Previewing Stanford Women's Basketball ACC Tournament Matchup Against Clemson

For the first time ever, the Stanford Cardinal will take part in the ACC postseason tournament. Beginning their quest for the tournament title this week, the Cardinal's first matchup will be on Wednesday, March 5 at 3:30 p.m. (PT), when the No. 11 seeded Cardinal take on the No. 14 seed Clemson Tigers at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in South Carolina.

The Cardinal (16-13, 8-10 ACC) will be tested right off the bat, but are playing a Tigers team that is very vulnerable right now, coming into the tournament after losing their final three regular season games. Headlined by guard Loyal McQueen, the Tigers (13-16, 6-12 ACC) will be on a mission to gain momentum back.

McQueen, who is averaging 13.5 points, is only one of two Tigers players averaging in the double figures this season. Junior guard Mia Moore, a transfer from UAB, is the program's second leading scorer this season, averaging 10.6 points in 28 games this season.

Aside from those two, the Cardinal will face a Clemson team that ranks No. 15 in the ACC in total offense, only scoring around an average of 66 points per game.

By comparison, Stanford is No. 8 in the ACC in offense, averaging about 73.8 points per game as one of the best three point shooting teams in the country. Shooting 36% from three as a team, Stanford has three players that have a three-point percentage of 40% or higher, with guard Tess Heal leading the way in that category with a staggering 50.8% shooting percentage from behind the arc.

Forward Nunu Agara has established herself as arguably the team's brightest stars, averaging a team-high of 15.9 points, making her one of four Cardinal players (Elena Bosgana-12.2, Brooke Demetre-10.3 and Chloe Clardy-10.3) that is averaging double figures in scoring.

Agara has played just 11 minutes since February 2 after suffering a back injury early in the game against No. 3 Notre Dame. She played six minutes off the bench against Boston College on February 16, but that was the last time she's seen game action. We'll have to wait and see if she's ready to make her return against Clemson.

What makes Clemson such a tough team to face is how good they are defensively, which could force Stanford to really figure out a plan of attack offensively. With the fifth-ranked defense in the conference, the Tigers have allowed an average of 64.4 points per game this season.

In comparison, Notre Dame which is the No. 3 team in the nation, have allowed an average 62.1 points with Clemson playing with a similar type of physicality.

One interesting storyline to note going into the game is the Cardinal's record at home vs. on the road. While the team has been dominant at Maples, finishing the year with a 14-3 home record, road trips have been much more of a struggle for them as they won only twice in nine games played away from home.

With a lot of travel expected over these next few games in the tournament, teams such as Clemson could look to take advantage.

The real test starts now for the Cardinal, who are determined to prove that they have what it takes to compete in a deep ACC. And if they can secure a win in the opening game, it can be a major tone setter for the rest of the tournament and set up a potential path into the NCAA tournament for the 37th straight year.