Preview:
Stanford's first game in the Bahamas (televised by Flohoops) is against #4 Indiana, who will be favored. However, Massey still has us at 5 and Indiana down at 21, so there is a lot of confusion in the computer polls so early in the season with so few games.
Indiana is coming off a spectacular COVID year, going 21-6 and winning its first three games in the NCAAs--the final victory coming at the expense of #1 NC State. Arizona finally defeated them in the elite 8.
Last year they were led by 6'3" MacKenzie Holmes, one of the best players in the nation as a sophomore, and she is back this year. She has already had a 29 point game against Kentucky this year--and Kentucky is a serious program. Holmes is averaging 19. Her game is all within the arc, and she has few assists, so once she gets the ball she scores 61% of the time from inside.
Indiana does have other players too. In fact, they have 5 players averaging in double digits, making it a very difficult team to scout. If we double up and focus on Holmes, the other 4 players on the floor are all threats. They have several capable three point shooters, but one truly outstanding one. Nicole Cardano is 10/16 from beyond the arc so far this year. Grace Berger, a 6'0" senior guard, is their second leading scorer at 15ppg. Ali Patberg has nearly a 5:1 assist to turnover ratio. Clearly Patberg feeds the ball to Holmes, a lot.
In short, Indiana is an exceptionally well balanced and successful team. It is the kind of team we have trouble defending, and it is the kind of team--with a crafty and mobile forward-- who could get Brink into foul trouble.
Does Indiana have a weakness? Their five starters have most of the minutes, two players off the bench have about half as many minutes each, and no one else has played very much. It does not look like they are as deep as we are.
So if anyone thought we would have something easy after Gonzaga--nope. Our schedule is brutal.
Stanford's first game in the Bahamas (televised by Flohoops) is against #4 Indiana, who will be favored. However, Massey still has us at 5 and Indiana down at 21, so there is a lot of confusion in the computer polls so early in the season with so few games.
Indiana is coming off a spectacular COVID year, going 21-6 and winning its first three games in the NCAAs--the final victory coming at the expense of #1 NC State. Arizona finally defeated them in the elite 8.
Last year they were led by 6'3" MacKenzie Holmes, one of the best players in the nation as a sophomore, and she is back this year. She has already had a 29 point game against Kentucky this year--and Kentucky is a serious program. Holmes is averaging 19. Her game is all within the arc, and she has few assists, so once she gets the ball she scores 61% of the time from inside.
Indiana does have other players too. In fact, they have 5 players averaging in double digits, making it a very difficult team to scout. If we double up and focus on Holmes, the other 4 players on the floor are all threats. They have several capable three point shooters, but one truly outstanding one. Nicole Cardano is 10/16 from beyond the arc so far this year. Grace Berger, a 6'0" senior guard, is their second leading scorer at 15ppg. Ali Patberg has nearly a 5:1 assist to turnover ratio. Clearly Patberg feeds the ball to Holmes, a lot.
In short, Indiana is an exceptionally well balanced and successful team. It is the kind of team we have trouble defending, and it is the kind of team--with a crafty and mobile forward-- who could get Brink into foul trouble.
Does Indiana have a weakness? Their five starters have most of the minutes, two players off the bench have about half as many minutes each, and no one else has played very much. It does not look like they are as deep as we are.
So if anyone thought we would have something easy after Gonzaga--nope. Our schedule is brutal.
