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Three things to watch when Ohio State women’s basketball takes on Stanford
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
Keep an eye out for these things when the Buckeyes face the Cardinal.
No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball is back for their last non-conference game of the season, and it’s a big one. The Buckeyes take on the Stanford Cardinal, and although the California side is unranked, and going through a myriad of changes, it’s a game where the Big Ten faces the ACC and two young sides continue growing on the court.
Here are three things to watch as the two sides take to San Francisco in the Bay Area Women’s Classic.
For the past three games, Ohio State’s mostly been without freshman star Jaloni Cambridge. After taking a rough fall against the Ball State Cardinals on Dec. 10, the No. 1 overall point guard recruit hasn’t played, and may not against the Cardinal.
“We’re still kind of evaluating her to see how she’s gonna be on Friday, I guess,” said head coach Kevin McGuff. “She has a huge impact on our team, and as we kinda go through the season, the more experience she can get in a game like that, the better off we’ll be.”
Cambridge leads Ohio State with 4,4 assists per game and the entire Big Ten with 2.6 steals per game, obviously living up to the hype. However, it’s not all lost without Cambridge playing for the Buckeyes.
Graduate senior Madison Greene’s been in these situations before and although she’s missed most of the last three seasons with ACL injuries, Greene’s defense this season is at a career-best.
Greene has averaged 2.4 steals in the last six games, the last two in the starting lineup. In terms of defensive plus/minus, or the stat that shows how a player stacks up defensively against the average, Greene is at a career-high 7.4. If the Pickerington, Ohio native played the minimum amount of minutes needed for in-conference statistical ranking, it’d be good for sixth best and first on the Buckeyes.
While the graduate senior doesn’t have the same speed as Cambridge, a hard thing to find on any team in the country, Greene’s experience shines. The guard chooses her moments wisely and times them well, so the Buckeyes won’t lose the amount of steals per se with Greene in over Cambridge. They’ll just come in different ways.
Turnovers and defensive pressure will be key against a young Stanford side that includes only one starter who was on their roster as a regular starter last season.
Offensively, Greene’s had a quieter year but Ohio State doesn’t need the graduate senior to take over games on that side of the court. Greene patrols the floor, runs plays effectively, and finds the right outlets. Then, Greene finds time to attack when the opponent least expects it.
Another Chance at Stanford
In two seasons with the Oregon Ducks, shooting guard Chance Gray played four times against the Cardinal, each one ending with a Ducks defeat.
This season, Gray switched Oregon green for scarlet and gray, and with the change of uniform has come a change in how the guard contributes offensively. At Oregon, Gray wasn’t the primary offensive weapon, which is a completely different story with the Buckeyes.
Coach McGuff gives Gray the greenlight to shoot. Normally camped beyond the arc in the five-out system, Gray gets open looks with Cotie McMahon, Ajae Petty, and Taylor Thierry grabbing attention on the court. Leave Gray with any sort of space and a teammate will find her, with a three normally following.
Gray is making 1.3 more threes this season than any year in the Pacific Northwest. Plus, the attempts are more accurate with a career-high 44.9% efficiency rating from beyond the arc, putting her second in the Big Ten early this season.
Coming from a family of basketball, Gray is a student of the game, always has a grasp of what’s happening on the court, and stays calm. That composure is crucial for an Ohio State team with three new starters this season, herself included.
Now, Gray has the opportunity to beat the Cardinal for the first time, leading the Buckeyes scoring this year and adding needed experience to the program roster. Those previous four outings don’t mean that Gray gives Ohio State a tactical advantage on the court.
“I played against a different Stanford team,” said Gray. “I jelled well playing against them, and I found different ways to score so I can help the team in that way but obviously, we’ll have to look at film. We’ll have to see how they’ve changed.”
A positive for Gray and the Buckeyes is that Stanford no longer has forwards Cameron Brink and Kiki Iriafen on the court. With the former going to the WNBA, and the latter facing Ohio State in February after moving to USC, the Cardinal are vastly different personnel-wise.
