What A Weekend

This Conference is Loaded 

                 The refrain all season long has been that in the PAC-12 there are no guaranteed-win games.  That reality was on full display this weekend.  Stanford began the weekend with a two-game lead over USC and Oregon State and games against Arizona (6-8 in conference play) and Arizona State (3-11 in conference play).  Winning both games would give Stanford at least a share of the PAC-12 regular season championship.  Of course, four of  Arizona's losses were one-possession-losses by a total of eight points. 

 

The starters against Arizona

                  Against Arizona on Friday night Stanford was without Cameron Brink, out with the flu.  Nonetheless, Stanford was in the lead for almost the entire game.  Kiki Iriafen had an All-American worthy 21 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks, four assists, and a steal — despite being leveled by very aggressive fouls, including one frightening moment when she went down due to being undercut while in mid-air for a rebound. Hannah Jump went 3 of 5 from the 3-point line. Brooke Demetre, in her second start of the year, scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds, and had 2 blocks.  With under four minutes remaining Stanford had a nine-point lead on a Demetre three-pointer. But Stanford only scored three more points in the game while Arizona scored 19, taking their first lead of the game with less than two minutes remaining.  Arizona's lead grew in the last twenty seconds as Stanford was forced to foul and Arizona hit their free throws. 

 

                  It was a performance reminiscent of the game at Washington where an exceedingly aggressive defensive team turned a 7-point deficit with two minutes remaining into a tie.  It almost appears that the CARD takes their foot off the gas, making sloppy passes and unnecessary fouls.  Stanford was able to turn that tie into an overtime win against Washington.  But against Arizona the CARD couldn’t take the lead back or even force overtime, losing 61-68.  Postgame, Tara acknowledged being disappointed but noted that the CARD was still in first place in the PAC-12 standings.  Unfortunately, that lead was down to one game with three games remaining.  Stanford couldn't secure at least a share of the PAC-12 championship with one win unless red-hot USC and Oregon State both lost. 

 

Senior Day

Gathering before the Senior Day Game

 

                  Cameron Brink was back on the court for Senior Day, although she was visibly less than her normal self.  After the game she described herself as being about 60%, although the only place that really showed up on the stat sheet was in Cam's free throw shooting.  Brink, a 90% plus free throw shooter on the season, hit less than 50% from the charity stripe, while scoring 14 points, collecting 9 rebounds, dishing out seven assists, and blocking five shots.  Fellow Senior Day honoree Hannah Jump scored 11 points, including 3 three-pointers, four assists, and a block.  Kiki had another All-American level performance, with 22 points, 20 rebounds, and four assists.  The impressive cooperation between Brink and Iriafen was on full display in the clogged-up paint -- often finding each other for easy buckets. It is sad to think that this could have been the last regular season game these two play together!

 

On the Maples bench together in a regular season game for the last time

                  For the Arizona State game point guard Talana Lepolo was the unavailable player.  Most of Talana's normal minutes were covered by Jzaniya Harriel. "J," as she is often called, scored 12 points all on three-pointers.  Harriel's ball handling was generally impressive.  Against a solid defensive team, she had only one of Stanford's 12 turnovers, but she also only had one of Stanford's 19 assists.  Bottom line, the CARD took care of business for Senior Day.  Five players were in double figures, eight players scored, and every player in for more than a minute had a rebound.  

 

Something Extra for Senior Day

                  

                                                             We are Conference Champs

                  The Stanford staff has done a great job preparing for celebrations this year -- and there have been some special ones.  Sunday was no exception.  Not only did Stanford take care of business on Senior Day, but also Oregon State and USC got caught by the "there are no easy games in the PAC-12.”  With word that Washington had defeated Oregon State (playing without an injured Raegan Beers) and Utah holding onto a five-point lead over USC with time running out, the staff put the Utah-USC game up on the video board and brought out plastic containers.  Once Utah secured that victory (which took a while because USC kept fouling) Stanford was assured at least a share of the final PAC-12 regular season championship. Those containers were opened and the staff started handing out blue PAC-12 Championship t-shirts and white PAC-12 Champions hats.  So, the CARD had photos taken in front of a PAC-12 Champions banner and spent the Senior Day celebration in those Championship t-shirts and hats.  

