Top-Ranked Huskies in Town

by gostanford.com
Nov 16, 2014

THE GAME: No. 6/6 Stanford (1-0) will play its 20th game against the AP’s No. 1 team when it hosts Connecticut (1-0) on Monday, November 17 in Maples Pavilion at 6 p.m.

TRACKING THE CARDINAL: The game will air on ESPN2 with Dave O’Brien and Doris Burke on the call and be available via WatchESPN. It will also be broadcast on KZSU 90.1FM with Ashley Westhem and Alexa Philippou at the mic. A live audio stream can also be heard on kzsulive.stanford.edu. Live stats will be available on GoStanford.com and fans can follow @StanfordWBB on Twitter for all game day information, including score updates, photos and observations.

THE RUNDOWN: Stanford returns 12 letterwinners and two starters to a squad that went 33-4 a season ago, advanced to the program’s sixth Final Four in the past seven years and won 30 or more games for the seventh consecutive campaign ... Gone are three starters that combined for 35.5 points and 22.9 rebounds per game, averages which accounted for 43.7 percent of Stanford’s scoring and 53.8 percent of its rebounding ... With a dynamic backcourt and no player over 6-feet that started more than five games a season ago, Tara VanDerveer and her staff have adapted to their personnel and now feature a more guard-oriented attack with an emphasis on pace ... This summer, VanDerveer and her staff spent time with former Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni, among others, to learn the intricacies of such an offense ...  Led by Lili Thompson’s career high 26 points, Stanford shot 64.9 percent against Boston College on Friday, the fifth-best mark in school history ... Monday’s game with UConn will the 20th time the Cardinal has played the nation’s No. 1 team in the Associated Press poll ... It is 6-13 over its previous 19 such meetings, last winning against Baylor in 2012 ... Stanford is 488-84 (.853) at home since 1974-75, 109-2 (.982) since 2007-08 and currently in the midst of a 27-game winning streak in Maples Pavilion, which is the third-longest active stretch in the nation.

VS. CONNECTICUT: Stanford is 6-10 all-time against Connecticut. The Huskies have won seven of the series’ last eight games, including four in a row. The Cardinal is 3-1 against Connecticut in Maples Pavilion, with its only loss coming in the teams’ last meeting on The Farm, 61-35, on Dec. 29, 2012. Stanford’s last win in the series also came in Maples Pavilion on Dec. 30, 2010, 71-59, in a result that ended top-ranked Connecticut’s record 90-game winning streak.

VS. NO. 1 ALL-TIME: Monday’s game against Connecticut will mark the 20th time that Stanford has faced off against the nation’s top-ranked team in the Associated Press poll. 

  • The Cardinal is 6-13 over its previous 19 meetings with a No. 1 team, most recently defeating No. 1/1 Baylor 71-69 in Honolulu on Nov. 16, 2012. 
  • Monday’s game will also mark the eighth straight year in which Stanford has played the top-ranked team. The Cardinal has a record of 3-7 in those 10 overall meetings since the 2007-08 season.
  • This will be the eighth time Stanford has played Connecticut with the Huskies ranked No. 1.  The Cardinal is 1-6 in those previous seven encounters.
  • Other AP No. 1 programs Stanford has faced include: Tennessee (eight times); Baylor (two times); Virginia (1992) and Purdue (1998).
  • The Cardinal also met Tennessee on Dec. 4, 2005 at a time when the Lady Vols were No. 2 in the AP poll, but No. 1 in the USA TODAY Top 25. Tennessee came out on top in that one, 74-67. [Not counted for the W/L totals in the Associated Press numbers above.]
  • Stanford has also been ranked nation’s top 10 for 17 of its 19 all-time meetings with No. 1. The last time the Cardinal faced the country’s best and was itself lower than No. 6 was on Dec. 30, 2010, when No. 9/8 Stanford knocked off No. 1/1 Connecticut, 71-59.
  • Monday’s game will be just the fourth time Stanford has faced No. 1 in the month of November. The Cardinal is 2-1 in the previous three such games, beating Baylor on Nov. 16, 2012 (71-69) and Purdue on Nov. 22, 1998 (73-72), but falling to Tennessee on Nov. 29, 1997 (88-70).
  • The aforementioned victory over Baylor is Stanford’s only earlier game in program history against the nation’s No. 1 team. 

LOOKING BACK AT BC: Stanford, up just nine at halftime against Boston College on Friday, outscored the Eagles 47-23 in the second half to win the program’s 14th consecutive season opener, 96-63.

