Preview: #4 Stanford WBB looks to get back on track against #7 UCLA
On Sunday at 1:00 PM PT on ESPN2 and Varsity Network radio, #4 Stanford women’s basketball will welcome #7 UCLA to The Farm. Stanford comes in at 19-3 overall and 8-2 in the Pac-12 while UCLA comes in at 17-3 overall and 6-3 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: On Friday, Stanford was upset by USC as JuJu Watkins went off for 51 points.
RECAP: #4 Stanford WBB gets juked by JuJu and #15 USC
On UCLA: The Bruins have had a really strong season and are top ten in the nation for a reason. In the non-conference, they picked up wins over #11 UConn, Florida State (currently receiving votes), and at #8 Ohio State. They really were on cruise control, not dropping a game until Pac-12 play. In Pac-12 play, they split with #15 USC, lost at #20 Utah, and lost at home against Washington State.
A major reason for their reason struggles has been the absence of sophomore center Lauren Betts, who transferred from Stanford. Betts has been averaging 15.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.1 per game, playing extremely well this season. Betts is out with some unspecified injury or illness. At least that’s the best I can glean from the reports that are out there. With a player like that out, that obviously makes things tough on UCLA. Whether or not she’ll be a go against Stanford remains to be seen.
The leading scorer for the Bruins is graduate guard Charisma Osborne, who is averaging 15.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. If Betts is out again, Osborne will need to carry more of that scoring load. Sophomore guard Londynn Jones (12.9 points) and sophomore guard Kiki Rice (12.6 points) are also scoring in double figures, helping to take the pressure off Osborne.
As a team, the Bruins average 82.6 points per game on 46.1% shooting from the field, 33.2% shooting from 3-point range, and 75.7% shooting from the foul line. They average 44.2 rebounds, 18.8 assists, 8.7 steals, 4.8 blocks, and 14.9 turnovers. They also average a +15.7 rebound margin and a +1.4 turnover margin per game. Their opponents average 62.5 points per game on 37.0% shooting from the field, 33.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 76.4% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is take better shots than they did against USC. That was something they mentioned as a point of emphasis after the loss to USC and that’s something that should be an easy fix. If they take good shots and move the ball around, they’ll be in a much better position to win.
Secondly, if Betts is out, Stanford needs to test UCLA inside and see how well they are able to make up for her absence inside. And then if Betts is back, they should still test her to see how well she can handle them. Either way, post play is going to be key to this game.
Finally, Stanford needs to get to the free throw line. They have good foul shooters both in the backcourt and in the post. If they win the free throw battle both in terms of attempts and percentage, they’ll be tough for UCLA to defeat. When Stanford made their run against USC to get back in the game, their foul shooting played a big role in that.
Prediction: I don’t see Stanford losing two games in a row. Especially against home. I think they’ll bounce back and have a strong performance. Especially with Betts’ status being up-in-the-air. Stanford 75 UCLA 65 is how I see this one playing out.
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