 

                  Senior Day was special and emotional!  Cameron Brink went first.  She was escorted by her parents and her Godmother, Sonja Curry.  Her player introduction was by Brooke Demetre who talked about what a wonderful person Cam is. That theme was repeated over and over, particularly in comments about her leadership.  The joy that this team plays with is a tribute to the team captains starting with Cameron Brink.  Cam's mother told us about a moment in Cam's youth she was devastated because a pediatrician told her she was only going to be 5'10.  Cam shared with the crowd that she is still undecided about whether to come back for her COVID year or declare for the WNBA draft.  In the postgame press conference, she also spoke about her special friendship with Hannah Jump who had been her roommate during that Freshman COVID year.

 

                  For Hannah Jump there is no decision...there is no sixth year of eligibility.  Hannah was escorted by her parents and her aunt who came from England for the game and ceremony.  Her player introduction was by Talana Lepolo.  Her father spoke about her and entertained the crowd with stories about Hannah's competitiveness and determination.  

 

                  Next up for the CARD is a trip to play the Oregon schools.  It will be an unusual schedule, Oregon State on THURSDAY night at 7:00 pm and Oregon on SATURDAY at 2:00 pm.  Then it's off to Las Vegas for the final PAC-12 tournament, almost certainly as the number one seed.  That should be a special time -- tickets are still available. Stanford will also almost certainly be back at Maples for the first round of the NCAA tournament, but that isn't settled yet. 

                                        The Freshmen Celebrate their Championship on Senior Day
 

A Two GAME Lead

 Go Kiki Go

                  Friday night against CAL Kiki Iriafen had fans yelling "Go Kiki Go."  That refrain was loudest midway through the second quarter with Stanford only up by 10 points.  Kiki grabbed a CAL miss and channeled her "inner point guard" as she dribbled down the court, weaving around CAL players for a layup.  The crowd went wild. That play helped turn what had been a reasonably competitive game into a blow-out. 

 

                  So far this year, Stanford's front court star duo of Brink and Iriafen take turns with whose night it is to shine brightest.  The CAL game was Kiki's turn, as she hit 10 of 13 (77%) of her shots from the floor, including a number of midrange step-backs and pull-ups.  Kiki added three free throws, 11 rebounds, three assists, and a block in her stat-sheet-stuffing 28 minutes on the floor.  What makes that performance even more amazing is that Kiki did all that despite suffering from a nasty spider bite on her arm -- a souvenir from the Washington trip.  Maybe that spider was a Hollywood escapee and, like its pals from the Spiderman movies, capable of passing on superpowers because Iriafen was super!  Despite her minutes being limited due to some early fouls, Brink added 14 points and four blocks.

 

                  Iriafen's star turn against CAL balanced the previous week's performance when Brink scored 43 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, and had nine assists, eight blocks, and six steals in the two Washington games. Against the Washington schools Iriafen was limited by foul trouble, especially against Washington, she "only" scored 26 points and pulled down 23 rebounds over the two games.  The incredible combination of Brink and Iriafen is a big part of why Stanford has a two-game lead over the closest competitors in the PAC-12 standings (with only four regular season games remaining). Cameron Brink is an All-American and a legitimate National Player-of-the-Year candidate (although the award will almost certainly go to Catlin Clark).  Cam's play this year has been amazing.  She leads the country in blocks (90), has 14 double-doubles (only one less than Clark), is hitting over 92% of her free throws, knocking down 55% of her shots from the floor (including 30% of her threes), and is averaging roughly 18 points a game. But Kiki is right there with Cam.  The two are both averaging a double-double and trade the titles of team's leading scorer, leading rebounder, and leader in double-doubles back and forth between them.  Even more impressively, they have been racking up these stats while Stanford has been amassing the nation's second highest Net Ranking.  "East Coast bias" is the only possible thing standing between Kiki and being named an All American. 

