This week we'll get into our fifth game of the preseason against the Indiana Hoosiers. Last season was their best in modern memory. They made it all the way to the Elite Eight before falling to Arizona in a hard fought battle 66 to 53. They have strong team chemistry and play great together. A week ago they throttled thirteenth ranked Kentucky 87 to 66. Mackenzie Holmes had 29 points in 29 minutes.
This season they'll have all their starters back plus a highly experienced grad transfer from Georgia, Caitlin Hose. Two of their returnees are All Americans, junior 6'-3" post player Mackenzie Holmes (17.8 points per game and 7.6 rebounds) and 6' senior guard Grace Berger (15.4 points per game and 6.8 rebounds).
Grace was a member of the FIBA Americup team, along with Haley Jones, that won Gold Medals down in Puerto Rico. I'd like to hear from Haley what she thought of Grace Berger - watching her play she seems super competitive and effective. You should dial up their NCAA Tournament game with N.C. State on YouTube to get a taste of how intense this group of Hoosiers are to play against. N.C. State was the number one seed in their region until they were eliminated by the Hoosiers. In several games of the NCAA Tournament the Hoosiers had all their starters in double figures and typically dominated the points in the paint.
We're playing Indiana in the Baha Mar Thanksgiving Tournament in the Bahamas. They will be our first game on Thanksgiving Thursday.
On Friday, November 26, in the Bahamas we'll take on the University of South Florida after they finish their tournament four days earlier at the Atlantis resort, fifty miles away. Stanford will play them with no days rest, having battled Indiana, another strong NCAA Tournament team, the day before. 
The USF Bulls finished the season at 19 and 4, ranked 18th in the nation. They won the American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships. In the NCAA Tournament USF defeated Washington State 57 to 53 in the first round, and then fell to N.C. State in the second round 69 to 57.
During the off season they got two strong transfer players from Memphis - Aerial Wilson, a point guard, and Dulcy Mendjiadeu, a 6'-4" post player, both starters at Memphis.
I would expect we'll see a starting lineup for USF that looks something like this:
REB PTS
Dulcy Mendjiadeu 6'-4" Grad C 8.6 12.2
Bethy Mununga 6'-0" Sr. F 12.9 10.0
Elena Tsineke 5'-7" So. G 2.0 14.0
Sydni Harvey 5'-10" Jr. PG 3.0 12.0
Elisa Pinzan 5'-8" Jr. G. 3.0 10.3
Bethy and Elena were All Conference First Team. Against Oregon this week in the Bahamas, Sydni and Elisa couldn't miss from three - they each hit four threes.
With no presumptions of anything but an exercise to make me feel better about our three games in three days in The Bahamas, I put together conceivable starters and backups for each game just to see who we could possibly start against Maryland on Saturday that would be as rested as the Maryland starters:
Possible Stanford Starters/Backups against Indiana on Thursday
Cameron Brink/Fran Belibi
Haley Jones/Ashten Prechtel
Lexie Hull/Lacie Hull
Anna Wilson/Jordan Hamilton
Hanna Jump/Alyssa Jerome
Possible Stanford Starters/Backups against USF on Friday
Ashton Prechtel/Kiki Iriafen
Alyssa Jerome/Elena Bosgana
Jordan Hamilton/Jana VanGytenbeek
Lacie Hull/Jzaniya Harriel
Brooke Demetre/Agnes Emma-Nnopu (or Jenna Brown, if ready)
Possible Stanford Starters/Backups against Maryland on Saturday
Cam Brink/Fran Belibi
Haley Jones/Ashten Prechtel
Lexie Hull/Lacie Hull
Anna Wilson/Jordan Hamilton
Hanna Jump/Alyssa Jerome
Anyway, now I feel better. Could be a lot of fun for everyone. And our starters on Saturday would be ready for a top ten team.
On Saturday November 27 we play Maryland in the Thanksgiving Tournament in The Bahamas. They have all their starters back from last season, when they led the nation in scoring with an average of 91 points per game. They ended the season ranked #9 after losing to the Longhorns in the Sweet Sixteen. I recounted Vic Schaefer's brilliant defensive strategy in a previous blog piece. Texas held Maryland to 61 points - thirty points below their season average. In the NCAA 2021 preseason rankings Stanford is #3 and Maryland is #4.
In the Big 10 Tournament in March, they thoroughly dismantled Iowa in every respect. In World War II the Poles actually used their cavalry to try and stop Hitler's Wehrmacht and their Blitzkrieg warfare. I was reminded of that mismatch in the first five minutes of the Big Ten Championship game. Iowa was missing and Maryland was rebounding, which led to a three or four person fast break, and either a layup or a wide-open three pointer off the break. They hit their first nine shots. Iowa looked like the Polish cavalry. By the time their defense got down the floor - Maryland had scored and was running back on defense. Sort of the reverse of the tortoise and the hare.
The score at the end of 90 seconds was 13 to 5 and by the end of the first quarter it was 30 to 18 and it got worse from there.
My point here is that Brenda has got these girls revved up to a fever pitch and they love running and winning big. For the Terrapins the shot clock is irrelevant. They run and shoot fast - there aren't many passes. Everybody can shoot and everyone can dribble drive and they aren't shy about either. Who needs passing?
So, how do we stop this herd of blitzturtles?
Defense, defense, defense - rebound, rebound, rebound and then, we outrun'em and outshoot'em. If we go into this game with tired legs from our battle with South Florida the day before - we'll look like Iowa and get shellacked. We have to be loaded with energy, quickness, and speed. Nobody drives our lane to an uncontested layup. No Terrapin gets an open three ever. Chloe Bibby hit three out of four in the first four minutes with no one near her. Mimi Collins hit two out of three against no defense.
You've got to be totally ready for this bunch of gunners from the opening tip. We'll probably see a starting lineup like this:
Ashley Owusu 6'-0" Jr. Strong, nimble point guard.
Diamond Miller 6'-3" Jr. Quick, agile leaper.
Chloe Bibby 6'-1" Grad Lethal shooter.
Katie Benzan 5'-6" Grad Top 3 Pt. % shooter in Div 1 @ 50%.
Mimi Collins 6'-3" Jr. Shooter. Rebounder.
Another important opportunity to show the WBB world that we're the defending NCAA champions.
GO CARDINAL! WE CAN DO THIS!
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