Oregon women's basketball: How to watch, injuries, matchups vs #8 Stanford

The Ducks have finally found themselves on the court, finishing a weekend sweep over Arizona and Arizona State this past Friday and Sunday.

These two wins most likely won’t lead to a win streak though as Oregon is traveling to California to face the No. 8 Stanford Cardinal on Friday.

Stanford is a perennial power in women’s basketball and constantly sets the standard for teams in the Pac-12. Currently sitting at 4-1 in conference play, the Cardinal is ranked third behind UCLA and USC.

The Oregon team as a whole seems to have grown into their jobs and players appear to have been fine-tuning their skills during practice. 

“Players are starting to execute their roles and play their roles a little bit better,” Graves said in a media availability earlier this week.

With players like Chance Gray, Grace VanSlooten, and Phillipina Kyei heating up from the field, the Ducks have been able to put up some bigger point totals in their more recent games. However, they still struggle from beyond the arc, shooting just 30.5 percent.

Here’s how to watch, injury reports, and key matchups ahead of the game.

How to watch Oregon WBB vs. Stanford

Location: Maples Pavilion, Stanford, CA

Game time: Friday, Jan. 19, 7 p.m. PT

TV/Live Stream: Pac-12 Network

Radio/Audio: Oregon Sports Network, GoDucks Audio

Live stats: StatBroadcast

Key matchups:

Stanford’s Cameron Brink recorded a triple-double against the Ducks last season and hasn’t slowed down since. 

Occasionally in foul trouble, Graves told media he and the team will have to focus on that aspect of Brink’s game and hopefully bump her to the bench to keep her numbers low. The forward will most likely match up with Oregon’s VanSlooten.

VanSlooten currently leads the Ducks in scoring while also contributing an average of 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Brink stands at 6-foot-four, making her the tallest player on Stanford’s roster, which means Kyei will most likely have to put in some additional defensive work in the paint. 

The Cardinal also has 6-foot-3 players Brooke Demetre and Kiki Iriafen to add to the team’s height.

Outmatched in size, the Ducks will have to focus on ball-handling skills and outside shooting ahead of the road game. Being able to quickly drive past defenders or stopping on a dime for a pull-up three-point shot will be crucial to Oregon staying in the game.

Oregon injury report:

Peyton Scott, who injured her left knee in the Ducks’ season opener, is still out with the season-ending injury. 

Kennedi Williams, who hasn’t played in the past few games for Oregon, had yet to be reevaluated on Wednesday afternoon.

Due to icy weather in the area, the University of Oregon campus was closed and many of the staff, including trainers, were unable to get to Matt Knight Arena throughout the week. This caused delays in reevaluating players but Graves said it hadn’t affected the team too greatly overall.

Stanford injury report:

There are currently no players reporting as injured on the Stanford roster. Head coach Tara VanDerveer will be able to utilize the entire depth of her bench against the Ducks.

VanDerveer is currently the all-time winningest coach in women’s collegiate basketball history. She is currently one win away from tying Mike Krzyzewski’s overall record in college basketball of 1,202 wins.

Final score prediction: Stanford 71, Oregon 57