The head coach is different too with Tara VanDerveer leaving the program after nearly 40 years at the helm. Kate Paye is the new head of the program, a former player and assistant coach for VanDerveer on the Cardinal. That means the style of play is still mostly the same, but who’s playing it is different.
Of the new batch of Stanford starters, forward Nunu Agara is the player to watch.
Agara is a physical 6-foot-2 big who can shoot from anywhere on the court, but most of the damage gets done inside. The forward from Minnesota can back her way to the rim, wait for an eager defender, and take contact for shots at the line, averaging 4.3 free throws per game. Agara also hits baskets with frequency in the paint and leads the Cardinal with a career-high 17.4 points per game.
Last season, Agara was behind the two All-Pac-12 players Brink and Iraifen on the depth chart, playing 13.9 minutes per game. Now, starting every game, she’s showing fans that Stanford can still retain top talent and help them grow.
Outside of the paint, Agara is still effective. Although she averages just under a three made per game, Agara hits them at a 40% clip and can drag out defenders to give more space inside. If left open, Agara will shoot and has lately with five makes in the last three games from beyond the arc.
The likely matchup for Agara on the Buckeyes is forward Ajae Petty, who’s done well so far this season defending near the rim. Against the then-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini, the interior defense, including Petty, held forward Kendall Bostic to 46.7% from the floor. In four previous games against Ohio State, without Petty, the forward averaged 80%. Bostic scored 17 points but that’s because she gave up going to the basket and opted for midrange jumpers.
Petty is third on the Buckeyes in defensive rating (68.8), with fellow big Elsa Lemmilä leading the team (59.9). Between the two, they have their hands full against Agara, like they did with Bostic. That also means trying to stay out of foul trouble.
In Ohio State’s win over Illinois, Petty played only 21 minutes because of whistles going against the forward. Friday’s game against the best non-conference opponent on the schedule will mean some nerves. How Petty and Lemmilä handle it will be key.
Should they hold Agara back, it allows the other four players on the court to focus on the outside shooters of Stanford.
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
Keep an eye out for these things when the Buckeyes face the Cardinal.
No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball is back for their last non-conference game of the season, and it’s a big one. The Buckeyes take on the Stanford Cardinal, and although the California side is unranked, and going through a myriad of changes, it’s a game where the Big Ten faces the ACC and two young sides continue growing on the court.
Here are three things to watch as the two sides take to San Francisco in the Bay Area Women’s Classic.
Who’s in at point guard?
For the past three games, Ohio State’s mostly been without freshman star Jaloni Cambridge. After taking a rough fall against the Ball State Cardinals on Dec. 10, the No. 1 overall point guard recruit hasn’t played, and may not against the Cardinal.
“We’re still kind of evaluating her to see how she’s gonna be on Friday, I guess,” said head coach Kevin McGuff. “She has a huge impact on our team, and as we kinda go through the season, the more experience she can get in a game like that, the better off we’ll be.”
Cambridge leads Ohio State with 4,4 assists per game and the entire Big Ten with 2.6 steals per game, obviously living up to the hype. However, it’s not all lost without Cambridge playing for the Buckeyes.
Graduate senior Madison Greene’s been in these situations before and although she’s missed most of the last three seasons with ACL injuries, Greene’s defense this season is at a career-best.
Greene has averaged 2.4 steals in the last six games, the last two in the starting lineup. In terms of defensive plus/minus, or the stat that shows how a player stacks up defensively against the average, Greene is at a career-high 7.4. If the Pickerington, Ohio native played the minimum amount of minutes needed for in-conference statistical ranking, it’d be good for sixth best and first on the Buckeyes.
While the graduate senior doesn’t have the same speed as Cambridge, a hard thing to find on any team in the country, Greene’s experience shines. The guard chooses her moments wisely and times them well, so the Buckeyes won’t lose the amount of steals per se with Greene in over Cambridge. They’ll just come in different ways.
Turnovers and defensive pressure will be key against a young Stanford side that includes only one starter who was on their roster as a regular starter last season.
