By Zach Carver
EUGENE, Ore. — After recent wins in Eugene against the Arizona schools, the Ducks focus their attention to the bay, where they will be traveling this weekend to take on No. 8 Stanford (15-2, 4-1 PAC-12) and unranked Cal (12-5, 2-3 PAC-12). After two tough losses against ranked opponents USC and UCLA to start the new year, Oregon has found itself with two straight wins, both against conference opponents. A win at Stanford would be huge for the Ducks at this point in the season, sitting at 11-7 and 2-3 in conference play.
Ducks head coach Kelly Graves needs to bring his best with him to Stanford in order to bring the No. 8 team its first loss at home this season. This meeting might be extra tough for the Ducks considering they are going up against a Stanford team that is looking to bounce back after losing to Colorado last weekend. Don’t be surprised if Stanford looks to make a statement in their first game since the defeat against an Oregon team in the bottom half of the conference. The Cardinals are led by senior forward Cameron Brink, averaging over 17 points a game on an extremely efficient 54.6%. Brink has struggled in her last two games, however, totaling just 21 points on 33.3% from the field. Although the senior has continued to make an impact on the boards and defensively during her cold stretch, Oregon needs to emphasize slowing Brink down for a real shot at winning against the No. 2 team in the conference. Junior forward Kiki Iriafen will also be a key factor in this game, as she and Brink both average over 10 rebounds a game. Stanford has outrebounded opponents by an impressive margin of 17 rebounds per game. Stanford has also doubled the amount of free throw attempts per game as their opponents this season, and they knock down 81.3% of their 14 attempts per game. This shooting efficiency also translates to the three-point line, where the Cardinals connected on 34.7% of their shots beyond the arc. This Stanford team is ranked No. 8 for a good reason. They are dominant offensively, on the boards, and their forward duo of Brink and Iriafen bring fear into their opponents on both ends of the floor.
In Oregon’s previous game against Arizona, the Ducks turned the ball over 27 times. Coach Graves didn’t seem worried about it in his postgame interview due to the injury absence of guard Kennedi Williams, and the success of the Wildcats to force turnovers all season. Although Stanford doesn’t force nearly as many turnovers as Arizona, the turnovers for the Ducks need to be addressed in order to have a shot at taking down the No. 8 team. Oregon will also look to suppress the three-point shooting of Stanford. The Cardinals aren’t afraid to take shots beyond the arc, ranking third in the conference in three-point attempts per game. The Ducks not only have to respect Stanford from three, but they also have to play physical, smothering defense in the post to not allow the duo of Brink and Iriafen to take over Friday’s game. Ducks center Phillipina Kyei and forward Grace VanSlooten have a big task of limiting the success of Stanford’s dangerous duo on the defensive end of the floor. If the Ducks can extend Cameron Brink’s cold stretch, clean up rebounds, and get some offensive assistance in the form of guards Chance Gray or Sofia Bell, Oregon will put itself in a good position to pull off the huge upset against the No. 2 team in the conference.
The Oregon Ducks have a good chance on Friday night to build on recent games and take advantage of recent Stanford struggles. If they are able to pull out of Maples Pavilion with a win, the door will be wide open for the Ducks to prove they have the potential to be at the top of the Pac-12.