WBB: Stanford 78 -- Utah 84 - Printable Version
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WBB: Stanford 78 -- Utah 84 - 81alum - 02-24-2023
Preview:
The seeding for the Pac 12 tournament is set for us: we will have the #1 seed no matter whether we win or lose at Utah, due to the tiebreakers. But the same cannot be said for the NCAA tourney. The stronger we finish, the better our seed is likely to be in the tournament that counts the most. We could have 4 challenging games left before those seeds are determined, and thus the game at Utah could have an impact on the prospects for both Stanford and Utah, as will the games in the Pac-12 tourney. Utah certainly believes that this is the biggest game of their season, and a win over us could propel them forward.
Utah is 24-3, 14-3 in conference, and is a perfect 13-0 at home this year. They are ranked 8/7, Massey has them at 7, NET at 7, and bracketology has them as a 2 seed so far. Since we last played them they are 9-1, with the one loss coming at Arizona. Not all those 9 wins were dominant wins--they won a few road games by narrow margins, but at home they have been formidable. They just put up 101 on Cal yesterday.
Last time we played Utah, at Maples, we were in the process of changing our offense after the prior, awful, USC loss, and we mostly succeeded. Jones and Jump each came out and got multiple jumpers from around the free throw line, mostly curling around screens to do so. We didn't really stop Pili or Kneepkins, but limited the rest of Utah sufficiently to get to a 75-62 victory. That was also the game Lepolo hurt her ankle and Nivar got many minutes.
https://thecardboard.org/board/showthread.php?tid=23977&pid=379616&highlight=wbb%3A+Stanford+74#pid379616
https://gostanford.com/sports/womens-basketball/stats/2022-23/utah/boxscore/38014
However, the great threat is that Utah will continue to get Pili her points against us while getting hot from three point range. We held them to 5/26 at Maples, which is uncharacteristically low for a team that has so many superb three point shooters. We might have problems having equal success in their gym, so I hope we do significantly better on Pili than we did last time out.
Utah on Thursday scored more than 22 points every quarter against a Cal defense that gave us trouble. Pili led the way with 26, but it was Jenna Johnson with 21 for a change rather than Kneepkins, who had 6. Johnson used to be the only Utah player who did not routinely make threes, but she was 1/2 yesterday from three point range. Utah had 7 players who made threes, but the three point shot was far from their only offense, accounting for 24 of their 101 points. Utah had 60 points in the paint and 30 bench points.
In short, we need to somehow control Pili inside, guard absolutely everyone on the three point line, and not let anyone drive around our perimeter defense. To the extent we fail, then we need to score a whole lot of points at the other end. Utah shot 57% against Cal, so there were not a lot of defensive rebounding possibilities. We might be able to get something going with offensive rebounding, though, since we have a big size advantage inside.
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - Griffins78 - 02-24-2023
81 love reading your Previews. Much better than the journalists or TV announcers, it’s the best source for understanding our upcoming game.
With the committee making Utah a #1 Seed along with Stanford, this game is not only a tournament game, it is a Final Four game except it is on Utah’s home court.
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - Maple Leaf - 02-24-2023
(02-24-2023, 08:04 AM)81alum Wrote: Preview:
The seeding for the Pac 12 tournament is set for us: we will have the #1 seed no matter whether we win or lose at Utah, due to the tiebreakers. But the same cannot be said for the NCAA tourney. The stronger we finish, the better our seed is likely to be in the tournament that counts the most. We could have 4 challenging games left before those seeds are determined, and thus the game at Utah could have an impact of the prospects for both Stanford and Utah, as will the games in the Pac-12 tourney. Utah certainly believes that this is the biggest game of their season, and a win over us could propel them forward.
Utah is 24-3, 14-3 in conference, and is a perfect 13-0 at home this year. They are ranked 8/7, Massey has them at 7, NET at 7, and bracketology has them as a 2 seed so far. Since we last played them they are 9-1, with the one loss coming at Arizona. Not all those 9 wins were dominant wins--they won a few road games by narrow margins, but at home they have been formidable. They just put up 101 on Cal yesterday.
