THE COUGARS AND THE HUSKIES LIE IN WAIT UP IN THE NORTHWEST. BOTH PROGRAMS ARE BETTER, STRONGER, AND WELL-COACHED!

The Cougs are breaking a lot of crockery in the PAC12 China Shop. To date, they've beaten the Huskies, Beavers, Ducks, Sun Devils, and Wildcats.  

On Friday night in Pullman they'll pour their hearts and souls into beating the Cardinal for the first time. Four of their starters average double-figure scoring this season and take down 26 rebounds between them. Usually the Cougar's scoring is guard-oriented, but this season Bella (Murekatete) and Ula (Matuga) are carrying more of the scoring load averaging 34 points between them. Matuga is another 6'-1" Pili-like paint-dweller who is strong, slow, stout, and deceptively-able to score over and around bigger people. Murekatete is a 6'-3"much improved post player and is averaging 18 points and 9 rebounds.

Charlisse Leger-Walker is still there causing problems.

Astera Tuhina is a freshman addition from Kosovo who we haven't dealt with before. She's been a regular for her country's age-group teams and is a 5'-9" guard averaging 10 points per game.

Kamie Ethridge has re-written most of the team records in Pullman. She's been the head coach for six years and every year the win-total has increased. The last two years have been back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in program history. Last season was the first time the Cougs have been listed in the AP Top 25 rankings and their highest ranking in the PAC12 - tied for 2nd.

We can't think of this team as an easy "W" or we'll get ambushed like their last ranked opponent, the Arizona Wildcats, who lost to the Cougars last weekend 70 to 59. So bear-down Cardinal!

The Washington Huskies are a work-in-progress. Tina Langley is in her second year as head coach, after leaving Rice University in 2021. Three of her starters came via the Transfer Portal, Dalayah Daniels is a 6'-4" post player from Cal, Lauren Schwartz is a 5'- 11" forward from Rice, and Trinity Oliver is a 5'-9" guard from Baylor.

Ms. Langley brought about a massive turnaround down in Houston - bringing a perennial doormat to national prominence in short order. She was head coach at Rice University for six years, had four 20-win seasons, three consecutive conference championships, the University's first WNIT championship in 2019, was named to the cancelled 2020 NCAA Tournament, and then played in the NCAA Tournament in 2021 for the first time in program history. The PAC12 coaches continue to get better and better.

We can expect a strong effort and a well-coached team in Seattle for our game next weekend and for many years to come.

LET'S BRING OUR VERY BEST TO THESE TWO WASHINGTON GAMES NEXT WEEKEND! GO CARDINAL!!

THE BEAVERS AND THE DUCKS ARE COMING TO TOWN THIS WEEK. LET'S BEAT'EM BOTH!!

This week we get the Oregons in Maples - OSU on Friday at 8PM and the Ducks on Sunday at 1PM. 

Oregon State is currently 11 and 8 overall. 3 and 5 in conference, but in good old Gill Coliseum they're 9 and 3. I'd like to know why both Oregon schools have so much player turnover. In this offseason Oregon State lost four terrific players: Taya Corosdale to Duke, Greta Kampschroeder to Michigan, Kennedy Brown to Duke, and Taylor Jones to Texas. 

I've heard in interviews with players who've left, that for some players Scott micro-manages too much - has too tight a grip on everything - every possession is scripted. So, his team this year is made up mostly of new faces - he's re-loaded with a bunch of really good players. Two strong players transferred in: Bendu Yeaney from Arizona and Shalexxus Aaron from USC - plus three terrific freshmen who get a lot of playing time. 

Their three double digit scorers are a sophomore and two freshmen: Talia vonOelhoffen, Raegan Beers, and Timea Gardiner. vonOelhoffen resembles a sophomore Haley Jones, Beers is a 6'-4" wide-body who does a great job in the paint, and Gardiner was named PAC12 freshman of the week after their win by one point last weekend against Oregon. Jalena Mitrovic, their 6'-9" center from Serbia continues to improve and gets more playing time this season.  

It's a similar story in Eugene. The Ducks lost five important players this offseason: Sydney Parrish to Indiana, Maddie Scherr to Kentucky, Kylee Watson to Notre Dame, Chanaya Pinto to Penn State, and Taylor Bigby to USC. Those five players could probably make up a decently ranked basketball team. Nyara Sabally chose to pass on her Covid extra year and left for the WNBA. 

Of course the Transfer Portal flows both ways, so the Ducks have two starters from the Transfer Portal: Endiya Rogers from USC and Taya Hanson from ASU. Seems like these two teams have way too much turnover. Just think how much better Oregon would be if those five players had stayed. Makes Stanford look so stable - and I'm very grateful. I greatly enjoy watching the development of our players over their four (or five) year college career. Look at the difference in every aspect of Hannah's game over these four years. 

Oregon this season is 13 and 6 overall, 4 and 4 in conference. They have four double digit scorers in Rogers, Grace Vanslooten (a talented highly recruited 6'-3" freshman forward), Paopao, and Chance Gray (another highly recruited freshman guard).  

Both these teams would benefit enormously from a win in Maples this weekend - but that could be said of every team we play. We've got to be ready and waiting for them with our A game locked in. Let's start fast and finish strong Friday night and Sunday afternoon - two solid convincing wins!