  • The Cardinal held BC to 0-of-5 from 3-point range in the second half after the Eagles hit 9-of-16 in the opening 20 minutes.
  • Stanford shot 64.9 percent from the floor (37-of-57), the fifth-best mark in program history. The Cardinal hasn’t shot that well since hitting at a 64.8 percent clip against Arizona State on Jan. 8, 2011. The last time Stanford shot better was when it made a school record 67.3 percent of its attempts in a win over Oregon State on Feb. 20, 2010.
  • The young Cardinal posted a combined 41 career bests against the Eagles, including 20 when not counting the team’s three freshmen.
  • Sophomore guard Lili Thompson led the way with a career high 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting, seven more points than she scored last Jan. 5 against Oregon State. 
  • That performance was the highest point total for someone not named Ogwumike at Stanford since Toni Kokenis poured in 26 against Tennessee on Dec. 20, 2011.
  • The Cardinal’s last 30-point effort from someone other than Nnemkadi or Chiney Ogwumike came from Jeanette Pohlen, who scored 31 against Connecticut on Dec. 30, 2010.

WHAT’S BACK: Stanford returns 12 letterwinners and two starters to a squad that went 33-4 a season ago, advanced to the program’s sixth Final Four in the past seven years and won 30 or more games for the seventh consecutive campaign. 

  • The Cardinal welcomes back its starting backcourt in two-time All-Pac-12 honoree Amber Orrange (10.3 ppg, 4.5 apg) and Lili Thompson (8.3 ppg, 2.7 apg), a 2014 Pac-12 All-Freshman Team selection. 
  • Ten other returning letterwinners in senior Bonnie Samuelson (7.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg), senior Taylor Greenfield (5.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg), sophomore Karlie Samuelson (5.1 ppg, 1.3 apg), sophomore Erica McCall (3.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg), sophomore Kailee Johnson (2.4 ppg, 1.7 rpg), sophomore Briana Roberson (1.6 ppg, 0.7 rpg), redshirt junior Alex Green (1.0 ppg, 0.6 apg), redshirt junior Jasmine Camp (0.8 ppg, 0.2 rpg), junior Tess Picknell (0.5 ppg, 1.1 rpg) and senior Erica Payne (0.4 ppg, 0.6 rpg) will look to collectively replace the production of three departed seniors.
  • Those 12 combined to make 90 starts last season and accounted for 64 percent of Stanford 7,400 minutes on the year. Orrange (31.9), Thompson (25.0), Bonnie Samuelson (15.3), Greenfield (16.6), Karlie Samuelson (15.5) and McCall (10.5) are those returners that averaged more than 10 minutes per game in 2013-14.
  • Stanford does not have a returner with a double-digit rebounding game in their career.

WHAT’S NOT: Gone are three starters that combined for 35.5 points and 22.9 rebounds per game a season ago, averages which accounted for 43.7 percent of Stanford’s scoring and 53.8 percent of its rebounding in 2013-14. 

  • This season is the first in a decade that Stanford will not have a returning Associated Press All-American (first, second or honorable mention) on its roster, a run that began with Candice Wiggins in 2004-05. That team also did not welcome back an AP All-American following Nicole Powell’s graduation at the conclusion of the 2003-04 season. That 2004-05 squad went 32-3, 17-1 in the Pac-10, and advanced to the Elite Eight.
  • Until this year, the Cardinal had also returned a WBCA All-American in every season since beginning that stretch with Jayne Appel in 2008-09. [Appel was an AP All-American Honorable Mention in 2007-08, bridging the gap after Candice Wiggins’ gradaution in 2008.] 
  • Consensus All-American and No. 1 WNBA draft pick Chiney Ogwumike, the Pac-12’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, averaged 26.1 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. 
  • The 2014-15 season will be the first since 2007-08, the year before Nnemkadi began as a freshman on The Farm, that Stanford will not have an Ogwumike on its roster. 
  • Mikaela Ruef made 36 starts and averaged career bests of 7.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game en route to All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention accolades, her first postseason nod from the conference. 
  • Sara James started 22 of her 33 games in 2013-14, scoring 2.3 points and grabbing 1.5 rebounds per outing.

“OLD DOG’S GOTTA LEARN NEW TRICKS”: With a dynamic backcourt and no player over 6-feet that started more than five games a season ago, Tara VanDerveer and her staff have adapted to their personnel and now feature a more guard-oriented attack with an emphasis on pace. 

