February 17, 2010

Last homestand of the season

Next weekend is the last of the season at Maples for the Cardinal and their fans. Be there:
  • On Thursday, in the Pink Zone to show your support of breast cancer research.
  • On Saturday to honor our seniors.
And ... oh yes ... to see our awesome Cardinal play a couple more basketball games.

Oregon Ducks

In our first meeting of the season, the Cardinal had trouble for a while with the Ducks' in-your-face press. But some adjustments and a monster of a game from Nneka led to a very satisfying victory for the Cardinal.

After that, the Ducks lost to UCLA, then won their next four games – against USC, Oregon State, Arizona and Arizona State.

Their games continue to be lively high-scoring contests. They score the most points in the Pac-10 (85.3), but they also allow the most points to their opponents (75.9). Five of their players are among the top 30 scorers in the Pac-10, led by Taylor Lilley at #3 and Micaela Cocks at #8.

They continue to be deadly beyond the arc. They lead the Pac-10 in three-point percentage (36.9) and three-pointers per game (8.54). Taylor Lilley makes the most (3.67), but Victoria Kenyon has the best percentage (43.9).

In spite of the furious pace of their games, they take good care of the ball. They have the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the Pac-10 (0.96). (Stanford is one of only 21 teams in the nation that have a positive ratio – more assists than turnovers.)

This is a crucial weekend for the Ducks. They are currently 4th in the Pac-10, one game behind Cal. So their game at Haas on Saturday is a must-win. But I'm sure they'll be trying for a win at Maples before that!

Oregon's win-loss record (16-8 overall, 7-5 conference) and their RPI (5-7) place them 4th in the Pac-10. Their strength of schedule (61) places them 9th.

Here are their 2009-10 statistics and their roster.

Oregon State Beavers

The Beavers are having such a disappointing season. Their grind-it-out defense holds their opponents to the third-fewest points in the Pac-10 (58.9), but it doesn't generate enough offense to tip the balance in their favor. They score just a bit less (58.2 points per game), the fewest in the Pac-10.

In our prior game, they held us to just 63 points, our then-lowest of the conference season, but they were able to score only 47.

Since then, they've lost seven consecutive games, including a non-conference one to Cal State Bakersfield.

Coach LaVonda Wagner says, "We're on the struggle bus and just can't find our way off."

Oregon State's win-loss record (9-14 overall, 1-11 conference) places them 9th in the Pac-10. Their RPI (209) and strength of schedule (89) place them last.

Here are their 2009-10 statistics and their roster.

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