It only takes a quick glance at the banners in Maples Pavilion to see just how much Stanford has ruled the Pac-10 in recent years. The Cardinal’s reign of continued dominance stretches back to 2001, and it has won a regular season conference championship every year since. As the current Pac-10 season hits its stride, however, it seems that adding a mark for 2010-11 may prove to be anything but routine.
Facing what may be its toughest obstacle to that goal, the No. 4 Cardinal (14-2, 5-0 Pac-10) battles for the outright conference lead as it hosts a vastly improved UCLA team tonight. The Bruins (15-1, 5-0) own the conference’s only other undefeated record and are hot off a sweep of the Oregon schools, clocking in with the nation’s No. 8 overall ranking.
“They’re athletic and they’re aggressive,” said Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer. “They get their hands on balls, and they disrupt you. You can’t just come into the gym and stroll along and run your offense anyway you want.”
The Bruins may be athletic, but they’re also experienced. Four UCLA upperclassmen—Jasmine Dixon, Darxia Morris, Doreena Campbell and Rebecca Gardner—average between 20 and 30 minutes per game. Dixon and Morris are the most dangerous of that group, each averaging 11.6 points per game. Against Oregon State last Saturday, Dixon went 5-for-6 from the floor with 11 points in just 15 minutes.
If you ask VanDerveer, though, UCLA’s experience is a double-edged sword.
“I think a good thing for us is that we have played against all of these kids time and time again, so I don’t know that we’re going to be surprised,” she said. “I know Darxia Morris is an outstanding player, as is Doreena Campbell, and [Jasmine] Dixon. We know what they’re capable of.”
Looking at recent history, Stanford certainly has UCLA’s number. The Cardinal has faced off with the Bruins three times in each of the past three seasons, and owns an 8-1 record in that timeframe. Stanford’s most recent victory was one of the most emphatic, a 70-46 finish in the final game of last year’s Pac-10 Tournament.
Tonight’s matchup looks to be more closely contested, though, and regardless of the outcome, that marks a bit of a change for the Pac-10’s competitive dynamic. In a sport that isn’t known for its parity, tonight’s match will mark the first time in history that conference rivals Stanford and UCLA have faced each other with mutual top-10 rankings.
“I think it’s great. We need it,” VanDerveer said. “We need more than two, we need three and even four in the top 25, I’d say. Especially next year, when we’ll have 12 teams, we want to get the attention of the East Coast and the Midwest and say ‘Hey, we play basketball out here, too.’”
While VanDerveer gives credit to UCLA’s disruptive defense this season, the Stanford coach has more options than ever to counter it. The Cardinal is nothing if not versatile this season, with eight players averaging 16 or more minutes per game. Jeanette Pohlen is establishing dominance as a shooting guard in her senior year with 27 steals and 16.4 points per game, while forwards Nnemkadi Ogwumike (16.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game) and Kayla Pedersen (11.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game) provide power in the paint. Nnemkadi’s younger sister, freshman forward Chiney Ogwumike, rounds out the team’s top scorers with 10.6 points per game and could make a major difference against a UCLA team that’s never shared the court with her.
In a season that’s already had plenty of heroes, one of the most recent players to step up is Lindy La Rocque. After overcoming some injury concerns early in the season, the junior point guard has earned her way into the starting lineup with solid defense and ball control. Against Washington State last Sunday, she was second on the team in total minutes with 29. Following her performance in that game, La Rocque leads the team with a 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio.
“When I’m out on the court, it’s about bringing energy, playing defense, and doing my job, whether it’s knocking down an open shot or passing it down to the post players,” she said. “I think we’re playing well because everyone is focusing on what they need to do, and that’s why the ball is rolling right now and we’re playing some good basketball.”
VanDerveer wasn’t expecting such immediate output from plugging in La Rocque as a starter, but she’s certainly happy with the result.
“We went with some different people and when we felt like we needed some stability in the lineup, we went with Lindy,” she said. “It’s the kind of thing where we were like, ‘She knows what we’re doing, we’ll just give her a shot.’”
La Rocque and the rest of the Cardinal will tip off with UCLA at 7 p.m. tonight in Maples Pavilion. The weekend series will wrap up on Saturday when Stanford hosts USC at 2 p.m.