  • The updated offense is in stark contrast to the triangle that VanDerveer has become known for on The Farm and implemented prior to the 2002-03 season. She first gained experience with the tried and true triangle during her time with the 1996 Olympic Team and was tutored in the strategy in part by Jim Cleamons, a New York Knicks assistant coach who teamed with Knicks President Phil Jackson to win nine NBA titles as an assistant with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.
  • This summer, VanDerveer and her staff spent time with Milwaukee Bucks assistant Joe Prunty and former Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni, among others, to learn the intricacies of a more guard-oriented, fast-paced, pick-and-roll offense. 
  • VanDerveer at Pac-12 Media Day in late October: “We really approached it intellectually, figuring, ‘This is the problem we have, this is not going to work for this group, let’s figure out something new.” 

IT’S ALL ABOUT THAT PACE: Stanford’s up-tempo attack was on display from the start in its win over Boston College on Friday, with guards Amber Orrange and Lili Thompson pushing the ball and the Cardinal’s mobile posts running the floor.

  • Stanford totaled 76 possessions, had an average possession time of 14 seconds and averaged 1.263 points every time it touched the ball.
  • The Cardinal came four points shy of scoring 100 in a game for the first time since March 11, 2011 against Arizona.
  • Something to keep an eye on this year is the team’s scoring average. The last season Stanford put up more than 80 points per game was 2001-02 (80.3), which was also the last season of Cardinal basketball before VanDerveer implemented the triangle offense.

APPROACHING MARKS: Despite losing a number of key contributors, Stanford’s Amber Orrange and Bonnie Samuelson are on their way toward putting their names among Cardinal all-time greats in various statistical categories.

  • With 431 career assists, Orrange sits just behind a number of Stanford legends and is aiming to become the seventh Cardinal to reach the 500-assist plateau, joining Sonja Henning (757), Jennifer Azzi (751), Milena Flores (644), Jamila Wideman (585), Nicole Powell (577) and Jeanette Pohlen (560). She’s also on track to crack Stanford’s career top 10 lists for both games and minutes played. 
  • Orrange is 10th in the nation among active players in assists.
  • Bonnie Samuelson has drained 156 3-pointers in her three years on The Farm. She’s never made less than 44 in a season and reaching that number again this year will make her the seventh Stanford player to hit 200 from behind the arc, joining Candice Wiggins (295), Jeanette Pohlen (268), Vanessa Nygaard (210), Kelley Suminiski (208), Sebnem Kimyacioglu (205) and Nicole Powell (201).

STARTING LINEUP: Freshman Kaylee Johnson started the season opener on Friday, becoming the 11th true freshman to start a season opener for Stanford since 2000-01.

  • 2000-01 - Susan King, Nicole Powell*^
  • 2001-02 - Sebnem Kimyacioglu+
  • 2003-04 - Kristen Newlin*
  • 2004-05 - Candice Wiggins*^
  • 2005-06 - Jillian Harmon*
  • 2007-08 - Kayla Pedersen*^
  • 2010-11 - Chiney Ogwumike*^
  • 2011-12 - Taylor Greenfield+
  • 2013-14 - Kailee Johnson
  • 2014-15 - Kaylee Johnson
  • ^ = Named Pac-10/12 Freshman of the Year
  • * = Named to Pac-10/12 All-Freshman Team
  • + = Named Pac-10/12 All-Freshman Honorable Mention

FORTRESS MAPLES: Maples Pavilion has always provided the Cardinal with an intimidating home-court advantage, which Stanford has used to its benefit.

  • Stanford is 488-84 (.853) in Maples since 1974-75 and 109-2 (.982) since 2007-08, with the only two losses coming during the 2012-13 campaign.
  • The Cardinal is currently in the midst of a 27-game winning streak at home, which is the third-longest active stretch in the nation behind Chattanooga (40) and Notre Dame (29).
  • That run is currently the fifth-longest in program history, behind stretches of 82 wins (Nov. 28, 2007-Dec. 29, 2012), 59 wins (Nov. 25, 1994 to March 14, 1998), 42 wins (Nov. 25, 1988 to Feb. 9, 1991) and 34 wins (Feb. 2, 1991 to Dec. 3, 1993).
  • Connecticut’s win in its last visit to Maples Pavilion on Dec. 29, 2012 (61-35) snapped Stanford’s school record 82-game home winning streak.

CLASS OF THE COUNTRY: One of the nation’s elite programs, Stanford has consistently been a model for sustained excellence, especially recently.