Last time we played Utah, at Maples, we were in the process of changing our offense after the prior, awful, USC loss, and we mostly succeeded. Jones and Jump each came out and got multiple jumpers from around the free throw line, mostly curling around screens to do so. We didn't really stop Pili or Kneepkins, but limited the rest of Utah sufficiently to get to a 75-62 victory. That was also the game Lepolo hurt her ankle and Nivar got many minutes.
https://thecardboard.org/board/showthread.php?tid=23977&pid=379616&highlight=wbb%3A+Stanford+74#pid379616
https://gostanford.com/sports/womens-basketball/stats/2022-23/utah/boxscore/38014
However, the great threat is that Utah will continue to get Pili her points against us while getting hot from three point range. We held them to 5/26 at Maples, which is uncharacteristically low for a team that has so many superb three point shooters. We might have problems having equal success in their gym, so I hope we do significantly better on Pili than we did last time out.
Utah on Thursday scored more than 22 points every quarter against a Cal defense that gave us trouble. Pili led the way with 26, but it was Jenna Johnson with 21 for a change rather than Kneepkins, who had 6. Johnson used to be the only Utah player who did not routinely make threes, but she was 1/2 yesterday from three point range. Utah had 7 players who made threes, but the three point shot was far from their only offense, accounting for 24 of their 101 points. Utah had 60 points in the paint and 30 bench points.
In short, we need to somehow control Pili inside, guard absolutely everyone on the three point line, and not let anyone drive around our perimeter defense. To the extent we fail, then we need to score a whole lot of points at the other end. Utah shot 57% against Cal, so there were not a lot of defensive rebounding possibilities. We might be able to get something going with offensive rebounding, though, since we have a big size advantage inside.
Very informative as always, thank you.
What are your thoughts on Tara going with a big line up like against Colorado? Utah is such a good 3 point shooting team that going big would not work too well.
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - BobK - 02-24-2023
In the first Utah game Betts did t play and kiki played one minute. However Stanford scored 42 in the paint.
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - 81alum - 02-24-2023
(02-24-2023, 09:07 AM)BobK Wrote: In the first Utah game Betts did t play and kiki played one minute. However Stanford scored 42 in the paint.That is right. Brink fouled out of that game, too, although it was after she played 28 minutes.
Jones and Jump each played 40 minutes in the first game. That is a tall order at altitude after how much they just played at Colorado.
We need to be able to guard the perimeter and also keep in front of their guards driving from the three point line. It is difficult to play close enough to prevent the quick trey, and back enough to prevent the drive. Lepolo, Nivar, Emma-Nnopu, and Belibi can all contribute to that, and all had significant minutes in the first game, except after Lepolo's injury.
I'm trying to remember how Brink got into foul trouble in game 1--whether it was trying to defend Pili or whether it was something else. While we might not go with twin towers against Utah, at the very least Betts can help relieve Brink in a way she was not ready to do in game 1.
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - Spiny_Norman - 02-24-2023
You might have expected Alyssa Pili to rest her injured ankle vs. Cal. Nope. She played 23 minutes and scored 26 points.
She talked afterward about the upcoming Stanford game. https://pac-12.com/videos/alissa-pili-outlines-how-utah-can-beat-stanford-clinch-pac-12-regular-season-title
Mostly it sounds pretty bland, but she does say they plan to use more of their bench.
A lot will depend on how long both Pili and Brink stay on the court. Officiating will once again be critical. In Utah's game against Cal, the foul differential was stark. 9 fouls called against Utah, 19 against Cal.
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - martyup - 02-24-2023
I was thinking about how brutal it is to play at CO on Thursday and then at UT on Saturday morning. But, isn't this about the same interval between games as the NCAA tourney? And the Pac-12 tourney has an even shorter interval.
Maybe this final stretch will be good for this team in preparation for the Big Dance.
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - 81alum - 02-24-2023
By the way, SLC is at 4200, while Boulder is at 5300. It may not seem like a lot, but there is significantly more oxygen available, and the athletes have now had a few days. Fatigue from Thursday may be a factor, but elevation probably not so much.
https://wildsafe.org/resources/ask-the-experts/altitude-safety-101/oxygen-levels/
Las Vegas is at 2000 feet.
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - M T - 02-24-2023
(02-24-2023, 10:27 AM)81alum Wrote: I'm trying to remember how Brink got into foul trouble in game 1--whether it was trying to defend Pili or whether it was something else. While we might not go with twin towers against Utah, at the very least Betts can help relieve Brink in a way she was not ready to do in game 1.
Q2 6:46 Offensive foul
Q3 6:55 Foul (not a TO, no one shot FT, appears to be coincident to a substitution, so probably non-shooting defensive foul)
Q3 3:12 Offensive foul
Q4 7:03 Foul. Pili FTs (probably foul on a shot)
Q4 1:11 Offensive foul.
