[81alum]

Pao-Pao was out, in a boot.  Could be a big loss for Oregon.

Oregon State looked very good.  They have got an excellent starting rotation.  They are the hot team we don't want to play right now.  They iced their trip to the NCAAs with this win.

Oregon looking worse for the wear.

[81alum]

Pao-Pao was out, in a boot.  Could be a big loss for Oregon.

Oregon State looked very good.  They have got an excellent starting rotation.  They are the hot team we don't want to play right now.  They iced their trip to the NCAAs with this win.

Oregon looking worse for the wear.

[chimera]

OSU was hitting threes and generally playing well.  UO looked out of sorts.  Maybe their freshmen are hitting a wall.  Losing their pg is a big problem if she is out next week.  My final take after watching some of the games today is that UA is a good team but aside from McDonald, not really dynamic, not enough star power, to be a really great team.  UO has been struggling lately.  Their best game since their COVID pause was probably the one they lost to Stanford. Teams that are physical with them, pressure them, or don't let them get going from three are hard for them to beat.  Prince had some nice moments today but seems a bit of a hot head.  Sabally is a bull in a china shop too often.  OSU is surging.  They have inside and outside game and if they are shooting threes well, they are very tough.  WSU beat UW but were behind a lot in that one.  I am not a big believer in WSU.  They are too reliant on the higher scoring Leger-Walker, and she can be shut down (Anna Wilson says hi!).   Aside from Stanford, OSU might be playing the best of any team right now.  Teams I would prefer to avoid if possible are OSU and UCLA, OSU because of what we saw today and when we last played them, and UCLA because I think their ranking is justified and they have a good mix of inside with Onyenwere, outside shooters (not as many as some teams but enough if they are on), and a slippery scoring pg in Osborne.

[chimera]

OSU was hitting threes and generally playing well.  UO looked out of sorts.  Maybe their freshmen are hitting a wall.  Losing their pg is a big problem if she is out next week.  My final take after watching some of the games today is that UA is a good team but aside from McDonald, not really dynamic, not enough star power, to be a really great team.  UO has been struggling lately.  Their best game since their COVID pause was probably the one they lost to Stanford. Teams that are physical with them, pressure them, or don't let them get going from three are hard for them to beat.  Prince had some nice moments today but seems a bit of a hot head.  Sabally is a bull in a china shop too often.  OSU is surging.  They have inside and outside game and if they are shooting threes well, they are very tough.  WSU beat UW but were behind a lot in that one.  I am not a big believer in WSU.  They are too reliant on the higher scoring Leger-Walker, and she can be shut down (Anna Wilson says hi!).   Aside from Stanford, OSU might be playing the best of any team right now.  Teams I would prefer to avoid if possible are OSU and UCLA, OSU because of what we saw today and when we last played them, and UCLA because I think their ranking is justified and they have a good mix of inside with Onyenwere, outside shooters (not as many as some teams but enough if they are on), and a slippery scoring pg in Osborne.

[81alum]

OSU was hitting threes and generally playing well.  UO looked out of sorts.  Maybe their freshmen are hitting a wall.  Losing their pg is a big problem if she is out next week.  My final take after watching some of the games today is that UA is a good team but aside from McDonald, not really dynamic, not enough star power, to be a really great team.  UO has been struggling lately.  Their best game since their COVID pause was probably the one they lost to Stanford. Teams that are physical with them, pressure them, or don't let them get going from three are hard for them to beat.  Prince had some nice moments today but seems a bit of a hot head.  Sabally is a bull in a china shop too often.  OSU is surging.  They have inside and outside game and if they are shooting threes well, they are very tough.  WSU beat UW but were behind a lot in that one.  I am not a big believer in WSU.  They are too reliant on the higher scoring Leger-Walker, and she can be shut down (Anna Wilson says hi!).   Aside from Stanford, OSU might be playing the best of any team right now.  Teams I would prefer to avoid if possible are OSU and UCLA, OSU because of what we saw today and when we last played them, and UCLA because I think their ranking is justified and they have a good mix of inside with Onyenwere, outside shooters (not as many as some teams but enough if they are on), and a slippery scoring pg in Osborne.

