Tonight at 10:00 ET, the Oregon Ducks Women’s team will travel to No. 4 Stanford at the Maples Pavilion and are hoping to at least keep this one close. Amanda Johnson is still at least a week away from returning, and the Cardinal are just too good right now. The Ducks are about an average team without Johnson, while the Cardinal are one of the top teams in the country and clearly the class of the Pac-12 in women’s basketball.
The Cardinal have won 59 straight Pac-12 games, and they shredded UCLA 77-50 in their last game. Sisters Nnemadi Ogwumike and Chiney Ogwumike are two of the best players in the country, and they are averaging 23.0 and 14.7 points per game respectively. Nnemadi is averaging an insane double-double and has added 11.3 boards per game this year, while Chiney has more than held her own with an average of 9.6 rebounds per game this season. However, their star talent goes beyond the Ogwumike sisters; Toni Kokenis is averaging double figures as well (10.5 PPG) and leads the team with 3.3 assists per game and 1.3 steals per game.
History is working against the Ducks favor, because the only time the Ducks beat Stanford on the road was in 1987. Oregon is 1-24 against the Cardinal at the Maple Pavilion. Although past games have no effect on tonight’s matchup, this is definitely an interesting statistic to note. If the Ducks win, they will have exorcised a 24-year-old demon as well as winning in a shocking upset. I doubt that happens, especially with their star player still out, but Temple’s victory over Duke in men’s basketball shows that no team is safe. After all, this is a conference game.
Speaking of exorcising demons, the Oregon Ducks women’s team made important progress in their rivalry victory over the Washington Huskies. Not only did they win, but they also won their first game while overcoming a half-time deficit in the process.
The Ducks will be looking for more production from captain Nia Jackson, and the point guard is averaging 10.4 points per game, 4.2 assists per game, and 2.6 steals per game. She is one of the better PGs in the country and has firmly entrenched herself as one of the best defensive point guards in the league and a top-flight passer. Deanna Weaver came through in the clutch last game, and her 52.6% three-point shooting could be a factor.
I think this game ends up being a 75-61 victory for the Cardinal, because Stanford is just far too good and is one of the toughest teams on the inside in college basketball. They get so many rebounds and manufacture high percentage shots by the dozen. The Ogwumike sisters are an indomitable force on the inside, and this game shouldn’t be too difficult for the Cardinal. However, I am crossing my fingers for an upset.
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