Oregon tops Stanford in a battle of top-5 teams
The stage was set for a big-time Pac-12 battle on national television on Thursday night, as the Stanford Cardinal traveled to Eugene to take on the Oregon Ducks. The game was tight for just over two quarters, before the Ducks exploded offensively en route to an 87-55 win.
The Ducks moved to 14-2 on the season, while Stanford dropped to 15-2.
Sabrina Ionescu had a career night for the Ducks, setting the Oregon all-time career scoring record, while pouring in a career-high 37 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 7 assists in the game.
Oregon dominated the second half in this game, winning it 51-25, and had just seven turnovers in the game, while dishing out 16 assists as a team. Despite their early struggles shooting the 3-point shot, going just 3-14 in the first half, the Ducks finished the game shooting 33% (8-24). In the second half, it was the defense for head coach Kelly Graves and the Ducks that sparked their third quarter spurt, and put this game away heading into the fourth.
While this is just one of many big Pac-12 battles coming up this season for both teams, here are the five most important takeaways from this mid-January conference tilt.
Oregon’s big three is a big problem for their opponents
I’ve said this since the summer: Oregon has the best starting five in the country. Within that group is a big three of Sabrina Ionescu, Ruthy Hebard, and Satou Sabally. All three are projected to be drafted into the WNBA and they are a dynamic trio. Hebard came into the Stanford game leading the team in scoring at 16.9 PPG, while Ionescu followed closely at 16.3, and Sabally right behind her at 14.5. While Ionescu and Hebard get a lot of the recognition, and rightfully so, Sabally may end up being the best player at the next level.
The issue that many teams will face is figuring out how to guard these three players, while also being aware of all of the shooters like Jaz Shelley, Erin Boley, and Taylor Chavez spread all over the court. The Ducks really spread you out offensively and force you as a defense to guard the 3-point line. That opens up the lane for Ionescu and Sabally drives, as well as post entries into Hebard, which allows her to go to work. Add in the pick-and-roll sets, and this Ducks team becomes extremely difficult to guard, and it all starts with the big three.
If you don’t have five really good-to-great on-ball defenders to put up against this defense, it’s going to be difficult to stop them. Add in the ability for all three of these players to rebound and effect the game on both ends, and Graves truly has the core group he needs for Oregon to have a historic season in Eugene.
Stanford goes as Kiana Williams goes
Kiana Williams is the key cog for Stanford, particularly on the offensive end. In the first half tonight, she made a couple of tough shots, but tended to be a bit passive at times. As good as the Hull sisters, their core freshmen, and others can be, Williams is the difference-maker for VanDerveer and the Cardinal. She is the floor general, oftentimes playing alongside a group that is much younger than the veteran junior point guard.
When it looked like Oregon could break things open tonight, it was Williams who Stanford looked to for the run-stopping bucket. Just three minutes into the second half, Ionescu hit a big three to put the Ducks back up six. Williams immediately responded with a three of her own.
Only a junior, but if Stanford wants to get to a final four and compete for a national championship, Williams is the main piece to that puzzle.
Live and die by the three
One thing is for certain: Oregon takes a lot of threes. The good news is that even if they aren’t hitting them, their defense has been good enough this season to keep them in every game they play. They were 4-14 in the first half against Stanford, yet still led by six points at the half. The issue may not be in the volume of threes taken, but in their selection. Graves has pointed this out in the past, but the Ducks tend to try to shoot themselves out of a slump if they aren’t hitting their shots early.
We all know that shooters shoot, but for Oregon, they tend to shoot more when struggling. With a player like Hebard on the inside, they need to do a better job of getting her the ball and working inside-out, particularly when they are slumping from behind the arc.
Stanford’s freshmen may just get this team to New Orleans
Stanford hung in this one until midway through the third quarter when Ionescu just took over the game. The result of this game was far from surprising. Oregon’s experience and home floor was going to be tough for the Cardinal to overcome.
The Stanford freshmen, however, have gotten better and better as this season has progressed, and there’s no reason to think that will stop anytime soon. Haley Jones, Francesca Belibi, Hannah Jump, and Ashten Prechtel are barely halfway through their first season, and tonight was their first big Pac-12 battle, which happened to be on the road against one of the country’s best teams.
Jones, the top recruit in the 2019 class, as averaged just over 11 PPG, and has shown the ability, at times, to be an explosive offensive player. Jump is one of the best 3-point shooters in the country, while Prechtel and Belibi have shown the ability to be effective in spurts. All four freshmen will need to continue to improve, but this group has added some terrific depth and energy to a team that has every chance to compete for a championship.
VanDerveer is a hall-of-fame coach and come March, don’t be surprised if it’s this group of freshmen that help lead their coach back to another final four.
Sabrina
There’s not much left to say about Sabrina Ionescu. Oregon has her and every other team in the country does not.
She is a triple-double machine, is an explosive ball-handler, has the ability to hit a number of different types of shots, and has the unique ability to make everyone she plays with better. She took over in the first half against Stanford when the rest of her team was struggling, particularly from behind the arc, and had 29 points through just three quarters.
One thing I’ve noticed about Ionescu this year is how much she has improved on the defensive end. Minyon Moore, who is known to be a terrific defender, has led the charge in a much-improved defense, and Ionescu has shown this side of her game as well.
She set the Oregon all-time scoring record in a big-time performance in the win over Stanford, and my gut tells me that there’s plenty of history left to make for Ionescu this year and beyond.
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