Stanford Cardinal
Pac-12 (28-5, 15-3)
Stanford has quietly gone about their business and rode their excellent defense to a Pac-12 Conference Tournament Championship. The Cardinal outlasted the Oregon State Beavers 48-43 at Key Arena in Seattle. Despite having to go on the road in the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament with Maples Pavilion unavailable due to the Pac-12 Women’s Gymnastics being held there, Stanford will be a strong contender to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Big Wins: 11/14 Texas (71-59), 12/30 at Arizona State (64-57), 1/29 at Washington (72-68)
Bad Losses: 11/18 Gonzaga (63-68), 12/18 at Tennessee (51-59), 2/6 UCLA (76-85)
Coach: Tara VanDerveer
Why They Can Surprise:
When the Cardinal are at their best, they are elite defensively. They have limited teams to a shooting 34.6 percentage from the field this season. Experience is also a huge factor for Stanford as Erica McCall, Briana Roberson, and Karlie Samuelson are experienced seniors who have been through the wars and will help the Cardinal on the road during this tournament. McCall is averaging 14.6 points per game on the season and is an excellent rebounder. Samuelson can torch opposing defenses from behind the three-point arc as she is shooting 47.6 percent from three-point range this season. Roberson makes sure that the offense runs smoothly on a nightly basis and is more than capable of hitting a big shot when needed. Marta Sniezek, Alanna Smith, and Nadia Fingall are rock solid role players that can keep things going at both ends of the court when they are in the game. The gauntlet of the Pac-12 will also help Stanford as it has been top RPI conference for the majority of the season.
Why They Can Disappoint:
If there is cause for concern for Stanford heading into the postseason it will be if they get into a low scoring affair where they can’t knock down open shots. Teams are going to be keying on McCall and Samuelson in an effort to keep them from going off at the offensive end of the court. Thus, it will be up to Brittany McPhee to step up in the NCAA Tournament and knock down critical shots. McPhee is averaging 12.7 points per game and is a pretty good shooter as well, knocking down 45.1 percent of her shots from the field. Another potential cause for disappointment will be if the Cardinal run into an offensive team that gets hot early shooting the basketball as it will be tougher for Stanford to rally from a big deficit.
Probable Starters:
Briana Roberson, Senior, Guard, 6.7 ppg, 2.4 apg
Karlie Samuelson, Senior, Guard, 12.7 ppg, 2.6 apg
Brittany McPhee, Junior, Guard, 12.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Kaylee Johnson, Junior, Forward, 4.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg
Erica McCall, Senior, Forward, 14.6 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Key Role Players
Marta Sniezek, Sophomore, Guard, 4.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Alanna Smith, Sophomore, Forward, 8.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Nadia Fingall, Freshman, Forward, 4.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.1 (48th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 56.5 (26, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.1 (26, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 34.6 (8, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.0 (151, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.0 (50, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.2 (202, 8)
Rebound Margin: 7.8 (16, 2)
Assists Per Game: 15.2 (69, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.9 (52, 4)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2016 NCAA Round of 64 win over San Francisco
2016 NCAA Round of 32 win over South Dakota State
2016 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Notre Dame
2016 NCAA Regional Final loss to Washington
2015 NCAA Round of 64 win over Cal State Northridge
2015 NCAA Round of 32 win over Oklahoma
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Notre Dame
2014 NCAA Round of 64 win over South Dakota
2014 NCAA Round of 32 win over Florida State
2014 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Penn State
2014 NCAA Regional Final win over North Carolina
2014 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Connecticut
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Tulsa
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over Michigan
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Georgia
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over Hampton
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over West Virginia
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over South Carolina
2012 NCAA Regional Final win over Duke
2012 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Baylor
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over UC Davis
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over St. John's
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over North Carolina
2011 NCAA Regional Final win over Gonzaga
2011 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Texas A&M
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over UC Riverside
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Iowa
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Georgia
2010 NCAA Regional Final win over Xavier
2010 NCAA National Semifinal win over Oklahoma
2010 NCAA National Final loss to Connecticut
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over UC-Santa Barbara
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over San Diego State
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Ohio State
2009 NCAA Regional Final win over Iowa State
2009 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Connecticut
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Cleveland State
2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over UTEP
2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Pittsburg
2008 NCAA Regional Final win over Maryland
2008 NCAA National Semifinal win over Connecticut
2008 NCAA National Final loss to Tennessee
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Idaho State
2007 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Florida State
*all team stats through 3/2