Agree entirely.  But for us to avoid them, Oregon will have to beat OSU and Arizona will have to beat UCLA.  I'm becoming doubtful that either can do it.  We might have to play through OSU and UCLA if we want the tournament championship.

[81alum]

OSU was hitting threes and generally playing well.  UO looked out of sorts.  Maybe their freshmen are hitting a wall.  Losing their pg is a big problem if she is out next week.  My final take after watching some of the games today is that UA is a good team but aside from McDonald, not really dynamic, not enough star power, to be a really great team.  UO has been struggling lately.  Their best game since their COVID pause was probably the one they lost to Stanford. Teams that are physical with them, pressure them, or don't let them get going from three are hard for them to beat.  Prince had some nice moments today but seems a bit of a hot head.  Sabally is a bull in a china shop too often.  OSU is surging.  They have inside and outside game and if they are shooting threes well, they are very tough.  WSU beat UW but were behind a lot in that one.  I am not a big believer in WSU.  They are too reliant on the higher scoring Leger-Walker, and she can be shut down (Anna Wilson says hi!).   Aside from Stanford, OSU might be playing the best of any team right now.  Teams I would prefer to avoid if possible are OSU and UCLA, OSU because of what we saw today and when we last played them, and UCLA because I think their ranking is justified and they have a good mix of inside with Onyenwere, outside shooters (not as many as some teams but enough if they are on), and a slippery scoring pg in Osborne.

Agree entirely.  But for us to avoid them, Oregon will have to beat OSU and Arizona will have to beat UCLA.  I'm becoming doubtful that either can do it.  We might have to play through OSU and UCLA if we want the tournament championship.

[CompSci87]

Cal's #21 looks 16 years old.

#21 is Mia Mastrov, an early HS grad who joined Cal midseason. So she might be 17.

[CompSci87]

Cal's #21 looks 16 years old.

#21 is Mia Mastrov, an early HS grad who joined Cal midseason. So she might be 17.

[treetop11]

observations from the game;

1. I loved the press! Nice to see Stanford finally do a serious press, let alone any press. The press turned the game not just the press itself, but it brought about the time of ratched up intensity on D that I have been waiting to see and which can make this a NC team. Like UConn and some other elite teams in the past, the ability to take a close game or small lead and turn it into a blowout differentiates really good teams from great teams. The press also put energy into our offense and we really clicked.

2. No question that Jump has made the biggest jump this year. No coincidence that she keeps getting more minutes. Her threes are incredible, but she has also developed a nice mid range shot and can put it on the floor and score at the basket. Her D, though not elite, gets better and better. Most unexpected is her hustle and aggressiveness going for loose balls and rebounds. She's become a tiger!

3. OTOH, Belibi is disappointing. At start of the season, she looked to have a monster year. Now her offense has gone south and when she does score at the basket, it's a surprise and sometimes takes 2-3 tries. She makes bad decisions too and her rebounding could be so much better given her jumping ability and athleticism. If should gets her game back, it would be a major boost for the team.

4. Ashton is a nice change up for Brink. Would like to see her use her bulk more to dominate in the paint; think that big post from UW during the Plum years.

5. Cal is going to be much improved next year. They still won't beat us but they will be competitive. In two years, they will be the P12 team with the most upward trajectory similar to UA this year.

