Preview: Stanford Women’s Basketball to have Red Out vs. No. 19 Tennessee
On Wednesday at 6:15 PM PT on ESPN2, Stanford women’s basketball will welcome No. 19 Tennessee to Maples Pavilion for a “Red Out” game in which fans will be given red t-shirts. This game is part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. Stanford comes in at 8-1 overall while Tennessee comes in at 5-2.
Last time out: Stanford went 1-1 in the Resorts World Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stanford fell to Florida Gulf Coast 66-62 and defeated Colorado State 62-60.
BOX SCORE: Stanford vs. Florida Gulf Coast-Friday, November 28th
BOX SCORE: Stanford vs. Colorado State-Saturday, November 29th
On Tennessee: The Lady Volunteers have wins over East Tennessee State, UT Martin, Belmont, Middle Tennessee, and Coppin State. Their two losses are to NC State (receiving votes in the AP Top 25) and No. 4 UCLA. Facing Stanford on the road should be a good test for them. As of course facing Tennessee will be a good test for Stanford.
Senior forward Janiah Barker leads the way for the Lady Vols, averaging 16.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper is the number two scorer with 15.4 points & 7.4 rebounds per game. The two of them form a very formidable duo. The other two players scoring in double figures for the Lady Vols are senior guard Nya Robertson (11.6 points) and senior forward Zee Spearman (10.3 points & 7.1 rebounds).
Overall, the Volunteers are off to a solid start, but once again, it’s still early in the season. This really is a game where I think we will learn a lot about both teams. They’ve beaten the teams they are supposed to beat and then lost a couple games to two quality opponents.
STATS: Tennessee Lady Volunteers
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is get their freshmen going. The freshmen really struggled in Las Vegas as none of them scored in double figures. Some of that may have been due to the games being played in a funky tent. Now that they are back home, they should settle in and have a strong performance.
Secondly, Stanford needs to contain Barker and Cooper. The two of them are playing fantastic basketball and are difficult to stop. The Lady Vols don’t have much of a bench, so it really is crucial for them to get as much out of Barker and Cooper as possible.
Finally, Stanford’s bench needs to outscore Tennessee’s bench. If Stanford’s bench comes to play and outscores them resoundingly, that would go a long way towards getting the win.
Prediction: Stanford is at home and they should have a strong crowd out. It’s a “Red Out”, etc. I’ll pick Stanford to thrive behind their home crowd and win 74-72.
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