PORTLAND, Ore. — The lasting memory of Stanford’s Sweet 16 defeat to NC State will be of Cameron Brink on the bench. The Cardinal’s best player, foiled by her fatal flaw of foul trouble, looked on from her seat on the sideline as the seconds ticked away on another early NCAA Tournament exit. She was disconnected from the action, unable to help her team claw its way out of a hole after disqualifying for the second consecutive game.
But Brink’s performance otherwise, even if limited to 24 minutes because of a foul-ridden third quarter, was the only reason the Cardinal had a chance to advance to the Elite Eight. For the second straight season, Brink — and by extension, the Stanford frontcourt — was let down by a nonexistent showing from her backcourt counterparts — this time in a 77-67 loss to the third-seeded Wolfpack.
It doesn’t matter how many great posts come through Palo Alto. Unless the guards can provide support for their frontcourt on both ends of the floor, the formula won’t be enough to carry Stanford back to national contention.
“We need more help offensively from the perimeter,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said postgame. “A lot of NCAA Tournament success is about your matchups. This is a tough matchup for us in terms of our guards keeping…
