WBB: Stanford 73 -- #15 Arizona 57

WBB: Stanford 73 -- #15 Arizona 57 - Printable Version

+- The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board)
+-- Forum: C-House! (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-5.html)
+--- Thread: WBB: Stanford 73 -- #15 Arizona 57 (/thread-23928.html)

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5

WBB: Stanford 73 -- #15 Arizona 57 - 81alum - 12-31-2022

Preview:

This is a big-ticket game. Arizona, who we played in the national championship game two years ago, is a formidable opponent. They are 12-1, their sole loss being a rather inexplicable 27 point drubbing at home by Kansas. Their best win was their own 21 point drubbing of Baylor. They are ranked 18/15, Massey has them at 15, the NET at 29.

As the astute reader of Bob's FBC Arizona preview knows, Arizona lost 8 players to transfer. Normally I would consider that a disaster, but times have changed. Barnes added 4 transfers in and 3 frosh--and a couple of those transfers in (Jade Loville and Esmery Martinez) have become critical to the team's success.

As for style of play, Arizona is a defense-first team. They hold opponents to 59 ppg, and hold their opponents to 39% field goal shooting. They play a pretty close man defense and make sure that every shot is contested and awkward to set up.

On offense, these are their main scorers:

#1 Shaina Pellington, a 5'8" 5th year guard that we are very familiar with, has become their leading scorer at 14ppg. We are more used to seeing her in a defensive role, but she has branched out. She hasn't hit a 3 point shot all year but is hitting a whopping 57% of her other shots--she scores a lot on fast breaks and slashes to the basket. She also is their pg and has 39 assists to 18 turns.

#30 Jade Loville, a 5'11" 5th year guard who was ASU's star player last year. She averages 13ppg. Unlike Pellington she is a prolific 3 point shooter, at 49%, and she has made 26 already. But she can score from all three levels, making her a very difficult defensive match up.

#25 Cate Reese, a 6'2" 5th year forward who has been Arizona's lynchpin inside player her whole career. But this year she is joined by #12 Esmery Martinez, another 6'2" forward who transferred in from West Virginia. They each score about 12 ppg, but Martinez is hitting 57% compared with Reese's 47%.

Arizona is exceptionally deep--with 11 players averaging double digits and no player averaging over 25.

In short, Arizona is actually more experienced than Stanford, now, and plays an effective close defense that neutralizes a lot of talent advantages. I expect it to be a tough game. However, I see us with an advantage inside. As good as Reese and Martinez are, I think our bigs are better than their bigs.

Arizona also is not much of a three point shooting team--except obviously for Jade Loville. I see Lepolo not getting Loville but Pellington. Hopefully Emma-Nnopu is back and available for Monday, since she might be needed for Loville.

The contrast with ASU will be profound. I can't imagine scoring 101 on Arizona.

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - TheFarm07 - 01-01-2023

A potential area of vulnerability we could take advantage of is rebounding.

Cal outrebounded them by four tonight (with 10 o-boards), Kansas had a +20 rebounding advantage in their decisive win over the Wildcats (including 19 offensive rebounds) and even though they beat Baylor by 21 points, they were still outrebounded by 6 in that game (Baylor had 15 o-boards, too).

So it looks like even though they play tough defense, they might be susceptible to giving up second or third opportunities.

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - BobK - 01-01-2023

Martinez was in foul trouble vs cal and played just 12 minutes which hurt the Wildcats rebounding
Intersting that the dagger shot by Arizona was by Firjds once a cal commit

Anyone want my ticket ? Sec 4 Row GG get to sit next to an astute analyst? Pm me with an email

Driving from Roseville is 2 1/2 hours plus rain. But grandfather to 3 here :)

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - TonyLima - 01-01-2023

Another plus. Our bigs are bigger than theirs. And we have more of them. Of note: jr Lauren Ware at 6’5” is their tallest player. She was a starter last year.

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - mbdude - 01-01-2023

Ware is out for the year however

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - martyup - 01-01-2023

Every time I read 81's preview I think there is no chance we can win.

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - 2006alum - 01-01-2023

(01-01-2023, 05:15 PM)martyup Wrote: Every time I read 81's preview I think there is no chance we can win.

Take it up with the woofing gods! To quote Mad Eye Moody, "constant vigilance!"

