NFL
By: Jeffrey Newholm
How long are 29 years? In less enlightened times of human history, most women didn’t live to their 30s. However, the lifespan of the earth-supporting Sun is many billions of years, making even a thousand earth revolutions the tiniest blip. One fact, however, we can all agree on: nearly 30 years is way too long for the mighty lady Stanford Cardinal to not win the national championship. 2010 may have been the most heartbreaking, as the Cardinal led undefeated Uconn 20-12 (12???) at halftime but still lost. However, Tara VanDerveer didn’t give up her vision for women’s equality, and her robust program refused to veer off-course despite four Final Four losses since the Uconn slip. While 353 other teams shake heads, VanDerveer’s squad celebrates deserved achievement.
2011 Final Four: Texas A&M 63, Stanford 62
Stanford had won 27 games in a row heading into Indianapolis and faced an Aggie team that fortuitously got a fourth chance against Baylor in the Elite Eight. With Stanford up ten with six minutes left, it seemed the glass slipper didn’t fit. Unfortunately, A&M’s Sydney Colson burst to the hoop with 3.3 seconds left to give her team the lead. After the Aggies stole a final prayer-pass, what seemed to be a coronation became another long and dark offseason.
2012 Final Four: Baylor 59, Stanford 47
Usually, one would think a 35-1 team would be a favorite in any game. When the opponent is the 38-0 Brittany Griner-led Baylor Bears, not even the Heat would have had much of a shot. The Cardinal held Griner to a “pedestrian” 13 points and nine boards but could only hit two threes on 17 attempts. It was Stanford’s fifth straight Final Four, with no championships. Remember, there’s no such concept as being due; only the smartest and most hard-working women can win a title.
2014 Final Four: Uconn 75, Stanford 56
While the Huskies are a laugh now with four straight semifinal losses, Uconn exceeded even Griner’s Bears in the Breanna Stewart era. Again the Cardinal faced a 38-0 opponent, and the high-powered Uconn offense gradually pulled away in the second half. In the mid-2010s, Uconn’s invincibility aura blinded all expert appraisals of other talented teams. That situation would soon change, however.
2017 Final Four: South Carolina 62, Stanford 53
Stanford led 29-20 at halftime, but Karlie Samuelson’s untimely ankle injury inhibited the Cardinal offense. The lady Gamecocks stifled Stanford’s offense long enough to pull away, and the Cardinal lost its tenth straight Final Four appearance. Worse, Sabrina Ionescu led Oregon to greater glory in the next three years as Stanford earned an unaccustomed status of forgotten wannabe. However, Morgan William’s shot heard worldwide in the 2017 nightcap proved every team is beatable. After the coronavirus pandemic destroyed the Ducks’ 2020 hopes, Stanford saw an opportunity. However, the three-decade barrier wouldn’t budge easilly.
2021 Semifinals: Stanford 66, South Carolina 65
The Cardinal finished 29-2 after winning the Pac-12 tournament and earned the top NCAA seed. However, the road literally wound crazily as an overly restrictive local government forced the team to play many games away from campus. After four impressive wins, Stanford faced a South Carolina team that always seemed to find a tough-luck way to lose in the playoffs.
Shockingly, Kiana Williams JUMPED up and down in the corner, but Haley Jones didn’t see her teammate. This error led to Stanford scoring two points instead of three, allowing the Gamecocks a chance to win after a last-second inbounds turnover. USC raced towards the rim, with the seconds fleeing more rapidly. Brea Beal missed a banker, and Aliyah Boston somehow couldn’t convert the putback. While Boston cried tears of pain, the Cardinal rejoiced: one more win to glory.
2021 Final: Stanford 54, Arizona 53
Good news: the Cardinal wouldn’t have to play #2 overall seed Uconn. Bad news: they faced a determined Wildcat team led by passionate coach Adia Barnes and determined senior Aari McDonald. After three weeks in San Antonio, neither team had much energy left for the final push. Stanford committed 21 turnovers versus six Arizona miscues, while the Cats only shot 17 of 60 from the field. The Cardinal led most of the game, but an unfortunate shot-clock violation gave Arizona and McDonald one last chance. Stanford played stout defense, but Aari still had one last prayer at a win. Bounce, bounce – please lord, help! Lady Luck granted 29 years of prayers as the star’s shot wouldn’t quite fall.
Celebrate Cardinal!!!#NationalChampionship x @StanfordWBB pic.twitter.com/h45HWHRDn6
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 5, 2021
While scientists and nurses help the US recover from the awful pandemic, no one, as always, knows what the future holds for NCAA basketball. Will the Cardinal repeat? Will Arizona continue its surge? Or will another team no one appreciates again spite Vegas overs? No one can say. We do know, though, that an elite university, after 29 years, can no longer be called a cute group of scrappy underdogs. For the third time, the Stanford lady Cardinal and VanDerveer are where they belong: on top of net-cutting ladders.
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