6. And yes, I think all three seniors should return. We have scholarship room even with the incoming frosh. Go for a masters and build the program into a dynasty! If they did come back, perhaps Tara could do hockey type line changes with 3 strings; do the first team for about 5 mins. each quarter, the second for 3-4 mins., and the third for 1-2 mins. Press for 40 mins. and run as much as possible. We could have three teams that look like this:
Williams, Wilson, Jones, Lexie, and Brink
JVG, Jump, Lacie, Prechtel, and Belibi
Jerome, Emma-Nnopu, and the three new frosh

[treetop11]

observations from the game;

1. I loved the press! Nice to see Stanford finally do a serious press, let alone any press. The press turned the game not just the press itself, but it brought about the time of ratched up intensity on D that I have been waiting to see and which can make this a NC team. Like UConn and some other elite teams in the past, the ability to take a close game or small lead and turn it into a blowout differentiates really good teams from great teams. The press also put energy into our offense and we really clicked.

2. No question that Jump has made the biggest jump this year. No coincidence that she keeps getting more minutes. Her threes are incredible, but she has also developed a nice mid range shot and can put it on the floor and score at the basket. Her D, though not elite, gets better and better. Most unexpected is her hustle and aggressiveness going for loose balls and rebounds. She's become a tiger!

3. OTOH, Belibi is disappointing. At start of the season, she looked to have a monster year. Now her offense has gone south and when she does score at the basket, it's a surprise and sometimes takes 2-3 tries. She makes bad decisions too and her rebounding could be so much better given her jumping ability and athleticism. If should gets her game back, it would be a major boost for the team.

4. Ashton is a nice change up for Brink. Would like to see her use her bulk more to dominate in the paint; think that big post from UW during the Plum years.

5. Cal is going to be much improved next year. They still won't beat us but they will be competitive. In two years, they will be the P12 team with the most upward trajectory similar to UA this year.

6. And yes, I think all three seniors should return. We have scholarship room even with the incoming frosh. Go for a masters and build the program into a dynasty! If they did come back, perhaps Tara could do hockey type line changes with 3 strings; do the first team for about 5 mins. each quarter, the second for 3-4 mins., and the third for 1-2 mins. Press for 40 mins. and run as much as possible. We could have three teams that look like this:
Williams, Wilson, Jones, Lexie, and Brink
JVG, Jump, Lacie, Prechtel, and Belibi
Jerome, Emma-Nnopu, and the three new frosh

[BobK]

We will have as of now 14 on scholarship next season. However there is no limit on basketball scholarships next season. All three could return. Doubt they will however

[BobK]

We will have as of now 14 on scholarship next season. However there is no limit on basketball scholarships next season. All three could return. Doubt they will however

[jonnyss]

We will have as of now 14 on scholarship next season. However there is no limit on basketball scholarships next season.  All three could return.  Doubt they will however

i want carlie littlefield for the last slot.

[jonnyss]

We will have as of now 14 on scholarship next season. However there is no limit on basketball scholarships next season.  All three could return.  Doubt they will however

i want carlie littlefield for the last slot.

[petersalas]

They are probably waiting for the end results of this tournament run to make a decision.  I hope they return, even after winning a national championship... speaking it into existence!

We will have as of now 14 on scholarship next season. However there is no limit on basketball scholarships next season.  All three could return.  Doubt they will however

[petersalas]

They are probably waiting for the end results of this tournament run to make a decision.  I hope they return, even after winning a national championship... speaking it into existence!

We will have as of now 14 on scholarship next season. However there is no limit on basketball scholarships next season.  All three could return.  Doubt they will however

[M T]

We will have as of now 14 on scholarship next season. However there is no limit on basketball scholarships next season.  All three could return.  Doubt they will however

I'd expect 11 sports would cry "Foul!".

[M T]

We will have as of now 14 on scholarship next season. However there is no limit on basketball scholarships next season.  All three could return.  Doubt they will however

I'd expect 11 sports would cry "Foul!".