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - Maple Leaf - 02-24-2023
(02-24-2023, 10:27 AM)81alum Wrote:(02-24-2023, 09:07 AM)BobK Wrote: In the first Utah game Betts did t play and kiki played one minute. However Stanford scored 42 in the paint.That is right. Brink fouled out of that game, too, although it was after she played 28 minutes.
Jones and Jump each played 40 minutes in the first game. That is a tall order at altitude after how much they just played at Colorado.
We need to be able to guard the perimeter and also keep in front of their guards driving from the three point line. It is difficult to play close enough to prevent the quick trey, and back enough to prevent the drive. Lepolo, Nivar, Emma-Nnopu, and Belibi can all contribute to that, and all had significant minutes in the first game, except after Lepolo's injury.
I'm trying to remember how Brink got into foul trouble in game 1--whether it was trying to defend Pili or whether it was something else. While we might not go with twin towers against Utah, at the very least Betts can help relieve Brink in a way she was not ready to do in game 1.
Would Elena Bosgana be an option defensively? She seems to have good quickness and is 6'-2".
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - martyup - 02-24-2023
(02-24-2023, 12:35 PM)M T Wrote:(02-24-2023, 10:27 AM)81alum Wrote: I'm trying to remember how Brink got into foul trouble in game 1--whether it was trying to defend Pili or whether it was something else. While we might not go with twin towers against Utah, at the very least Betts can help relieve Brink in a way she was not ready to do in game 1.
Q2 6:46 Offensive foul
Q3 6:55 Foul (not a TO, no one shot FT, appears to be coincident to a substitution, so probably non-shooting defensive foul)
Q3 3:12 Offensive foul
Q4 7:03 Foul. Pili FTs (probably foul on a shot)
Q4 1:11 Offensive foul.
Brink picking up offensive fouls is really frustrating. I wish Tara would ban her from setting screens. We need her on defense more than we need her to free up a teammate on offense with a screen. Refs are quick to whistle bigs setting screens.
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - MV72018 - 02-24-2023
(02-24-2023, 08:04 AM)81alum Wrote: Preview:
The seeding for the Pac 12 tournament is set for us: we will have the #1 seed no matter whether we win or lose at Utah, due to the tiebreakers. But the same cannot be said for the NCAA tourney. The stronger we finish, the better our seed is likely to be in the tournament that counts the most. We could have 4 challenging games left before those seeds are determined, and thus the game at Utah could have an impact on the prospects for both Stanford and Utah, as will the games in the Pac-12 tourney. Utah certainly believes that this is the biggest game of their season, and a win over us could propel them forward.
Utah is 24-3, 14-3 in conference, and is a perfect 13-0 at home this year. They are ranked 8/7, Massey has them at 7, NET at 7, and bracketology has them as a 2 seed so far. Since we last played them they are 9-1, with the one loss coming at Arizona. Not all those 9 wins were dominant wins--they won a few road games by narrow margins, but at home they have been formidable. They just put up 101 on Cal yesterday.
Last time we played Utah, at Maples, we were in the process of changing our offense after the prior, awful, USC loss, and we mostly succeeded. Jones and Jump each came out and got multiple jumpers from around the free throw line, mostly curling around screens to do so. We didn't really stop Pili or Kneepkins, but limited the rest of Utah sufficiently to get to a 75-62 victory. That was also the game Lepolo hurt her ankle and Nivar got many minutes.
https://thecardboard.org/board/showthread.php?tid=23977&pid=379616&highlight=wbb%3A+Stanford+74#pid379616
https://gostanford.com/sports/womens-basketball/stats/2022-23/utah/boxscore/38014
However, the great threat is that Utah will continue to get Pili her points against us while getting hot from three point range. We held them to 5/26 at Maples, which is uncharacteristically low for a team that has so many superb three point shooters. We might have problems having equal success in their gym, so I hope we do significantly better on Pili than we did last time out.
Utah on Thursday scored more than 22 points every quarter against a Cal defense that gave us trouble. Pili led the way with 26, but it was Jenna Johnson with 21 for a change rather than Kneepkins, who had 6. Johnson used to be the only Utah player who did not routinely make threes, but she was 1/2 yesterday from three point range. Utah had 7 players who made threes, but the three point shot was far from their only offense, accounting for 24 of their 101 points. Utah had 60 points in the paint and 30 bench points.
