On Friday at 1:00 PM PT on ACCNX, Stanford men’s basketball will welcome Cal State Fullerton to Maples Pavilion. Stanford comes in at 1-0 overall while Fullerton comes in at 0-1.
Last time out: Stanford defeated Denver on Monday by a final score of 85-62. Stanford shooting guard Oziyah Sellers led the way for the Cardinal with 24 points and seven rebounds.
RECAP: Stanford MBB dominates Denver to begin Kyle Smith era
On Cal State Fullerton: The Titans are coming off a season in which they went 14-18 overall and 7-13 in the Big West. Dedrique Taylor is in his 12th season as head coach, so there’s a lot of continuity. As a program, the Titans have been to the NCAA tournament four times in 1978, 2008, 2018, and 2022, so they’ve had some success recently.
Junior guard Kaleb Brown scored 17 points on 6-7 shooting from the field and 3-4 shooting from 3-point range in their 89-79 loss at Grand Canyon to start the season while junior guard Donovan Oday (12 points), sophomore guard Keith Richard (10 points), and senior guard Zion Richardson (10 points) also scored in double figures. Brown is a transfer from Missouri looking to have a bigger role on his new team while Oday is the top returning scorer from last season, averaging 7.1 points per game a season ago.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is keep up the defensive intensity. Stanford had 13 steals against Denver on Monday. If they can keep up that same level of defensive pressure and remain disruptive in passing lanes, it’s going to be hard for the Titans to make this a game.
Secondly, Stanford needs to contain Kaleb Brown. He’s the top player on this Titans team and will look to have a big afternoon. If Stanford defends him well, it’s going to be hard for the Titans to find other answers for scoring.
Finally, Stanford needs to take advantage of their superior size with Maxime Raynaud inside. Against Grand Canyon, Fullerton lost the rebound battle by +11. If Stanford wins the rebound battle by a similar margin, it will be tough for Fullerton to pull this one out.
Prediction: I got Stanford winning by a final score of 83-63. I don’t see this one being close.
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