Offensively, Greene’s had a quieter year but Ohio State doesn’t need the graduate senior to take over games on that side of the court. Greene patrols the floor, runs plays effectively, and finds the right outlets. Then, Greene finds time to attack when the opponent least expects it.
Madison getting our second half scoring started#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/hjsEaAKyvU
— Ohio State Women’s Basketball (@OhioStateWBB) December 14, 2024
Another Chance at Stanford
In two seasons with the Oregon Ducks, shooting guard Chance Gray played four times against the Cardinal, each one ending with a Ducks defeat.
This season, Gray switched Oregon green for scarlet and gray, and with the change of uniform has come a change in how the guard contributes offensively. At Oregon, Gray wasn’t the primary offensive weapon, which is a completely different story with the Buckeyes.
Coach McGuff gives Gray the greenlight to shoot. Normally camped beyond the arc in the five-out system, Gray gets open looks with Cotie McMahon, Ajae Petty, and Taylor Thierry grabbing attention on the court. Leave Gray with any sort of space and a teammate will find her, with a three normally following.
Gray is making 1.3 more threes this season than any year in the Pacific Northwest. Plus, the attempts are more accurate with a career-high 44.9% efficiency rating from beyond the arc, putting her second in the Big Ten early this season.
Coming from a family of basketball, Gray is a student of the game, always has a grasp of what’s happening on the court, and stays calm. That composure is crucial for an Ohio State team with three new starters this season, herself included.
Now, Gray has the opportunity to beat the Cardinal for the first time, leading the Buckeyes scoring this year and adding needed experience to the program roster. Those previous four outings don’t mean that Gray gives Ohio State a tactical advantage on the court.
“I played against a different Stanford team,” said Gray. “I jelled well playing against them, and I found different ways to score so I can help the team in that way but obviously, we’ll have to look at film. We’ll have to see how they’ve changed.”
A positive for Gray and the Buckeyes is that Stanford no longer has forwards Cameron Brink and Kiki Iriafen on the court. With the former going to the WNBA, and the latter facing Ohio State in February after moving to USC, the Cardinal are vastly different personnel-wise.
The head coach is different too with Tara VanDerveer leaving the program after nearly 40 years at the helm. Kate Paye is the new head of the program, a former player and assistant coach for VanDerveer on the Cardinal. That means the style of play is still mostly the same, but who’s playing it is different.
Post play
Of the new batch of Stanford starters, forward Nunu Agara is the player to watch.
Agara is a physical 6-foot-2 big who can shoot from anywhere on the court, but most of the damage gets done inside. The forward from Minnesota can back her way to the rim, wait for an eager defender, and take contact for shots at the line, averaging 4.3 free throws per game. Agara also hits baskets with frequency in the paint and leads the Cardinal with a career-high 17.4 points per game.
Last season, Agara was behind the two All-Pac-12 players Brink and Iraifen on the depth chart, playing 13.9 minutes per game. Now, starting every game, she’s showing fans that Stanford can still retain top talent and help them grow.
Outside of the paint, Agara is still effective. Although she averages just under a three made per game, Agara hits them at a 40% clip and can drag out defenders to give more space inside. If left open, Agara will shoot and has lately with five makes in the last three games from beyond the arc.
The likely matchup for Agara on the Buckeyes is forward Ajae Petty, who’s done well so far this season defending near the rim. Against the then-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini, the interior defense, including Petty, held forward Kendall Bostic to 46.7% from the floor. In four previous games against Ohio State, without Petty, the forward averaged 80%. Bostic scored 17 points but that’s because she gave up going to the basket and opted for midrange jumpers.
Petty is third on the Buckeyes in defensive rating (68.8), with fellow big Elsa Lemmilä leading the team (59.9). Between the two, they have their hands full against Agara, like they did with Bostic. That also means trying to stay out of foul trouble.
In Ohio State’s win over Illinois, Petty played only 21 minutes because of whistles going against the forward. Friday’s game against the best non-conference opponent on the schedule will mean some nerves. How Petty and Lemmilä handle it will be key.
Should they hold Agara back, it allows the other four players on the court to focus on the outside shooters of Stanford.
Continue reading...