In short, we need to somehow control Pili inside, guard absolutely everyone on the three point line, and not let anyone drive around our perimeter defense. To the extent we fail, then we need to score a whole lot of points at the other end. Utah shot 57% against Cal, so there were not a lot of defensive rebounding possibilities. We might be able to get something going with offensive rebounding, though, since we have a big size advantage inside.
After seeing one of our guards allow a Colorado player to blow by her multiple times and swoop in for layups, I'm skeptical your "and not let anyone drive around our perimeter defense" goal will be realized. We're big, but not quick.
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - treetop11 - 02-24-2023
Utah beign a 1 seed in latest reveal does not surprise me. I predicted preseason that Utah would be really good and our toughest challenge in the P12.
I exect us to lose this game. Utah gets up and down the court really fast especially with good sized players. We have to be tired from our stretch of game recently and the 2 OTs vs CU. I don't think we can keep up with them and also that our legs may be tired so our shooting may be off. Johnson has been really good lately. And then there is Pili who never has an off game.
I previously predicted that Utah would lose a game unexpected (UA) and we win out but lose to Utah in the last game, but tie breaker gives us the #1 seed. I'm still sticking to that. And with aalmost a week of rest, our players recoup and win the P12 tournament, likely beating Utah again.
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - M T - 02-24-2023
I don't know why some people think a 45 hour period isn't enough for 20-ish athletes to recover fully from a 2-hour aerobic exercise like basketball. That's a typical weekend interval for games, whether college or pro.
I just looked at the schedule for Wimbledon. Djokovic played on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, and 14. If 48-hours were not enough to recover, the finals match would surely be disgusting as the players would have to be dragged out of their hospital beds.
If a player can't rest or keep a near-normal schedule during that interval, then problems arise. Travel issues, late-night arrivals, and the like will cause problems. I bet Tara regrets not being able to do a shoot-around before Thursday's game.
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - BosCard - 02-24-2023
I’m hoping our tougher schedule helps us. We have to play all of the top 6 teams (that aren’t us) twice. Utah only had to play UCLA and USC at home. And they lost once to each of the other 3 top teams, us, Arizona and Colorado. If we are able to score over 70 points I think we have a good shot of winning.
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - Card10Fan - 02-24-2023
Did anyone see we must have had flight issues getting out of Colorado last night? 12AM team at the airport. Didn’t board flight until 4AM, got to SLC at 6AM. Yikes. Follow Coach Britney’s Instagram
At least we’re chartering and not dealing with commercial travel but obviously that can still lead to delays/issues.
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - crackpot - 02-24-2023
(02-24-2023, 03:31 PM)Card10Fan Wrote: Did anyone see we must have had flight issues getting out of Colorado last night? 12AM team at the airport. Didn’t board flight until 4AM, got to SLC at 6AM. Yikes. Follow Coach Britney’s Instagram
At least we’re chartering and not dealing with commercial travel but obviously that can still lead to delays/issues.
Oh, boy. Just forfeit. It's not worth the risk.
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - 81alum - 02-24-2023
Tara has always been firm that teams should show up and play, regardless, and not complain about the lumps. Let the team take today to sleep and rest, then hope they all remember the scout from last time, then go out and play as if it is a pick-up game. At least the Utah fans will be happy.
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - 81alum - 02-24-2023
What I think we can absolutely say is this: IF we should somehow win this game, we will definitely deserve it. And if we lose the game, it will mean nothing. Hopefully if that happens we can play Utah again under better circumstances in Vegas.
I really would love us to win, but a loss tomorrow would not be the worst thing that could happen. It would propel Utah into a #1 seed in the NCAAs, which would be very good for the PacXX. It would not knock us out of our #1 seed in either the Pac 12 or the NCAA tourneys, I think. And it would add great drama to the expected rematch in the Pac 12 finals. If we win that one then all will be well in the world. The Utah fans get their joy on their senior day, and we reassert our dominance after a loss under ridiculous circumstances.
Of course, we could always win tomorrow ;)
RE: WBB: Stanford @ Utah Saturday 11am - WBB fan - 02-24-2023
That travel difficulty takes me back to 1989-90, when we played WSU in Pullman, won, and then couldn't get out of town to get to Seattle because of weather. The team slept in a gym or something like that, then flew on to Seattle and lost to U W, their only loss of the season. Yep, after that, they went on to win all the way, taking Stanford's first natty. And another similarity, at least tying to the reveal of yesterday, the loss to Wash was to a team that wound up being a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament, along with Stanford. The last time the Pac-12 (or whatever it was 30 plus years ago) had two #1 seeds.