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		Stanford women trying to avoid falling into a narrow space By Morris Phillips March 26, 2010

	With 24 wins in a row, supremely-talented players and a berth in the national championship game just three games away, no one would be surprised if Stanford’s women are a little bit—just a little bit—worried. Worried they could be headed into a narrow space that will leave the Cardinal’s vast accomplishments relegated to a footnote. Stanford opened the NCAA tournament in impressive fashion, dispatching UC Riverside and Iowa with their right hands, while they exchanged high-fives with their left hands. In both victories on their Maples Pavilion home floor, the proceedings were over for all intensive purposes at halftime. Against Iowa, the Cardinal turned a 16-14 lead into a 45-18 blowout—in just six minutes. Stanford has won 24 games in a row, including 21 straight in the Pac-10 becoming the first team in the conference history to run the table, going 18-0 in league and winning three straight to capture the conference tournament championship as well. Even Coach Tara VanDerveer conceded that this might be the best team in the history of the Pac-10 conference. So what’s to worry about? Connecticut. Perhaps you’ve heard of them. If Stanford can’t get past Connecticut on championship night, they become a footnote. When you’re 33-1, talented and accomplished as the Cardinal, getting tossed to the side is something to worry about. The Huskies are the closest thing to a sure thing in sports today, having won 74 games in a row. Geno Auriemma’s Huskies beat Stanford in the Final Four on their way to the NCAA title last year, and this year, they’ll be favored again if the teams meet on April 6. In their last 55 games, Stanford is 0-2 against Connecticut, with both losses by double-digits, and 53-0 against everyone else. Clearly, the Huskies have separated themselves, taking up residence somewhere north of the stratosphere and near the mesosphere, illuminated, but mysteriously protected, from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Their success couldn’t be more integral to the health of women’s basketball if it were sold at Walgreens and had all the health-enhancing effects of aspirin. With Connecticut establishing the longest win streak in the history of the women’s game, women’s basketball, all of sudden, matters. People are noticing. Ray Allen and Kobe are noticing. The championship game on April 6 matters. If VanDerveer’s team can find their way through Sacramento--starting today against Georgia-- and then on to San Antonio to meet Connecticut on championship night, Stanford’s presence will matter too. This is VanDerveer’s 24th year coaching Stanford and she has won two national championships, coached the USA gold-medal winners in the 1996 Olympics and established a powerhouse on West Coast without rival. Most years, Stanford has to fly at least as far as Tennessee if they really want a game. This Stanford team appears to be VanDerveer’s most talented--more talented than the ‘90 and ‘92 champions and the ’97 and ’02 teams that spent time ranked at the top of the national polls. With All-American Jayne Appel, Pac-10 Player of the Year Nnemkadi Ogwumike, 6’4” small forward Kayla Pedersen and an underrated backcourt of Jeanette Pohlen and Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, Stanford is big without sacrificing athleticism. Ogwumike is the most athletic of the group, but Appel is a great player who has played well against Connecticut and everyone else she faced in her career. This team is clearly VanDerveer’s most experienced, with all the starters having played in the Final Four twice along with facing Connecticut four times in the last three seasons. When questioned, VanDerveer was purposely measured when saying this might be the Pac-10’s best team ever. Might be, though, was as far as VanDerveer would go. She wants to win a national championship, and doesn’t have time for comparisons right now. And neither do her players. They don’t look at the scoreboard, and they don’t look ahead—no matter how many times they get asked about Connecticut. “The same things that help you be successful against the really good competition that we play, are the same things you need to do against UConn.” VanDerveer says, generalizing a specific question about what it will take to beat Connecticut. To the question of whether Connecticut’s dominance is good for the entirety of women’s basketball, ESPN analyst Kara Wolters said this: “I think other teams should raise their level of play, they should aspire to be like Geno Auriemma and the Huskies. And I think it might seem lopsided now, but as it continues on, it’s going to bring other teams’ level of play up,” Wolters said. And while other teams might elevate their level of play in the coming years, Stanford is committed to meeting the challenge put forth by Connecticut now. After Stanford’s December loss to Connecticut in front of 15,000 Huskies fans in Hartford, television analyst Doris Burke described the situation succinctly. “If you wonder what the gap is between the No. 1 team in the country and the No. 2 team, I think the reality is Stanford has so much room for growth,” Burke said. “I don’t think Jayne Appel is anywhere near as conditioned as she will be coming off of that knee surgery early in the summer. She’ll get more and more conditioned, they’ll make some adjustments. Tara VanDerveer is too good a coach. They will close the gap before the Final Four.” In December, Stanford led at the half, 40-38. Stanford’s size bothered Connecticut’s shooters, and the Cardinal ball handlers controlled the pace and kept the Huskies from turning the game into a track meet. Still the Cardinal’s 20-minute victory was a narrow one; despite shooting 57 percent from the floor they held only a two-point lead. Two minutes into the second half, thing turned dramatically. Connecticut’s pressure defense intensified, and Stanford wilted, first Gold-Onwude and Pohlen faltered, then inside, Appel and Ogwumike completely lost control of the backboards. A 30-6 run ensued as the Huskies ran the full 84 feet of the court unimpeded. All of a sudden, Stanford was cooked; back to the drawing board. Statistically, the answers are simple: Stanford has to win the rebounding battle, they have to limit their turnovers and they have to score in the paint consistently throughout the 40 minutes. But mentally, they must win the battle of confidence with a team that hasn’t lost a game in two years. By definition, that will be Stanford’s biggest challenge. VanDerveer will undoubtedly focus on her team’s mindset as April 6 approaches. “To get better, they have to hear things they don’t want to hear,” VanDerveer says. What they don’t want to hear—or experience—is losing to Connecticut knowing they’re the most talented team the coach they’ve come to love and respect has ever had. Falling into that narrow space near the top of the heap would be depressing. That possibility might be Stanford’s biggest motivator. Motivation that’s taken 24 years to cultivate, is now available for this group to exploit. How big could April 6 be? As big as Bird and Magic in ’79, or UCLA and Houston in ’68, as important a game as women’s’ basketball has seen. For a sport that is struggling, this could be a defining moment. Stanford, don’t worry. You’re ready.