 

Not Just Kiki and Cam

 

                  As impressive as Cam and Kiki have been, Stanford is a TEAM not just two players.  Fifth-year player Hannah Jump, Stanford's all-time leader in three pointers, has transformed herself from the three-point specialist (and defensive liability) of her freshman season to a three-level scorer and lock-down defender.  Hannah leads the team in minutes played (33.2 per game) because Tara wants her defensive intensity on the floor in any tight game. Point guard Talana Lepolo is among the nation's leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio and is the only other CARD player averaging 30 minutes or more per game.  She often makes incredibly difficult passes look easy -- and routinely has at least one pass a game leaving the TV announcers going "wow." Elena Bosgana who has started every game this year, after only coming off the bench in prior years, declares that she is trying to earn her minutes by her defense.  She also averages 6.7 ppg, 3.8 rebounds, and has 40 assists, 16 steals and four blocks to date this year. 

 

Not Just the Starting Five

                  This year's Stanford team is playing ten deep -- there are ten players all averaging over 10 minutes a game and all playing in virtually every game when they have not been held out due to injury.  Brooke Demetre, despite coming off the bench (except against Oregon State when Cam was out due to injury), has the fifth highest average minutes on the team.  Jzaniya Harriel leads the team in steals (22) and in three-point percentage (46%).  Every one of those ten players has had at least one play (and mostly more than one) that helped secure a victory, starting with Chloe Clardy's steal against Duke.  Courtney Ogden and Nunu Agara are providing valuable minutes off the bench — scoring, rebounding, and going hard. All ten regulars are shooting over 30% from the field, all ten have an assist-to-turnover ratio over 1, and all ten have hit at least one three pointer. Talana is the only player among the regulars who has not blocked at least one shot by an opposing player.  Although the final two players, Lauren Green and Stavi Papadaki, don’t see regular playing time, their positive energy and support for their teammates adds to the teams terrific chemistry.  Cam and Kiki may be the stars of this team, but the supporting cast is pretty special and getting better all the time.  

 

The Nation's Strongest Conference 

 

                  As has been noted over and over, it is bittersweet that the PAC-12, in its final season, is having what is arguably its best season ever.  There are six PAC-12 teams in the nation's top 25.  Five PAC-12 teams were among the top 16 in the NCAA Tournament Committee's first reveal. Perhaps even more impressively, no PAC-12 team -- including the team at the BOTTOM of the conference standings (Oregon at 2-12 conference but 11-16 overall) has more than four losses to teams NOT in the PAC-12.  At the other end, no team - including Stanford with a conference leading 12-2 conference record - has gone undefeated at home.  All the teams except Stanford have at least four conference losses and nationally ranked Utah has five!  

 

                  The PAC-12 Tournament promises to continue to be the dogfight that the Conference season has been.  There will be at least one team, and probably two, ranked in the Top 25 nationally playing on the first day of the Conference tournament!  Given how this season has gone -- it will be hard to describe any outcome as an upset.  Washington, a team near the bottom of the PAC-12 standings, lost in overtime to Stanford, in double overtime to Arizona State, and in TRIPLE overtime to Arizona.  The PAC-12's last hurrah will be quite a show. 

 

Only Two Home Games Left

 

                  There are only two regular season home games left!  That seems impossible.  This has been such a fun team to watch!  Friday night the CARD will take on Arizona at 7 pm.  Sunday's game against Arizona State starts at NOON and will be followed by the traditional Senior Day Celebration -- honoring Hannah Jump and Cameron Brink.  

 

Questions

 

1.  Will Cam stay or go?

 

Our Senior Superstar Cameron Brink is eligible to come back for a COVID year.  For Stanford fans, Cameron's return would be WONDERFUL -- she is such a joy to watch and is such a great team leader.  Of course, a Stanford Master's degree is a great building block for an after-basketball career.  On the other hand, Brink will almost certainly be the number two pick in this year's WNBA draft -- after Catlin Clark.  I don't think there is a wrong choice either way....

