Stanford gets reminder of its 1-vs.-16 loss ahead of tournament opener
STANFORD — It’s almost a given that the No. 1 seeds will beat the No. 16 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
But if Stanford needed any reminder of why it’s not a guarantee ahead of its matchup with Sacred Heart on Friday, ESPN gave the current players a history lesson in its Selection Show.
Just after the final bracket was unveiled, ESPN displayed the alltime record for the teams seeded No. 1, 2 and 3 in the women’s tournament: 335-1.
That one? It was 25 years ago Tuesday, when No. 1 seed Stanford lost to No. 16 seed Harvard in 1998.
Current Stanford senior Hannah Jump said she had “no idea” about the fact and junior Cameron Brink didn’t seem to know, either. Though it’s understandable in one sense: None of Stanford’s current players were born when that game happened.
Senior Francesca Belibi did say she knew about that loss before this week, if only because she’s seen it before on the selection show.
“They put that graphic up every time, and every time, I’m like, ‘Ooof,’” Belibi said on Friday.
VanDerveer made sure to note that the circumstances around the 1998 game were “quite extraordinary.” Back then, star senior guard Vanessa Nygaard tore her ACL in the final game of the regular season, just before the Selection Show. Then, after the Cardinal received a No. 1 seed, starting forward Kristin Folkl tore her ACL in the first practice after announcing Nygaard’s injury.
Playing without either key player against a Harvard team that many felt was underseeded, future WNBA first-round pick Alison Feaster had 35 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Crimson to the 71-67 win. It was the only time in either the men’s or the women’s tournament that a No. 16 seed beat a No. 1 until UMBC beat Virginia in the men’s tournament in 2018.
That “quite extraordinary” situation is not duplicated here, but there are still lessons to take away.
“You’ve got to play it — you don’t go into a game with a No. 1 seed and get a 20-point head start,” VanDerveer said. “You’ve got to come out, play the whole game and you’ve got to play really well. And our team understands that.”
Stanford’s experience in the NCAA Tournament should help them here, with the key members of the Cardinal all playing in the 12th tournament game of their careers on Friday. But that reminder from ESPN can still reinforce the task at hand.
“Our goal now is to not let that happen again, so we’re going to come in tomorrow ready to go,” Jump said.