Preview: Stanford Men’s Basketball welcomes No. 16 Louisville to Maples Pavilion
On Friday, January 2nd at 5:00 PM PT on ACC Network, Stanford men’s basketball will welcome No. 16 Louisville to Maples Pavilion. Stanford comes in at 11-3 overall and 0-1 in the ACC while Louisville comes in at 11-2 overall and 1-0 in the ACC.
Last time out: On Tuesday, Stanford fell to Notre Dame at home by a final score of 47-40.
RECAP: Stanford Men’s Basketball sputters against Notre Dame
On Louisville: The Cardinals come in with a lot of momentum. They dominated Cal 90-70 in Berkeley on Tuesday and will look to complete a Bay Area sweep. Senior guard Ryan Conwell is leading the way with 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game while freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. is doing his thing with 16.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Four additional players are also scoring in double figures on average: Guard Isaac McKneely (11.2 points), forward Sananda Fru (10.8 points), guard Adrian Wooley (10.0 points), and guard J’Vonne Hadley (10.0 points). With that kind of balance and depth, they are really difficult to stop.
The Cardinals blew out Montana 94-54 at home in the game prior to facing Cal. Stanford defeated Montana 91-68, just to help you connect some dots there. Their two losses are to No. 19 Tennessee on the road (62-83), and No. 18 Arkansas on the road (80-89). So they have proven to be beatable. Especially away from their place.
As a team, the Cardinals average 91.5 points per game on 47.4% shooting from the field, 36.1% shooting from 3-point range, and 76.9% shooting from the foul line. They average 42.6 rebounds, 19.1 assists, 7.9 steals, 3.5 blocks, and 11.5 turnovers per game. They also average a +9.0 rebound differential and a +2.2 turnover margin per game. Their opponents average 68.3 points per game on 38.2% shooting from the field, 30.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 72.7% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is contain Conwell and Brown. Those two guys are playing fantastic right now. Stanford cannot expect to win this game if they allow those guys to go off.
Secondly, Stanford needs to consistently be scoring. Louisville likes to beat teams in large part by outscoring them. Stanford has to make sure that they are finding ways to consistently tack on points. Whether that’s through Benny Gealer 3-balls, Chisom Okpara muscling his way inside, or Ebuka Okorie attacking the rim for an and-1, Stanford needs to consistently score. If they have even one 3+ minute scoring drought, that could make the difference.
Finally, Stanford needs to get off to a strong start. Louisville came out guns blazing at Cal, going up 10-0 to start the game. Stanford needs to make shots early and get stops early. Otherwise, this could be a long night for the Cardinal.
Prediction: I got Louisville winning. They’re the better team and after the way Stanford lost to Notre Dame, Louisville is the easy pick here. As for a final score, I’ll say 84-72. I don’t foresee a total blowout, but I also think it’ll be a comfortable win for Louisville.
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