What Arizona really lacks is height. With Ware out, Nnaji is their only player over 6'2. (which also probably explains their rebounding deficits)

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - joemontes - 01-01-2023

Arizona Starters:
*************
PELLINGTON 5'8 (13.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.9 spg)
LOVILLE 5'11 (12.5 ppg, 26/53 = .491 3pt shooting)
REESE 6'2 (12.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 0.9 spg)
MARTINEZ 6'2 (11.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 2.0 spg)
FIELDS 5'9 (6.2 ppg, 2.1 spg)

Arizona Bench:
***********
GILBERT 5'8 (7.4 ppg, 1.2 spg)
NNAJI 6'4 (6.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
PUEYO 6'0 (6.5 ppg, 2.9 apg, 2.5 spg)
CONNER 5'11 (3.8 ppg)
CLARK 5'8 (2.4 ppg)
HYLTON 5'11 (1.9 ppg)

Highlighting Steals, as their scrappy defense results in 13 steals/game!
With 4 players averaging at least 2 steals/game,
6 players averaging at least 1 steal/game.

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - 81alum - 01-01-2023

(01-01-2023, 05:15 PM)martyup Wrote: Every time I read 81's preview I think there is no chance we can win.

Hah! I did say we had an advantage inside, and that they were not much of a three point shooting team. I do think we can and should win, although it will be interesting to see how Tara prepares us. Our keys to success:
1) Figure out how to defend Loville
2) Get the ball inside to Brink, Iriafen, and Betts. Arizona will try to deny the pass in. Some high-low passing between two bigs might be in order.
3) Rebound rebound rebound, at both ends.

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - stopandpop - 01-01-2023

(01-01-2023, 07:18 PM)81alum Wrote:
(01-01-2023, 05:15 PM)martyup Wrote: Every time I read 81's preview I think there is no chance we can win.
Hah! I did say we had an advantage inside, and that they were not much of a three point shooting team. I do think we can and should win, although it will be interesting to see how Tara prepares us. Our keys to success:
1) Figure out how to defend Loville
2) Get the ball inside to Brink, Iriafan, and Betts. Arizona will try to deny the pass in. Some high-low passing between two bigs might be in order.
3) Rebound rebound rebound, at both ends.

I would add reduce our way-too-many turnovers. A good place to start is passing.

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - Softball Fan - 01-01-2023

https://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketball/2023/1/1/23533238/arizona-womens-basketball-how-watch-what-expect-links-tv-stats-radio-analysis-stanford-preview

PAC-12 WBB scheduling from Arizona's perspective (they don't like it at all).

Having a clash against the Cardinal scheduled for 11:30 a.m. PST on the Monday after New Year’s Day is unlikely to draw any national attention to the Wildcats. It certainly didn’t draw the attention of ESPN.

Once again, this matchup between two Top 25 teams will be treated as an afterthought. It’s unlikely to hurt Stanford, which gets plenty of national publicity. Arizona, however, is still in the stage of its development when national attention is important.

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - 81alum - 01-01-2023

(01-01-2023, 08:05 PM)paloalto Wrote: https://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketball/2023/1/1/23533238/arizona-womens-basketball-how-watch-what-expect-links-tv-stats-radio-analysis-stanford-preview

PAC-12 WBB scheduling from Arizona's perspective (they don't like it at all).

Having a clash against the Cardinal scheduled for 11:30 a.m. PST on the Monday after New Year’s Day is unlikely to draw any national attention to the Wildcats. It certainly didn’t draw the attention of ESPN.

Once again, this matchup between two Top 25 teams will be treated as an afterthought. It’s unlikely to hurt Stanford, which gets plenty of national publicity. Arizona, however, is still in the stage of its development when national attention is important.

Thank you for that link! I do see Arizona's cause for gripes about the schedule. The article has an interested paragraph from Adia Barnes about how she thinks the game will go. This caught my eye:

Quote:I think they’re big, but we’re also fast and we’re also going to play pressure defense a lot of people haven’t faced. So, I think they’ll struggle with some areas and so will we, and that’s the part of the game.

Pretty clear she is hanging her hat on defense. Also points out that Stanford is in the top 1% for blocking, and Arizona is in the top 1% for stealing. They get gobs of points off of steals. Lepolo will be tested.

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - M T - 01-01-2023

(01-01-2023, 08:05 PM)paloalto Wrote: https://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketball/2023/1/1/23533238/arizona-womens-basketball-how-watch-what-expect-links-tv-stats-radio-analysis-stanford-preview

PAC-12 WBB scheduling from Arizona's perspective (they don't like it at all).

Having a clash against the Cardinal scheduled for 11:30 a.m. PST on the Monday after New Year’s Day is unlikely to draw any national attention to the Wildcats. It certainly didn’t draw the attention of ESPN.

