Preview: Stanford Men’s Basketball welcomes No. 6 Duke to Maples Pavilion
On Saturday at 3:00 PM PT on ACC Network, Stanford men’s basketball will welcome No. 6 Duke to Maples Pavilion. Stanford comes in at 14-4 overall and 3-2 in the ACC while Duke comes in at 16-1 overall and 5-0 in the ACC.
Last time out: On Wednesday, Stanford defeated No. 14 North Carolina 95-90. Stanford freshman point guard Ebuka Okorie led the way for the Cardinal with 36 points, nine assists, and two steals.
RECAP: Stanford Men’s Basketball upsets No. 14 North Carolina at Maples
Student-Athlete Availability Report: For Duke, Ifeanyi Ufochukwu is out. He averages 0.8 points per game, so not much of a loss there. For Stanford, Chisom Okpara was listed as questionable, but has since been downgraded to out. Kristers Skrinda and Tallis Toure are both out as well. Check out the report on the ACC website here for the very latest updates.
On Duke: The Blue Devils are having a fantastic season so far as they’ve only dropped one game all season to No. 15 Texas Tech by just one point (81-82) on a neutral floor. In ACC play, they’ve won three of their games by singles digits (85-79 vs. Georgia Tech, 91-87 at Florida State, and 82-75 vs. SMU). Their other two ACC wins were 84-73 at No. 20 Louisville and 71-56 at Cal. They’ve shown some vulnerability, but still a lot of dominance overall.
The Blue Devils are led by freshman forward Cameron Boozer, who is averaging 22.8 points and 9.7 rebounds per game on 57.8% shooting from the field, 36.4% shooting from 3-point range, and 76.8% shooting from the foul line. He is really difficult to stop. The other two players scoring in double figures for the Blue Devils are sophomore guard/forward Isiaah Evans (14.6 points) and sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II (10.8 points & 6.4 rebounds). Boozer’s twin brother Cayden Boozer is averaging 6.4 points per game, serving as a solid role player on the team.
In ACC play, the Blue Devils are averaging 82.6 points per game on 47.4% shooting from the field, 32.9% shooting from 3-point range, and 72.0% shooting from the foul line. They average 32.8 rebounds, 15.4 assists, 9.4 steals, 3.4 blocks, and 12.4 turnovers per game. They also average a +5.8 rebound margin and a +2.0 turnover margin per game. Their opponents average 74.0 points per game on 47.9% shooting from the field, 39.0% shooting from 3-point range, and 77.6% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is contain Cameron Boozer. He’s the engine that makes this Blue Devils team go. If Stanford can hold him under 20 points or at least make him get his points less efficiently, that would be huge.
Secondly, Stanford needs to hold their own on the glass. In ACC play, Stanford averages 27.0 rebounds per game while their opponents average 35.0 rebounds per game. That’s a -8.0 rebounding differential. Stanford has to get after it on the glass in this one. AJ Rohosy and Oskar Giltay in particular need to lead the way in this department.
Finally, Ebuka Okorie needs to have another monster game. The more Okorie scores, the better. When he’s attacking the rim, getting to the free throw line, and hitting his threes, he is dangerous. So long as he keeps pushing the ball in transition and stays aggressive, good things for happen for Stanford. At the same time, we saw that Ryan Agarwal and Jeremy Dent-Smith each scoring 20 points against North Carolina helped make the difference. It really is a team effort. Okorie needs to ball out, but other guys need to be able to step up.
Prediction: I gotta roll with Duke in this one. They’re a lot better team than North Carolina. I think Stanford will put up a serious fight in front of a packed crowd, but the Blue Devils will find a way to get the job done. 79-73 Duke is how I see this one going.
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