COME ON STANFORD LET'S ROCK!!

THE BUFFALOES REQUIRE OUR A-GAME. LET'S GIVE IT TO THEM!!

The Buffaloes have four double digit scorers, their point guard Sherrod is still greased lightning, and their Frida is a terrific three point shooter. Quay Miller and Aaronette Vonleh are stout, physical, and effective in the paint. They held Pili to single digits the other night when they beat Utah on the 6th. 

So Stanford's task is plain - we've got to play great basketball on both ends. If we do we'll win - and if we don't we'll lose. It's that simple. It's nothing like it was in the past, when the Utes and the Buffs came to town we could waltz to a couple of easy wins. These Buffs mean business. They're riding an eight game winning streak and on Sunday they intend to stretch it to nine. On the 13th they beat Arizona - that's two Top Ten teams so far in January.  

So, we stash our B-game we've been using in the last three games and show the nation our A-game - and outplay the team from Boulder in every aspect of the game. It'll be fun.

LET'S GO CARDINAL. GIVE IT 110%!!!

WE NEED TO OUTRUN, OUTSHOOT, OUT-REBOUND, AND OUT-HUSSLE THE UTES FRIDAY NIGHT!! TOTALLY!!

I've had a hard time getting back to this blog. I felt sick at heart after Sunday afternoon. Numb really. I keep thinking I must be exaggerating, but that game in the Galen Center felt like the worst game I've seen a Stanford women's basketball team play in the 40 years I've been cheering for them. I left the game feeling sort of dazed and proceeded to get misled by a screwed-up GPS navigation system and totally lost down in the belly of the megalopolis in driving rain and bumper to bumper mostly stop and a little go traffic. 

Our group looked like they wanted no part of that gym, that team, or even playing basketball. They made 17 shots in 40 minutes. (30%) It felt worse. And it seemed like they completed about 30% of their passes, as well. They hit 4 of 21 3's. (19%) It was grim. They entered the game averaging 82 points and scored 46.   

I know a lot of it was terrific coaching on Lindsay's part. But most of it was the home team wanted it a whole lot more than we did. Before the game, talking with the guy next to me, watching a listless warmup on our end, I mentioned that for the Trojans, this game is their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. That's the way they played on both ends of the floor. This game would be the turning point of their season!

I've recovered, pretty much. Just in time to welcome a Utah team into Maples that plays like they love playing together - love running and gunning - and love playing basketball. They're young energetic - and they smell blood in the water. They know they could use a big win against Stanford to solidify their reputation as a major contender worthy of their Top Ten ranking. They're coming off a come from behind one point win against Arizona and feel justifiably good about themselves.

Alisa Pili plays in the middle. She's undersized, strong, stout, and coordinated. She averages 20 points and 6 rebounds. Kneepkens, Johnson, and McQueen average double figures and 13 rebounds between them. 

I'll be there. I'm interested to see if this coach I so admire - and these players I think of as contenders - can overcome such a dismal experience and play like a Final Four calibre team less than a week later. Utah is fast and quick and exuberant. What is Stanford? 

COME ON STANFORD - LET'S SHAKE IT OFF AND WIN BIG!!!

 

OUR TRIP TO LA IS GOING TO BE THE TOUGHEST WE'VE HAD IN YEARS. SO GET READY!

 Our upcoming trip to play the LA schools is going to be the toughest in years. We play UCLA on Friday the 13th in Pauley at 8PM.  They're ranked #12 and are playing great. Charisma Osborne and Kiki Rice are as good a guard tandem as any in the nation. Rice plays point guard more like a senior than a freshman - confident and skilled. Osborne plays exactly like a senior - confident and skilled. Emily Bessoir their 6'-4" post player is much improved, but not as good as she will be. 

Cori's number one recruiting class is transforming her program.  All five play double-digit minutes and average 34 points per game. Gabriela Jaquez is the sister of the men's team star and her game is advanced for a freshman. They recently lost by a few points to Oregon State, but their leading scorer, Charisma Osborne was injured and didn't play. In her absence, Kiki Rice scored 41 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists. (What's she going to be like as a senior?) Both their team and ours lost to South Carolina by single digits, but their game was in Columbia.

We definitely need our "A" game Friday night from the opening tip to the final buzzer. 

USC is much better than their record or their ranking would indicate. Kadi Sissoko, a 6'-2" slasher, is one of the quickest most dynamic players in the country. Rayah Marshall, their 6'-4" power forward (take that literally), is emerging as one of the most effective post players in the PAC12. In their last game she scored 33 points against Oregon State. Destiny Littleton came off the bench for Dawn Staley, but she's a dangerous starter for Lindsay. They recently lost to Oregon, but Sissoko couldn't play. They're really just getting to know each other, since most of them recently emerged from the Transfer Portal. Even as a bunch of semi-strangers they're darn good. The Trojans are going to do a lot of damage during the conference season and I predict they end up as a ranked team that makes the NCAA Tournament. How do you think they're approaching their upcoming game against #2? 

TWO HARD-EARNED WINS. LET'S GO CARDINAL!!