The Final Washington Trip

Moving Into First Place

 

        This final season for the PAC-12 is full of "lasts." This weekend was almost certainly Stanford's and CAL's last weekend trip to play the Washington schools. It is hard to imagine that the CARD's future schedule will include a regular trip to play Washington and Washington State and equally hard to believe that CAL would be making the same trip in reverse. For the Washington schools that may well be the good news as they were swept by the two Bay Area programs this weekend.

 

            The Stanford Cardinal boarded their plane for the trip to the Washington schools in a tie with Colorado for first place in the PAC-12.  By the time the CARD boarded their plane to come home they were in sole possession of the PAC-12 lead. With only three weekends left in PAC-12 play (and only five games for Stanford), the CARD has a one-game lead over Colorado and Oregon State, a two-game lead over USC and UCLA, and a three-game lead over Utah. Not bad for the team picked to place third in the Conference. 

 

 

Two Games - Two Wins

 

        Neither game was an easy win -- especially the game against the University of Washington. Stanford started the game on a nine-zero run and appeared to be cursing to an easy win. Battling back was Washington's MO for the game, reminding us that basketball is a game of runs. With three minutes remaining in the first half, Stanford had a 14-point lead. But the Huskies battled back to cut the lead to six by halftime.  That fight from Washington was on full display at the end of regulation.  The CARD had a seven-point lead with less than a minute remaining.  What happened next is both a testament to the Huskies' grit and a worrisome series of events for Cardinal fans. The CARD struggled to get the ball inbounded. Stanford didn't score while turning the ball over three times, allowing the Huskies to tie the game.  Stanford took control in the overtime period, never trailing and never allowing Washington to tie the game. 

 

            Although the CARD survived that scare, the difficulty handling the Huskies swarming press brought back memories of leads lost in past seasons. Of course, Washington is a top defensive team, holding opposing teams to the lowest scoring total in the PAC-12. The good news is that this experience gives Stanford time to work on more out-of-bounds plays. We expect they will fix the problem.

 

Washington State Goes Down Again

 

            The game against Washington State was a short turnaround from the exhausting overtime game against Washington.  Stanford started slow, trailing by seven at the end of the first quarter. But a 27-point second quarter put Stanford in the lead at the half. The third quarter was evenly played. The Cougars appear to be figuring out how to play without their star, Christine Legar-Walker, now out with a torn ACL. Stanford had begun to pull away in the 4th quarter when a frustrated Bella Murekatete threw an elbow into Cam's chest. That foul, Murekatete's fifth, was ruled to be flagrant giving Cam two free throws and Stanford the ball.  Without Murekatete, Washington State just didn't have the ability to catch up and the CARD cruised to a 15-point win.  

 

            For Washington State the loss to Stanford must have been especially disappointing as it was the Cougars's last chance to defeat the CARD as members of the PAC-12. Washington State is now 0-74 against Stanford! Without Legar-Walker they are unlikely to repeat their Cinderella performance in the PAC-12 tournament from last year.  

 

Encouraging Signs

 

            There were a number of encouraging signs this weekend.  Cameron Brink continues to demonstrate the ability to show up big when she is needed most.  Kiki Iriafen continues to demonstrate that she is the most improved player in the country. Lepolo and Jump continue to be key cogs in the team -- they took turns being a third double-digit scorer this weekend.  What is most encouraging is that other players are starting to show that they can be important pieces of a post-season run. This weekend Courtney Ogden showed why she was a highly regarded player coming out of high school.  Her performance against Washington was critical to the Cardinal's victory.  She also made valuable contributions on Sunday against Washington State.  This team seems to have all the pieces -- and they are starting to come together.  

 

Questions

 

1.  With only five games remaining, can the CARD hold on for the final PAC-12 Championship?

 

The way the schedule shapes up it looks possible that Stanford will need to defeat Oregon State on the final week of PAC-12 play to claim the title.  Stay tuned.  Of course, Oregon will need to defeat both UCLA and USC -- as well as the Washington schools for that game to matter. And, Stanford will need to beat CAL and the Arizona schools.  Hold onto your hats.          

Split Decision!

                                                            Taking the floor agains UCLA

Best Year Ever!

