71.
Thoughts
Given the lateness of this column, there have been more than enough descriptions of both games. Rather than adding yet another, here are some thoughts about the games, the lessons, and the recurring themes for the season.
# 1: Kiki is for REAL!!!
This road trip provided yet another opportunity for Kiki Iriafen to demonstrate her amazing talent. Against Utah Kiki had 25 points and 16 rebounds - along with five assists, a block and a steal. Against Colorado she had 19 points and 19 rebounds - along with three assists, a block and two steals. Those are All-American stat lines, especially against nationally ranked teams. Kiki attributes her improvement to her increased confidence --but her physical strength is also a factor in her performance. Kiki plays through contact that would leave many other players on the floor. Cameron Brink is rightfully in the conversation for National Player of the Year, but Kiki definitely belongs in the All-American conversation. When the two are on the court together it is tough for any team to beat the Cardinal.
#2: Officiating Continues to be an Issue
In both games the calls and non-calls by the officials both altered the game and left people scratching their heads in confusion. It wasn't always a case of calls favoring one team or another, just of officials impacting the outcome. We continue to hope that somebody will figure out how to improve the overall quality of the officiating.
#3: The End of the PAC-12
One of the sad aspects of this weekend is the realization that this was almost certainly the last "mountain road trip" for Stanford. With the end of the PAC-12, it isn't at all certain that the rivalry with Utah and Colorado will continue. As long as her mother continues to live in Boulder, Tara may want to continue scheduling Colorado. But, putting Stanford's players through the mountain trip two game gauntlet is not necessarily something one would want to continue.
#4: Tara is Amazing!
This is really the #1 thought -- but it is also a good place to wrap up. With a split of the two games, Coach Vanderveer is one win away from tying Coach K's record for college basketball wins and two away from breaking it. Both of those victories could come during this week's homestand. We are so privileged to have the opportunity to watch this awesome coach and the incredible teams she builds. It has been interesting to watch the various news outlets write stories about Tara recently as she reaches this milestone. In honor of this moment in history here is a link to the interview with Tara posted last year. The first six minutes are the most interesting as they deal with her career and philosophy more generally. The last four minutes deal mostly with last year's team and are somewhat sad given how things turned out.
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