NCAA Tournament/Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Robeson: VanDerveer ready to lead Cardinal in round 2 vs. Ole Miss Sunday

Stanford Cardinal head coach Tara VanDerveer as seen coaching against the Sacred Heart Pioneers on Fri Mar 17, 2023 at Maple Pavilion is set for the next challenge against the Ole Miss Rebels Sun Mar 19, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Michael, the Stanford Cardinal (29-5) handled the Sacred Heart Pioneers (19-14) rather handedly 92-49 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and they did it without high scorer Cameron Brink.

#2 Haley Jones picked up where Brink left off leading with 17 points Haley’s been a go to all season long.

#3 On defense the Cardinal held the Pioneers to 18 points in the first quarter, 8 points in the second quarter, 11 points in the third quarter, and 12 points in the fourth quarter.

#4 Michael, how important of a win is this for Stanford considering they opened the tournament without Brink and had to create plays and win that opening game.

#5 Michael, Stanford will carry on for their next opponent and their opponent will be well aware of the kind of season Stanford is having.

Join Michael Roberson for the Stanford Cardinal podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal cruise past Sacred Heart 92-49; Stanford moves to second round Sunday vs. Ole Miss

Stanford forward Francesca Belibi (5) shoots against Sacred Heart center Kelsey Wood (34) during the first half at Maple Pavilion in Palo Alto on Fri Mar 17, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Friday, March 17, 2023

Even without the services of star center Cameron Brink, No. 1-seed Stanford had little trouble rolling over No. 16-seed Sacred Heart 92-49 in Friday’s opening round of the Seattle 4 Region women’s basketball tournament.

Brink missed NCAA tournament opener with what was described as
“a non-COVID=19 illness.” Specifics about Brink’s illness have yet to be disclosed and there’s no timetable for how long she will be out of the Cardinal lineup.

Brink confirmed on an Instagram post that she has been experiencing a stomach virus that has been going around the team over the last few days, adding that “I’ll be back asap.”

Haley Jones stepped up and led the Cardinal (29-5) with 17 points while grabbing six rebounds and shooting 7-of-12 from the field. Francesca Belibi added12 points and ten rebounds for Stanford, which shot 49.3 percent (37 of 75) and outrebounded Sacred Heart 57-28.

Hannah Jump also had 12 points for Stanford, Indya Niyar had 11 and Lauren Betts added 10. Talana Lepolo contributed seven assists and three steals.

Ny’Ceara Pryor was the top scorer for the Pioneers (15-14) with 12 points.

The Cardinal faces Mississippi in the second round on Sunday 6:30pm tip off.

NCAA Tournament/Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal enter their 35th straight NCAA Tournament Friday

Stanford forward Francesca Belibi motions after scoring against UCLA during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Pac-12 women’s tournament Friday, March 3, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP News photo)

On the NCAA Tournament/ Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Stanford enters it’s 35th straight NCAA Women’s Tournament as they will face either Sacred Heart or Southern on Friday night at Maples Pavilion.

#2 The Cardinal (28-5) got the No.1 seed for the third straight season and will be at the Spokane Region.,

#3 Stanford is one of the top overall seeds as they are ranked No.1 coming into the Tournament on Friday.

#4 Stanford will open it’s 36th overall postseason against either the Pioneers or Jaguars Friday. Also on the same day the big draw it will be Ole Miss No.8 (23-8) against No.9 Gonzaga (28-4).

#5 Some of the big names on the Stanford Women’s team to talk about Christine Brink, Haley Jones, Talana Lepolo, and Fran Belibi what year and what a performance this season.

Join Michael Roberson during the NCAA Tournament/Stanford women’s podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum: Head coach Jerod Haase to return for 2023-24 season

Stanford Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase will return next season after Athletic Director Bernard Muir reupped Haase for another year (AP file photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast:

#1 Second-seed Arizona had its hands full with stubborn Stanford, but in the end, the No.8-ranked Wildcats held on and eliminated the Cardinal 95-84 Thursday in the Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament quarterfinals at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

#2 The win avenged the Cardinal’s 88-79 victory over U of A on Feb. 11.

#3 Oumar Ballo led the Wildcats (26-6) with 24 points, followed by Cedric Henderson Jr. with 23, Azuolas Tubelis with 20 and Courtney Ramey with 15. 

#4 Spencer Jones topped the Cardinal (14-19) with 22 points and six rebounds, Brandon Angel was next with 19 points and seven rebounds, Michael Jones had 13 points and Harrison Ingram added 12 points and five assists. Michael O’Connell had eight points, two steals and four assists.

#5 Stanford Athletic Director Bernard Muir announced that head coach Jerod Haase will return for next season. Haase lead the team to a overall 14-9 record, 7-13 in the Pac 12, this was the fifth consecutive season the Cardinal failed to finish above .500. Muir said after the 2021-22 season that he would bring Haase back for 2022-23 after the team had finished under .500 and Haase gets the nod for next season from Muir once again.