[CompSci87]

6. And yes, I think all three seniors should return. We have scholarship room even with the incoming frosh. Go for a masters and build the program into a dynasty! If they did come back, perhaps Tara could do hockey type line changes with 3 strings; do the first team for about 5 mins. each quarter, the second for 3-4 mins., and the third for 1-2 mins. Press for 40 mins. and run as much as possible. We could have three teams that look like this:
Williams, Wilson, Jones, Lexie, and Brink
JVG, Jump, Lacie, Prechtel, and Belibi
Jerome, Emma-Nnopu, and the three new frosh

You forgot Jenna Brown, who will be back from injury. Plus there are 4 freshmen coming in the fall, not just 3, so that would make 17 on the roster, quite an unwieldy number. Not to mention that although the NCAA lifted the scholarship limit, the money for the 2 extra scholarships would have to come from somewhere.

[CompSci87]

6. And yes, I think all three seniors should return. We have scholarship room even with the incoming frosh. Go for a masters and build the program into a dynasty! If they did come back, perhaps Tara could do hockey type line changes with 3 strings; do the first team for about 5 mins. each quarter, the second for 3-4 mins., and the third for 1-2 mins. Press for 40 mins. and run as much as possible. We could have three teams that look like this:
Williams, Wilson, Jones, Lexie, and Brink
JVG, Jump, Lacie, Prechtel, and Belibi
Jerome, Emma-Nnopu, and the three new frosh

You forgot Jenna Brown, who will be back from injury. Plus there are 4 freshmen coming in the fall, not just 3, so that would make 17 on the roster, quite an unwieldy number. Not to mention that although the NCAA lifted the scholarship limit, the money for the 2 extra scholarships would have to come from somewhere.

[treetop11]

6. And yes, I think all three seniors should return. We have scholarship room even with the incoming frosh. Go for a masters and build the program into a dynasty! If they did come back, perhaps Tara could do hockey type line changes with 3 strings; do the first team for about 5 mins. each quarter, the second for 3-4 mins., and the third for 1-2 mins. Press for 40 mins. and run as much as possible. We could have three teams that look like this:
Williams, Wilson, Jones, Lexie, and Brink
JVG, Jump, Lacie, Prechtel, and Belibi
Jerome, Emma-Nnopu, and the three new frosh

You forgot Jenna Brown, who will be back from injury. Plus there are 4 freshmen coming in the fall, not just 3, so that would make 17 on the roster, quite an unwieldy number. Not to mention that although the NCAA lifted the scholarship limit, the money for the 2 extra scholarships would have to come from somewhere. 

Is Jenna coming back? I thought she decided to transfer or hang it up. Sorry about the frosh number. I forgot about the girl from Greece

[treetop11]

6. And yes, I think all three seniors should return. We have scholarship room even with the incoming frosh. Go for a masters and build the program into a dynasty! If they did come back, perhaps Tara could do hockey type line changes with 3 strings; do the first team for about 5 mins. each quarter, the second for 3-4 mins., and the third for 1-2 mins. Press for 40 mins. and run as much as possible. We could have three teams that look like this:
Williams, Wilson, Jones, Lexie, and Brink
JVG, Jump, Lacie, Prechtel, and Belibi
Jerome, Emma-Nnopu, and the three new frosh

You forgot Jenna Brown, who will be back from injury. Plus there are 4 freshmen coming in the fall, not just 3, so that would make 17 on the roster, quite an unwieldy number. Not to mention that although the NCAA lifted the scholarship limit, the money for the 2 extra scholarships would have to come from somewhere. 

Is Jenna coming back? I thought she decided to transfer or hang it up. Sorry about the frosh number. I forgot about the girl from Greece

[BobK]

Yes Jenna missed the season after a knee operation.

[BobK]

Yes Jenna missed the season after a knee operation.

