On Thursday at 7:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Networks, Stanford men’s basketball will take on Loyola Chicago at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz, home of the Golden State Warriors’ G-League affiliate Santa Cruz Warriors. Stanford comes in at 4-7 overall (0-2 Pac-12) while Loyola Chicago comes in at 6-5 overall (0-0 Atlantic 10).
Last time out: On Sunday, Stanford fell to #7 Texas in Dallas by a final score of 72-62. Michael Jones was the top performer for the Cardinal with 17 points.
RECAP: Stanford MBB falls to #7 Texas in Dallas
On Loyola Chicago: The Ramblers have been a pretty consistent presence in the NCAA tournament as of late. They made the tournament in 2018, 2021, and 2022, famously making a Final Four run in 2018 behind the winds of San Francisco native Sister Jean, who is still alive at 103 years old and the current chaplain for the team. They also made the Sweet Sixteen in 2021, not quite able to replicate the magic of that 2018 tournament run.
This year’s Ramblers are not off the kind of start they were hoping to have as they are barely above .500, losing to Tulsa, Boise State, Harvard, DePaul, and #24 Texas A&M. Despite their shaky start, they’re still above .500 and do have a 76-58 win over an ACC team (Clemson). They also blew the doors off Green Bay 70-46, who Stanford was able to throttle 85-40.
The Ramblers are led by junior forward Philip Alston, who is averaging 13.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game on 50.5% shooting from the field, 57.1% shooting from 3-point range, and 68.6% shooting from the foul line. Redshirt senior guard Braden Norris is the number two option, averaging 10.6 points per game on 42.9% shooting from the field, 35.8% shooting from 3-point range, and 75.0% shooting from the foul line.
As a team, the Ramblers average 68.1 points per game on 48.1% shooting from the field, 33.8% shooting from 3-point range, and 69.5% shooting from the foul line. They average 34.5 rebounds, 14.0 assists, 6.0 blocks, 3.2 steals, and 17.5 turnovers per game. They also average a +3.5 rebound margin and a -4.9 turnover margin per game. Their opponents average 66.9 points per game on 41.1% shooting from the field, 30.3% shooting from 3-point range, and 73.2% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is win the battle on the glass. Stanford averages a +4.1 rebound margin per game, which is very similar to the rebounding margin of Loyola Chicago. Whichever team wins that battle should have an advantage in this game.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is make some threes at a good clip. Loyola Chicago has done a good job holding their opponents to 30.3% shooting from the perimeter. If Stanford is able to shoot 35.0% or better that should really hurt Loyola Chicago’s chances as they are used to not having teams shoot well against them from deep.
Finally, Stanford needs to get to the foul line. If they are attacking the rim and are the more aggressive team, I like their chances to win. Stanford does well when they do and should look to do so throughout the night as opposed to only in stretches.
Prediction: While this is a neutral site game, Stanford is basically the home team. Santa Cruz is about an hour outside of Stanford and they know the arena well having played there during the pandemic season. They should feel comfortable in the environment. Plus, Loyola Chicago is not the same team they’ve been the last couple of seasons. They’re having a bit of a down year. I got Stanford winning by a final score of 72-66. This is a game the Cardinal should win and also need to win.
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