On Wednesday at 8:00 PM PT on ESPNU, Stanford men’s basketball will welcome Wake Forest to The Farm. Stanford comes in at 15-7 overall and 7-4 in the ACC while Wake Forest comes in at 16-6 overall and 8-3 in the ACC.
Last time out: On Saturday, Stanford fell to SMU on the road by a final score of 85-61. Stanford was shorthanded as guard Jaylen Blakes and forward Donavin Young were both out. During Monday’s weekly ACC teleconference, Stanford head coach Kyle Smith sounded hopeful that at least one of the two would be back for the next game, but nothing confirmed.
RECAP: Stanford MBB gets boat raced at SMU
On Wake Forest: Wake Forest has been playing well this season, defeating Stanford at their place earlier this season by a final score of 80-67. Outside of Cal and SMU, Wake Forest is the only other team that Stanford will see twice this season, so that aspect makes this matchup a bit unique.
Wake Forest’s win over Stanford was the fourth win for them in a six game winning streak. After that streak, the Demon Deacons dropped two games in a row to No. 2 Duke and No. 21 Louisville before bouncing back with a home win over Pittsburgh.
The Demon Deacons continue to be led by senior guard Hunter Sallis, who is averaging 18.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game on 47.5% shooting from the field, 30.7% shooting from 3-point range, and 82.7% shooting from the foul line. Senior center Cameron Hildreth is the number two scorer with 13.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while senior forward Tre’Von Spillers is also scoring in double figures with 10.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
As a team, the Demon Deacons average 69.7 points per game on 44.4% shooting from the field, 28.7% shooting from 3-point range, and 75.2% shooting from the foul line. They average 33.6 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 7.4 steals, 4.5 blocks, and 11.7 turnovers per game. They also average a -1.6 rebound margin and a +2.1 turnover margin. Their opponents average 66.2 points per game on 39.1% shooting from the field, 30.6% shooting from 3-point range, and 77.8% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is contain Hunter Sallis. He dropped 30 points on them in their first meeting. If he has another big game, Stanford cannot expect to win this game.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is win the rebounding battle. Wake Forest on average gets out-rebounded while Stanford on average wins the rebounding battle by +3.4. If Stanford controls the glass in this one, they should be in a good spot to win.
Finally, Stanford needs to get to the rim and draw some fouls. Stanford is a really good foul shooting team, shooting 77.7% from the foul line. If Stanford can get to the line with regularity, they should cruise to a win.
Prediction: It sounds like the status of Blakes and Young are truly up-in-the-air, so that makes it hard to make a prediction. That said, let's assume both are out, I still think Stanford finds a way to win. They’ve been tough to beat at home all season long and I expect that trend to continue. I'll say Stanford wins by a final score of 74-71.
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