Arizona Wildcats @ #13 Stanford Cardinal Game Preview

Game Information: Arizona (7-8, 0-4 in Pac-12) @ #13 Stanford (12-4, 4-0 in Pac-12)

Date/Time: Friday January 16, 2015 @ 9:00 p.m (MST)

Arizona: 7-8 (2-3 away)

Opponent: Stanford (7-1 at home)

All-Time Series: Stanford leads 60-12

TV: Pac-12 Networks (Krista Blunk and Roaslyn Gold-Onwude)

Radio: Arizona IMG Sports Network/KTUC AM 1400 (Derrick Palmer)

Live Stats: Here

Twitter: @ArizonaWBBall

More from Wildcats Basketball

Arizona Probable Starters

PG: Malena Washington

SG: Candice Warthen

SF: Keyahndra Cannon

PF: Alli Gloyd

PF: LaBrittney Jones

Stanford Probable Starters

G: Karlie Samuelson

G: Amber Orrange

G: Lili Thompson

F: Bonnie Samuelson

F: Kailee Johnson

The Wildcats return to the court, Friday night, to face the #13 Stanford Cardinal. The Wildcats are still looking for their first conference victory, they are 0-4, while the Cardinal are a perfect 4-0 in Pac-12 play.

Last Time Out:

The Wildcats hit the road for the first time in conference play, against #18 Arizona State, and fell 71-54. Arizona was able to keep it close in the first half, but the second half was all ASU as they cruised to a second consecutive victory against the Wildcats. Candice Warthen, 13 points, and Malena Washington, 11 points, led Arizona in this one. Alli Gloyd also chipped in with a nice nine-rebound effort.

The Cardinal traveled to Pullman, to face the Washington State Cougars, and put on an offensive showcase in their 86-76 victory. Amber Orrange, 19 points, and Bonnie Samuelson, 18 points, led the Cardinal in scoring in this one. Kaylee Johnson chipped in with 13 points and a monstrous 15-rebound game. Three other Cardinals scored in double-digits in their victory over the Cougars.

Scouting the Wildcats:

The Wildcats are in a tough part of their schedule and the wins are proving hard to come by, as they have dropped five of their last six games, and the last four in a row. Shooting guard Candice Warthen leads the team in scoring (13.1), assists (3.2), and steals (1.2) and is third on the team with 5.8 rebounds per game. The leading rebounder for the Wildcats is LaBrittney Jones who average 6.2 rebounds per game, to go along, with her 8.3 points per game. The Wildcats use a nine-player rotation with all nine players averaging 14 minutes or more.

The Wildcats score 60.2 ppg (11th in the conference) and give up 63.3 ppg (5th in the conference), for a -3.1 scoring margin (11th in the conference). Arizona shoots 37.3% from the field (last in the conference) and 26.6% from behind the arc. (last in the conference) The defense forces opponents to shoot 39.5% from the field (9th in the conference) and 25.9% from behind the arc (2nd in the conference).

Scouting the Cardinal:

Lili Thompson, 15.6 ppg, leads the Cardinal and is sixth in conference in scoring, while teammate, Amber Orrange is right behind her with 13.2 ppg. Orrange is also the team’s leading assist woman, averaging 3.6 apg, which is good for 13th in the Pac-12. Kaylee Johnson, the conference’s second leading rebounder, comes in averaging 10.9 rpg and 6.9 ppg.

The Cardinal average 72.2 points per game (7th in the conference) and give up only 60.6 (4th in the conference), for a +11.6 scoring margin (4th in the conference). They shoot 42.8% from the field (7th in the conference) and 39.7% from three (1st in the conference), while holding their opponents to 35.9% shooting from the field (2nd in the conference) and 32.3% from three (8th in the conference).

Prediction:

Arizona: 62

Stanford: 78

A Look Ahead

The Wildcats stay in the bay area for a game with the 11-4 Cal Bears, on Sunday. The game will tip-off at 2:00 pm (MST) and can be seen on the Pac-12 Networks. We will have a full preview of this one up on the site on Monday.

Schedule

Schedule