  • Over the past seven-plus seasons, the Cardinal has accumulated a record of 239-23 (.912) and been one of just two programs to reach the Final Four at least six times. Stanford is also one of just four teams to reach the national title game twice since 2007-08.
  • In an even shorter window, Stanford is second in the country in both wins (171) and winning percentage (.924) during the past five years. Connecticut is tops in both categories, winning 184 against 11 losses (.944).
  • The Cardinal’s 12 total Final Four appearances are third all-time among all schools in trips to women’s basketball’s marquee event. Additionally, Stanford’s NCAA Tournament appearance in 2013-14 was its 28th, moving the Cardinal into third place past Louisiana Tech (27).

PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS: Stanford opens the season ranked sixth in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA TODAY Preseason Top 25 Coaches’ Poll.

  • It’s the ninth consecutive season the Cardinal has been among the top six teams in the nation in the preseason. Stanford has been ranked in the AP Preseason Top 25 every year since 2000-01.
  • It’s the 14th consecutive season the Cardinal has been among the top 10 teams in the nation in the preseason coaches’ poll. Stanford has been ranked in the USA TODAY Preseason Top 25 every year since 2000-01.
  • The Cardinal was also picked by the league’s coaches to win the Pac-12 title for the 15th consecutive season. Stanford, the defending 14-time Pac-12 champion, has topped the preseason poll since 2000-01. UCLA was the last team to finish atop the preseason rankings, receiving the honors two straight years in 1998-99 and 1999-2000.
  • The media, however, chose Cal to win the conference by four points (194 to 190) over the Cardinal. It is the first time since 1999 that Stanford was not picked No. 1 in the preseason by the media. The polling dates back to at least 1998 (based on available records).

WHAT’S IN A NAME?: With the addition of freshman Kaylee Johnson to the roster, distinguishing between this year’s Cardinal could prove difficult.

  • 6-foot-3 freshman Kaylee (pronounced K-lee) Johnson, from Wyoming, is not the same person as 6-foot-3 sophomore Kailee (pronounced KY-lee) Johnson, from Oregon. The former has been dubbed ‘Kayl’ by her teammates, while the elder Johnson (no relation) goes by ‘KJ’.
  • The Johnsons are not to be confused with sophomore guard Lili Thompson, who thankfully plays a different position than her two frontcourt teammates with rhyming last names.
  • There’s not only Kaylee and Kailee, but also Karlie, as in Samuelson, a 6-foot sophomore guard from Huntington Beach, Calif. whose elder sister, Bonnie, is the team’s third-leading returning scorer.
  • Sophomore forward Erica McCall goes by ‘Bird’, to distinguish from senior forward Erica Payne, and was given the nickname by departed senior Mikaela Ruef.
  • There are also a pair of Taylor’s, in senior Greenfield and freshman Rooks. The name game also crosses over to the staff, as sthe team’s ports performance coach Brittany Keil shares the same first name as freshman Brittany McPhee.
  • VanDerveer on the confusion: “I mix them up all the time.”

PAC-12 DOMINANCE: Since the advent of Pac-12 women’s basketball in 1986-87, Stanford has been far and away the class of the conference in terms of victories and end-of-season awards and honors. 

  • The Cardinal has won outright or shared the regular-season title 23 times out of a possible 28, while the next team on the list, Washington, has won the conference title just three times. 
  • Stanford has also dominated the Pac-12 Tournament, capturing 10 of the 12 tournament titles.
  • From Jan. 22, 2009 to Jan. 8, 2013 Stanford won a record 81 straight games against its Pac-12 foes (including Pac-10 and Pac-12 Tournament contests). Through the end of the 2013-14 regular season, the team’s 790-143 (.848) overall mark since 1986-87 and 444-60 (.881) mark in Pac-12 regular-season play are both by far the top marks in the conference.
  • Following the announcement of the 2014 Pac-12 honors, a Stanford player has won or shared the conference’s Player of the Year award 18 of 28 times since 1986-87, won the Freshman of the Year award eight times, Defender of the Year award four times and head coach Tara VanDerveer has been honored as the conference’s Coach of the Year on 14 occasions, with current associate head coach Amy Tucker and Marianne Stanley sharing the honor in 1995-96 while VanDerveer was on sabbatical coaching the U.S. Olympic Team.
  • Stanford players have captured a conference-best 94 Pac-10/Pac-12 Player of the Week honors through the 2013-14 season. Finally, the Cardinal leads the conference with 63 All-Pac-10/All-Pac-12 first-team selections.