She points out that there are a lot of quality games in the Pac-12 that would be great for national TV—and the league needs them to be featured.

Does Barnes claim that the PAC-12 network isn't national? The game is on the main PAC-12 channel, as well as the Arizona channel. Yes, there are fewer subscribers than ESPN, but it is national and it is generally available. Many of the quality games are on the PAC-12 network.

As for the time, 2:30PM EDT seems like a good time throughout the country. It starts about the end of the Orange Bowl but does overlap the Cotton Bowl, but what time is better on that day. What did she want, a 10:30PM EDT game?

As for the 3 games in 5 days (Thursday to Monday), the article blames the league for scheduling it, but then says
When the league decided to alter the women’s schedule to put one of each pair’s rivalry games earlier in the season, Barnes said that both she and Arizona State head coach Natasha Adair had most of their schedules already set.

Stanford ran the gauntlet in 5 days with Tennessee, Creighton, and the rival Cal on the 18th, 20th, and 23rd. Tara explained that gauntlet by saying that the PAC-12 required the schools to play their rival BEFORE the holiday break.

Somehow, Arizona managed to get a pass on that requirement (ASU's schedule was open). They probably could have played on the 18th, 21st, and 23rd (very similar to Stanford) but they chose not to. Instead, it appears that Barnes is now complaining about her choice.

The article complains about the league not getting more ESPN coverage for Arizona (and suggests Barnes complained, but doesn't capture it in a quote).

Those Arizona games on Dec 18 and Dec 21? They were on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Stanford has had a game on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The Stanford@Arizona game will be on ESPN. Each has a game on ESPN2 (Stanford@UCLA, Arizona@Oregon). Separately, the So Carolina @ Stanford game was on ABC.

Also, I'll point out that every win by Stanford is another record for most wins by a coach in WBB. Heck, when scheduling at the beginning of the 2021-2022 year, ESPN was probably drooling thinking that Geno might catch Tara.

What's Adia Barnes famous for? Yeah, I know... That's what she's doing through this article -- complaining and trying to draw attention to herself.

Here's cheering for Barnes to be glad Monday evening that the game was on the PAC-12 network.

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - 81alum - 01-02-2023

I think when you boil down all the gripes, MT, it is strictly about being on ESPN. Barnes clearly thinks she can only "increase visibility" (which translates into recruiting and better NIL deals) if Arizona gets more ESPN coverage, and thinks of Pac 12 networks as an inferior substitute. I presume that most high school recruits outside the Pac 12 geographic footprint do not happen to subscribe to a package with Pac 12 networks available to them, but that they do have ESPN.

I won't get into the Pac 12 Networks debate since I know less about it than many others on this board, but there have been so many critical threads that my eyes have glazed over. Tara has always been complimentary of Pac 12 Networks--I think because without it our TV coverage was pretty woeful. In those days we said much the same thing about UConn and ESPN as Arizona is saying now about Stanford and ESPN, although I agree that the situation is not comparable, even though the rhetoric is.

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - TheWildJacko - 01-02-2023

I wouldn’t call the Pac-12 Network “generally available.” As a DirecTV subscriber, I have to pay over $50 extra per month for a Sling subscription just to access it since DirecTV still doesn’t carry it.

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - chimera - 01-02-2023

Barnes sure does complain a lot. ESPN has a big say in which teams they wish to showcase. UA is not at the top of their list, I'm sure. That isn't something Barnes complaining will change.

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - Jskass - 01-02-2023

Agree with all and yes Barnes good coach but she spends too much time whining. And yes Pac-12 channel needs broader distribution. Now that I eliminated Xfinity after relocation back East in favor of streaming only, it became clear that the only options that offered PAC-12 network were missing other essential channels. As a result, went w one of the best streaming options and hoping that I can deal with audio only for the non-ESPN/ABC games for this year and that the new media deal is better next year.

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - petersalas - 01-02-2023

Exactly, what he said!

(01-02-2023, 11:25 AM)TheWildJacko Wrote: I wouldn’t call the Pac-12 Network “generally available.” As a DirecTV subscriber, I have to pay over $50 extra per month for a Sling subscription just to access it since DirecTV still doesn’t carry it.

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - martyup - 01-02-2023

[Image: 200w.gif?cid=6c09b952jk3ijtdzostreldaula...w.gif&ct=g]

RE: WBB: Stanford vs. Arizona 11:30 am Monday - BobK - 01-02-2023

The announcers just said two, funny announcements. A blind screen is illegal. No. Jones is the point guard. No
Slow start better now.