STANFORD — There are no secrets come Saturday at Maples Pavilion.

UC Davis and Stanford have played 23 times in their histories. The two schools opened the season with each other last Nov. 7 — Stanford dominating, 71-43, at home.

Aggie coach Jennifer Gross and Cardinal mentor Tara VanDerveer are longtime friends who, for years, have shared ideas and stay in frequent contact.

As VanDerveer said this week, “They will know us inside and out.”

The Aggies, winners of 16 straight while sporting a 25-6 record, meet a Stanford team coming off a Pac-12 Tournament title (beating No. 1 seed Oregon, 64-57) and in the midst of a nine-straight win streak. At Maples this year, the Cardinal are 13-1.

Stanford (28-4) is ranked No. 6 by the AP. The last CollegeInsider.com national poll put UCD at No. 22 among mid-majors. The Cardinal are seeded No. 2, the Aggies at 15.

So the two burning questions for Aggie fans?

How do you get a team to transition from “Hey, we’re just happy to be here” to “We can beat these guys”?

And, is UC Davis 28 points improved from that shellacking absorbed almost five months ago?

In answer to that first query, Gross told The Enterprise: “I think we’re approaching the game like we’ve approached every game this season: Let’s focus on our preparation; let’s focus on our defense; let’s focus on our rebounding, our energy, our effort.

“We’re going into the game knowing that we have a lot of strengths and we’re going to do our best to take away theirs. Let’s do the things that we do well…,” explains Gross, now in her eighth season at the Aggie captain’s wheel.

“In the meantime, we have to feel good and feel confident about what we’ve accomplished.”

Is there enough new-found confidence and a heightened level of Aggie play that suggests Stanford can be had?

Let VanDerveer address that:

“I’m not excited about playing them partly because I’ve been rooting for them all year.

“I was cheering for them when they were down 17 against Hawaii … and texted Jen when they won. It’s hard to play someone you’re close to and you want to win, too.

“But this is where it’s every woman for themselves.”

But beyond being friends, VanDerveer noted that Gross and Davis provide on-court concerns.

“Morgan Bertsch is one of the top scorers in the country — 24 points a game. She’s a next-level player … so we have our work cut out for us,” says the coach whose school is 13-10 all-time against Davis.

VanDeerver understands that the Aggies aren’t a one-trick pony and that when that first meeting took place, UCD was struggling to find combinations — having graduated three veteran starters in Dani Nafekh, Pele Gianotti and Rachel Nagel.

As aware of Bertsch as Stanford is, it knows if there is too much collapsing on the Big West Player of the Year that Karley and Kourtney Eaton, Nina Bessolo, Sophia Song and Cierra Hall (among others) have been given to stepping in.

“They have good 3-point shooting, they run the floor a lot,” says VanDerveer. “Again, their coach and coaching staff are outstanding; they’re top-notch. We’re going to have to play very well.”

Ditto for Davis.

“Their size is a challenge,” Gross said on Thursday, just before her team took off for Palo Alto. “They’re so big and athletic inside. And they shoot it really well from the perimeter.”

Stanford is led by All-American candidate Alanna Smith. The 6-foot-4 post is averaging 19.6 points and 8.6 rebounds a game. She has 76 blocks and is second on the team with 36 steals. She is coming off a 22-point, 14-rebound game in the victory over Oregon.

How much did the Cardinal improve this year? Earlier in the season, the Ducks beat Stanford, 88-48 — at Maples.

Guard Kianna Williams (14.2 ppg) has 155 assists, Lacie Hall comes off the bench to provide instant defense (50 steals) and forward DiJonai Carrington averages 7.7 boards a game, 14.1 points and has helped her colleagues maintain 44.9 percent shooting.

“It’s hard to completely take away one thing from them because they’re capable of hurting you in a different area,” Gross warns. “Their transition game is phenomenal. They run the floor really well, especially after they cause a turnover.

“Taking care of the basketball is going to be extremely important for us on Saturday.”

In conclusion?

“We’ve grown a lot,” Gross reports. “They’ve also grown a lot.

“But we know we belong on this stage and we’re excited.”

Notes: Game time Saturday is 2:30 p.m. At 12:30 p.m., Auburn and BYU meet at Maples. Both games are broadcast by ESPN2. Fans can also head to ucdavisaggies.com and follow live statistics. …Stanford handed Baylor (31-1) its only loss on Dec. 15, beating the Bears, 68-63, in Palo Alto. …At 23.5 points per game, Bertsch stands as the nation’s No. 4 scorer. …Stanford joins UCLA, Oregon, Arizona State, California and Oregon State as one of six Pac-12 schools in the 2019 NCAA dance.

— Reach Bruce Gallaudet at [email protected] or 530-320-4456