[BostonCard]

6. And yes, I think all three seniors should return. We have scholarship room even with the incoming frosh. Go for a masters and build the program into a dynasty! If they did come back, perhaps Tara could do hockey type line changes with 3 strings; do the first team for about 5 mins. each quarter, the second for 3-4 mins., and the third for 1-2 mins. Press for 40 mins. and run as much as possible. We could have three teams that look like this:
Williams, Wilson, Jones, Lexie, and Brink
JVG, Jump, Lacie, Prechtel, and Belibi
Jerome, Emma-Nnopu, and the three new frosh

You forgot Jenna Brown, who will be back from injury. Plus there are 4 freshmen coming in the fall, not just 3, so that would make 17 on the roster, quite an unwieldy number. Not to mention that although the NCAA lifted the scholarship limit, the money for the 2 extra scholarships would have to come from somewhere. 

Is Jenna coming back? I thought she decided to transfer or hang it up. Sorry about the frosh number. I forgot about the girl from Greece

Yes, Jenna is coming back.  It is Maya Dodson who is transferring.

BC

[BostonCard]

6. And yes, I think all three seniors should return. We have scholarship room even with the incoming frosh. Go for a masters and build the program into a dynasty! If they did come back, perhaps Tara could do hockey type line changes with 3 strings; do the first team for about 5 mins. each quarter, the second for 3-4 mins., and the third for 1-2 mins. Press for 40 mins. and run as much as possible. We could have three teams that look like this:
Williams, Wilson, Jones, Lexie, and Brink
JVG, Jump, Lacie, Prechtel, and Belibi
Jerome, Emma-Nnopu, and the three new frosh

You forgot Jenna Brown, who will be back from injury. Plus there are 4 freshmen coming in the fall, not just 3, so that would make 17 on the roster, quite an unwieldy number. Not to mention that although the NCAA lifted the scholarship limit, the money for the 2 extra scholarships would have to come from somewhere. 

Is Jenna coming back? I thought she decided to transfer or hang it up. Sorry about the frosh number. I forgot about the girl from Greece

Yes, Jenna is coming back.  It is Maya Dodson who is transferring.

BC

[martyup]

It was heart warming to watch the Senior Night ceremonies.  This team seems to have genuine comradery, which IMO is essential to winning a NC in a team sport.  It has been fun following them in their journey.  It would be great if they could pull it all together and win the rest of their games.  I would be truly be saddened if they finish the season with a loss.

[martyup]

It was heart warming to watch the Senior Night ceremonies.  This team seems to have genuine comradery, which IMO is essential to winning a NC in a team sport.  It has been fun following them in their journey.  It would be great if they could pull it all together and win the rest of their games.  I would be truly be saddened if they finish the season with a loss.

[BobK]

Dodson is graduating and will be a grad transfer
That’s a big difference from simply leaving

[BobK]

Dodson is graduating and will be a grad transfer
That’s a big difference from simply leaving

[WBB fan]

19 conference wins is a Stanford record!

Regular season wins, right?  There must have been years when we had that many conference wins counting the Pac 12 tourney.

Yes, regular season.

---

Ducks lose to Beavers on their own ugly court.

Hideous court. The only way to describe it is to say the floor looks as if it has some sort of really, really bad skin disease.

---

Been a long time since we held a team to 8 points in a half!

A bit of historical trivia -- I don't know about other games, but when Stanford played U of Pacific in Nov 2004 at the Levi Center/Santa Clara while Maples was being renovated -- Pacific scored only 7 points in the 1st half. (Final score was 82-26). That was a pre-season when a lucky fan got to sit on the bench with the team, and my husband was the lucky one that game, got to go into the locker room at half time. Tara raised what was apparently a usual question, who's hurting us that we need to worry about. The answer was, well, x person has three points.

[WBB fan]

19 conference wins is a Stanford record!

Regular season wins, right?  There must have been years when we had that many conference wins counting the Pac 12 tourney.

Yes, regular season.

---

Ducks lose to Beavers on their own ugly court.

Hideous court. The only way to describe it is to say the floor looks as if it has some sort of really, really bad skin disease.

---

Been a long time since we held a team to 8 points in a half!