Join Daniel for the Cardinal podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Ducks hand Cardinal 73-68 loss in regular season finale

Stanford Cardinal forward Spencer Jones (14) takes a shot against the Oregon Ducks at Phil Knight Arena in Eugene Or on Sat Mar 4, 2023 (photo by Stanford Cardinal)

By Daniel Dullum
Saturday, March 4, 2023

Stanford ended its regular season for men’s basketball on a losing note Saturday, as the Cardinal fell to Oregon 73-68 in a nationally-televised game played at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore.

N’Faly Dante led the Ducks (18-13 overall, 12-8 Pac-12) with 15 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots. Keeshawn Barthelemy scored 14 points off the bench and Will Richardson had 10 points, six assists and four rebounds.

Spencer Jones and Brandon Angel each scored 18 points to lead Stanford (13-18 overall, 7-13 Pac-12), with Jones hitting four 3-pointers and Angel going 3-3 behind the arc. Jones also had seven rebounds, three steals and three assists.

Harrison Ingram and Maxime Reynaud added 11 and 10 points, respectively for Stanford, while Michael O’Connell contributed three assists.

The Cardinal jumped to an 8-0 lead to start the game and led 18-9 with 11:24 left in the first half. Oregon put together a run to tie the game and eventually built a 39-34 halftime lead.

Stanford pulled to within three points with seven minutes remaining in the second half, but Oregon made enough free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

Oregon’s bench outscored Stanford’s 30-6, and the Ducks forced 13 Cardinal turnovers.

The Cardinal will play in Wednesday’s opening round of the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas.

No. 19 Bruins stun No. 6 Stanford 69-65 in Pac-12 women’s semis

UCLA guard Kiki Rice (1) drives to the basket under pressure from Stanford guard Haley Jones (30) during the first half  at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on Fri Mar 3, 2023 at the Pac 12 Tournament (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Thursday, March 2, 2023

In a Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament that has already seen its share of upsets, UCLA pulled off the latest one on Friday. The 19th-ranked Bruins used a furious second half to overtake No. 6 Stanford 69-65 in the semifinal round at Las Vegas.

It was only the second time in program history that Stanford lost a semifinal game in the Pac-12 tournament. UCLA becomes the first 5-seed to reach the title game.

Kiki Rice led the Bruins (25-8) with 22 points, five rebounds and five assists in addition to hitting 12 of 13 free throws. Emily Bessoir was next with 14 points and six rebounds, Charisma Osborne had 12 points followed by Gina Conti with 11 points, including 3 of 6 3-pointers.

Cameron Brink was the top scorer for Stanford (28-5) with 19 points to go with 11 rebounds and two blocks. Haley Jones was next with 15 points, 10 boards, three assists and two blocks. Hannah Jump and Francesca Belibi each contributed three assists.

Stanford led 17-8 after the first quarter and built a 35-22 halftime advantage. The Bruins erased a 16-point deficit in the second half, outscoring the Cardinal 29-15 in the fourth quarter.

UCLA used a 20-9 run to surge ahead 60-59 after Jones was called for a shoving foul which led to a Rice jumper with 2:07 remaining, Stanford had a chance to tie or take the lead after Rice missed the second of two free throws with 21 seconds to play and the Bruins leading by two. But Conti got the rebound, was fouled and hit two free throws to give UCLA a four-point lead.

The Bruins move on to the championship game on Sunday, facing Washington State, which has defeated No. 3 Utah and No, 20 Colorado in the tourney. Stanford now waits to see where they will be seeded in the NCAA tournament.

Cardinal use a fast start to upend Valpo 74-60

Brandon Angel led the Stanford Cardinal in scoring with 13 points against the Valparaiso Crusaders for Angel a career high in scoring at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto Wed Nov 17, 2021 (photo by Stanford Cardinal)

By Daniel Dullum
Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Stanford used a big first half to pull away from visiting Valparaiso on Wednesday, as the Cardinal prevailed 74-60 in non-conference men’s basketball at Maples Pavilion.

Spencer Jones and Maxime Reynaud sparked an 11-1 Cardinal run to open the game, then Brandon Angel hit a 3-pointer, Noah Taitz added two more treys, and Stanford opened up a 14-point lead and never looked back.

Stanford led 39-23 at halftime. Angel opened the second half with a pair of 3-pointers, as the Cardinal built a 54-33 lead with 14 minutes to play.

Angel and Taitz led Stanford (3-1) with 13 and 11 points, respectively, as the Cardinal utilized its entire roster. Angel’s total was a career-high.

Maxime Raymaud had nine points and four rebounds, and Jaiden Delaire contributed eight points, four rebounds and two assists. Harrison Ingram and Isa Silva each had five assists.

Trevor Anderson, a transfer from Wisconsin, led the Beacons (0-3) with 18 points and 10 rebounds; Sheldon Edwards was next for Valpo with 11 points and three steals.

Stanford outrebounded the Beacons 34-25, and connected on 11-of-23 3-pointers.

Beacons head coach Matt Lottich played at Stanford from 2000 to 2004. It was his first opportunity to coach against the Cardinal.

Stanford travels to Waco, Texas, to face Baylor on Saturday morning. Tip-off is 10 a.m. Pacific.