Preview: Stanford @ Arizona, Sunday 11am
On Sunday 11am Stanford takes on Arizona in Tucson in a game televised on Pac 12 networks. Arizona is not quite the team it was when we beat them by 1 point in the national championship game, but they still have formidable talent and coaching. We can expect a packed house with a scheduled “white out” for our game, and will get their best shot in a very hostile environment.
Arizona this year is 10-9 (writing this before their game with Cal Friday night.) They lost to our least favorite opponent, Ole Miss, they lost to Texas, they lost to Gonzaga, and they lost to Colorado—all ranked teams. They beat their cross state rival ASU, but their best win was over Utah by a point, at home. Since that win they were swept by the Oregon schools and the Washington schools. Massey currently has them at 46—virtually tied with Washington and similar to UNLV. NET has them at 59.
The first thing to note about Arizona is that the team is not deep. Only 10 players have logged any minutes this year, and one of those players, Maya Nnaji, has been out since December. Another, Salimatou Kourouma, has not played the last few games so she might also be out. All of their 8 remaining players have been logging double digit minutes, so it has been “all hands on deck.”
Kailyn Gilbert, at 17 ppg, has been their top scorer. She has been consistent, scoring in the teens to 20s every game for the last couple of months. She is a 5’8” sophomore guard in the mold of Aari McDonald. She makes 42% of her threes but usually only takes a couple of them a game, meaning she is speeding to the basket or stop-and-popping in the midrange a lot. Whatever is open, she takes. Having the quickness and agility to stay in front of her will be a major challenge.
Fifth year senior Esmery Martinez is Arizona’s second leading scorer. Martinez, a 6’2” forward, started at West Virgina before transferring to Arizona last year. She is averaging about 11 points and 6 rebounds per game.
Jada Williams, Breya Cunningham, and and Helena Pueyo have been their remaining three starters, with Salimatou Kourouma coming off the bench for more points and more minutes than some of the starters.
Kourouma, a redshirt senior on her third college, has missed the last few games, so I presume an injury of some sort, further depleting the Arizona ranks. She could be back--or not. Perhaps someone knows her status?
Pueyo we know well, and is (perhaps?) the last holdover from the national championship game. She was a sophomore that year, so there should be more...but the Arizona roster has been in turmoil the last few years. She plays virtually every minute and has a 3:1 assist to turnover ratio.
Arizona has some outstanding freshmen, and can be expected to improve in future years if the revolving door stops swinging through Arizona. Williams is a 5’8” freshman guard who scored 23 against Oregon a couple of weeks ago. Cunningham is a 6’4” freshman forward who provides blocking, rebounding, and a post presence.
With the experience of Adia Barnes and point guard Helena Pueyo, an enthused fan base, and some real talent in the likes of Kailyn Gilbert—Arizona is capable of beating us, especially if we play badly. If Brink is still not playing, if Iriafen gets into foul trouble, if Jump’s three point shooting continues to slump—the scenario for a defeat is there. However, if all of our players play well, we should beat Arizona.
On Sunday 11am Stanford takes on Arizona in Tucson in a game televised on Pac 12 networks. Arizona is not quite the team it was when we beat them by 1 point in the national championship game, but they still have formidable talent and coaching. We can expect a packed house with a scheduled “white out” for our game, and will get their best shot in a very hostile environment.
Arizona this year is 10-9 (writing this before their game with Cal Friday night.) They lost to our least favorite opponent, Ole Miss, they lost to Texas, they lost to Gonzaga, and they lost to Colorado—all ranked teams. They beat their cross state rival ASU, but their best win was over Utah by a point, at home. Since that win they were swept by the Oregon schools and the Washington schools. Massey currently has them at 46—virtually tied with Washington and similar to UNLV. NET has them at 59.
The first thing to note about Arizona is that the team is not deep. Only 10 players have logged any minutes this year, and one of those players, Maya Nnaji, has been out since December. Another, Salimatou Kourouma, has not played the last few games so she might also be out. All of their 8 remaining players have been logging double digit minutes, so it has been “all hands on deck.”
Kailyn Gilbert, at 17 ppg, has been their top scorer. She has been consistent, scoring in the teens to 20s every game for the last couple of months. She is a 5’8” sophomore guard in the mold of Aari McDonald. She makes 42% of her threes but usually only takes a couple of them a game, meaning she is speeding to the basket or stop-and-popping in the midrange a lot. Whatever is open, she takes. Having the quickness and agility to stay in front of her will be a major challenge.
Fifth year senior Esmery Martinez is Arizona’s second leading scorer. Martinez, a 6’2” forward, started at West Virgina before transferring to Arizona last year. She is averaging about 11 points and 6 rebounds per game.
Jada Williams, Breya Cunningham, and and Helena Pueyo have been their remaining three starters, with Salimatou Kourouma coming off the bench for more points and more minutes than some of the starters.
Kourouma, a redshirt senior on her third college, has missed the last few games, so I presume an injury of some sort, further depleting the Arizona ranks. She could be back--or not. Perhaps someone knows her status?
Pueyo we know well, and is (perhaps?) the last holdover from the national championship game. She was a sophomore that year, so there should be more...but the Arizona roster has been in turmoil the last few years. She plays virtually every minute and has a 3:1 assist to turnover ratio.
Arizona has some outstanding freshmen, and can be expected to improve in future years if the revolving door stops swinging through Arizona. Williams is a 5’8” freshman guard who scored 23 against Oregon a couple of weeks ago. Cunningham is a 6’4” freshman forward who provides blocking, rebounding, and a post presence.
With the experience of Adia Barnes and point guard Helena Pueyo, an enthused fan base, and some real talent in the likes of Kailyn Gilbert—Arizona is capable of beating us, especially if we play badly. If Brink is still not playing, if Iriafen gets into foul trouble, if Jump’s three point shooting continues to slump—the scenario for a defeat is there. However, if all of our players play well, we should beat Arizona.