 

                  For the PAC-12 Conference it is bittersweet that the Conference's "best year ever" is its last. Five or six PAC-12 teams have been ranked in the national Top 25 every week this season.  Most weeks at least two PAC-12 teams have been in the Top Five.  More weeks than not a PAC-12 team competes against one or more national Top 10 teams. To put it mildly, the conference is LOADED!  With that level of competition all it takes is an off-night to suffer a loss. Thus, it is not surprising that the best record in the conference at 9-2, shared by Stanford and Colorado, includes two conference losses. The only team still undefeated on their home floor is Oregon State, which has home games remaining against Stanford, USC, and UCLA (not to mention away games against Utah and Colorado).  

 

                  Last week it was Stanford's turn to fall on the carousel of upsets - losing to USC by a score of 58 to 67.  The game got national coverage because USC's talented freshman, JuJu Watkins, scored 51 points and collected 11 rebounds.  That is a USC record for points by a player. Watkins alone accounted for over 76% of USC's scoring and 28% of their rebounds. It is amazing that despite that performance by Watkins, Stanford outscored USC in the first and fourth quarters and was within two points (56-58) with 2:18 left in the game.  For Stanford, the big story wasn't Watkins' 51 points or even the defensive miscues that gave Watkins 19 free throws and way too many clean looks, it was the CARD failing to deliver on offense.  Against USC Stanford shot 31.6% overall and 26.7% from three.  This is a team that averages 46.7% from the floor and 35.6% from three. Hannah Jump was the only CARD who hit more than a third of her shots! In her postgame press conference, Tara VanDerveer expressed disappointment with the team's shot selection and turnovers.  

 

                  Sunday against UCLA was a totally different story.  Stanford played a beautiful game -- the ball moved, multiple players scored, and players took the shots the offense flow gave them.  As a result, Stanford blew out UCLA, leading 21-12 after one quarter, 45-27 at the half, and going up by as many as 30 points in the 3rd quarter.  For the game the CARD hit 63.5% from the floor and 62.5% from three.  The only negatives were the 17 turnovers and the relatively poor (9 of 14) shooting from the free throw line.  

 

Watching a Legend Do It Right

 

                  It was a learning experience to watch Tara handle the USC loss - it showed why she is the winningest coach in college basketball.  Obviously, we didn't get to see what she said to the team, but we can get a good sense from watching the post-game press conferences.  After the USC loss, Tara expressed disappointment and her belief that the team is "better than that."  She called out the shot selection issue and the general failure to "run our offense" but didn't call out any players specifically.  After the UCLA win, Tara expressed her pleasure at the way the team had responded to the USC loss -- that they didn't "throw anybody under the bus" and instead corrected the problems evidenced in the loss.  She blamed herself for failing to prepare the team for success.  She complimented her team leaders, Brink and Iriafen (present at both press conferences) for their leadership, and the entire team for their play and coachability.  It was classic VanDerveer.  There is a reason that the CARD players didn't throw each other under the bus -- the leadership of the coach.  Sunday's game showed that the CARD absorbed the lesson about "running our offense." It will be interesting to see if the team carries that learning through the rest of the season.  If so, given the talent on this team, the Final Four is a real possibility.

 

Questions:

 

1.  Will Kiki Iriafen get the All American recognition she deserves?

Kiki is an incredible player.  She is strong enough to score through contact yet has good touch on her midrange shots.  She is a ferocious rebounder.  She averages a double-double, she is in the top 10 of rebounders nationally and the top 40 in scorers. When the game is on the line, Kiki does not disappear. 

 

2.  Will Cameron Brink be the PAC-12 Player of the Year?

Cam leads the nation in blocks, is a top rebounder, a reliable scorer, and an amazing team leader.  She was PAC-12 and National Defensive Player of the Year last year.  Will she finally get her PAC-12 Player of the Year recognition?

 

3.  Will Stanford end PAC-12 play with at least a share of the Conference title?

Stanford has long been the winningest program in PAC-12 women's basketball.  Picked to finish 3rd, the CARD is currently sitting in a tie for 1st with Colorado, one game ahead of Oregon State.  How will the season end?  And, perhaps more importantly, how will the CARD do in the final PAC-12 tournament?