game #2 will be a tough road match against the Cardinal
After defeating Montana in their season (and home) opener by a score of 82-69, the Bulldogs will hop on a plane bound for Stanford, California in what has essentially been a home and away rivalry going for some years now. The match will be featured on ESPN2 and tip-off begins at 3 PM EST.
I covered Stanford’s off-season changes in this article, but let’s go for a quick review:
- Legendary head coach Tara VanDerveer retired after 38 years at the helm
- Cameron Brinks, the sensational 6’4” center, is now starring the WNBA
- Kiki Iriafen, Stanford’s leading scorer in ‘23-24, has transferred to USC
- Tess Heal, who dropped 19.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 4.9 APG last season as a sophomore, has arrived after transferring from Santa Clara in the offseason
- Predicted to finish 7th in an absolutely stacked ACC
The Cardinal have played two games this season, both at home and in both absolutely dominated their opponents. Against the Le Moyne Dolphins, a team that finished 2nd in the NEC last year, they won 107-43 and against the Washington State Cougars, they won 94-65.
It’s a little hard to look into the individual numbers given the large degree of rotation featured in both games, the overall team statistics are pretty frightening as they’re averaging 100 points per game, 59.3% from deep on 27 attempts per game, and 20.5 assists per game. Against Wazzu, they shot 70% from three point range.
Given some of the defensive breakdowns featured by the Zags against Montana, it’s possible this game could turn into a shootout or, if we’re being pessimistic, a blowout, which is entirely possible given the inexperienced Bulldogs playing away at a school with an impressive resume.
Then again, maybe the Cardinal will be distracted by the pregame celebrations involved in the renaming of Stanford’s floor in honor of their recently retired Coach. Maybe Allie Turner says, “you know, 18 points, 4 assists, and 4 turnovers doesn’t feel right, I need 25 points, 6 assists, 0 turnovers” or Ines Bettencourt goes full-on Russell Westbrook and starts leaving defenders in the wake of her jet stream or, more likely, Yvonne Ejim shoulders this team and carries them through their weak moments to victory.
Whatever the case may be, I’m looking forward to the match and excited to see how this team handles an extremely tough environment against an impressive program.
Hit the thread below to share your thoughts as the game proceeds!