A bit of historical trivia -- I don't know about other games, but when Stanford played U of Pacific in Nov 2004 at the Levi Center/Santa Clara while Maples was being renovated -- Pacific scored only 7 points in the 1st half. (Final score was 82-26). That was a pre-season when a lucky fan got to sit on the bench with the team, and my husband was the lucky one that game, got to go into the locker room at half time. Tara raised what was apparently a usual question, who's hurting us that we need to worry about. The answer was, well, x person has three points.

[here4WBB]

I have a BB novice question.  We won the Pac-12 Title last Friday, and I see in the press that we are the Pac-12 champions.  But there is also a Pac-12 tournament before the NCAA games.  Some years we have won one, but not the other.  Why is there a tournament when the season title has been called?  How do the wins of the season title versus the tournament rank?  Signed, Tossing and Turning

[here4WBB]

I have a BB novice question.  We won the Pac-12 Title last Friday, and I see in the press that we are the Pac-12 champions.  But there is also a Pac-12 tournament before the NCAA games.  Some years we have won one, but not the other.  Why is there a tournament when the season title has been called?  How do the wins of the season title versus the tournament rank?  Signed, Tossing and Turning

[glovsave]

I have a BB novice question.  We won the Pac-12 Title last Friday, and I see in the press that we are the Pac-12 champions.  But there is also a Pac-12 tournament before the NCAA games.  Some years we have won one, but not the other.  Why is there a tournament when the season title has been called?  How do the wins of the season title versus the tournament rank?  Signed, Tossing and Turning

The difference is that the conference tournament winner receives an automatic entry into the NCAA Tournament.

[glovsave]

I have a BB novice question.  We won the Pac-12 Title last Friday, and I see in the press that we are the Pac-12 champions.  But there is also a Pac-12 tournament before the NCAA games.  Some years we have won one, but not the other.  Why is there a tournament when the season title has been called?  How do the wins of the season title versus the tournament rank?  Signed, Tossing and Turning

The difference is that the conference tournament winner receives an automatic entry into the NCAA Tournament.

[CompSci87]

Both the regular season champion and tournament winner count as champions for conference purposes. The banner in Maples that lists Stanford's conference championship years includes years they won only the the regular season (including ties), only the tournament, or both.

[CompSci87]

Both the regular season champion and tournament winner count as champions for conference purposes. The banner in Maples that lists Stanford's conference championship years includes years they won only the the regular season (including ties), only the tournament, or both.

[Baez87]

As I recall, the NCAA requires each conference to host an end-of-the-year tourney. I don’t think that Tara was too fond of the idea at first, but she is a realist and seems to have accepted it. It’s a good marketing tool to inspire fan interest going into the NCAA sixty-four team tournament, and it gives all teams in all conferences reason to hope, since the winner of the tournament receives an automatic bid to the tournament. It rarely happens, but once in a great while a Cinderella Team emerges who had no chance to go to the tournament, yet earns a birth by winning it all at a conference tourney. This was the case in 2014 when Cynthia Cooper-Dyke's USC women's basketball team won the PAC-12 Tournament (can anyone forget that postgame Cooper Dance?) and received an automatic birth to the NCAA Finals (they lost in the first round to St. John's).

[Baez87]

As I recall, the NCAA requires each conference to host an end-of-the-year tourney. I don’t think that Tara was too fond of the idea at first, but she is a realist and seems to have accepted it. It’s a good marketing tool to inspire fan interest going into the NCAA sixty-four team tournament, and it gives all teams in all conferences reason to hope, since the winner of the tournament receives an automatic bid to the tournament. It rarely happens, but once in a great while a Cinderella Team emerges who had no chance to go to the tournament, yet earns a birth by winning it all at a conference tourney. This was the case in 2014 when Cynthia Cooper-Dyke's USC women's basketball team won the PAC-12 Tournament (can anyone forget that postgame Cooper Dance?) and received an automatic birth to the NCAA Finals (they lost in the first round to St. John's).