On Saturday at 7:30 PM PT on Pac-12 Networks and Cardinal Sports Network radio, Stanford men’s basketball will take on the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis. Stanford comes in at 14-10 overall and 7-7 in the Pac-12 while Oregon State comes in at 3-18 overall and 1-10 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: On Thursday, Stanford fell to Oregon in Eugene by a final score of 68-60. Maxime Raynaud and Michael O’Connell each had 11 points for Stanford while De’Vion Harmon led the way for the Ducks with 21 points. Michael O’Connell went down with a left ankle injury that could cost him at least a couple of games.
RECAP: Stanford MBB battles hard in road loss to Oregon
On Oregon State: The Beavers have been the worst team in the Pac-12 all year, not even able to beat Cal at home on Thursday night, who came into the game winless on the road. They’re just a bad team. No nice way to put it. The fact that they were in the Elite Eight last year is mind boggling.
That all said, they’re still a Pac-12 team. Junior guard Jarod Lucas leads the way for them with 13.6 points per game on 42.4% shooting from the field, 40.6% shooting from 3-point range, and 87.5% shooting from the foul line. He’s having a good season individually and is one of the top foul shooters in the nation. Senior forward Warith Alatishe is their number two player, averaging 9.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He’s been battling injury this year, so he’s not at a hundred percent, but he’s doing the best he can.
As a team, the Beavers average 67.5 points per game on 43.9% shooting from the field, 31.4% shooting from 3-point range, and 68.1% shooting from the foul line. They average 31.8 rebounds, 11.9 assists, 6.0 steals, 3.0 blocks, and 12.5 turnovers per game. They also average a -4.4 rebound margin and a -0.2 turnover margin per game. Their opponents average 75.0 points per game on 46.0% shooting from the field, 34.4% shooting from 3-point range, and 71.4% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: The first thing Stanford needs to do is not let Lucas have a big night. They need to especially keep him away from the foul line. If they bog him down and don’t allow him to get free points at the charity stripe, they’ll be taking away a big piece of what limited good things Oregon State has going for them.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is control the glass. Stanford’s +7.8 rebound margin per game should really make a difference here. If they dominate the glass per usual, there’s not a whole lot Oregon State will be able to do to respond.
Finally, Stanford has to take Oregon State seriously. Against weak teams like Oregon State, it can be easy to be dismissive of them and get taken by surprise. Stanford needs to come out focused and not take the Beavers lightly.
Prediction: As I said in the beginning, Oregon State is a rotten team. There’s no conceivable reason to think Oregon State will even be in this game. Stanford should win big though winning big has been an issue for them all year. Aside from the home win over Washington, they’ve kept games close. That said, I do expect to see a double-digit win by the Cardinal in this one. Stanford 80 Oregon State 65 is how I see this going.
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