Today at 10:00 AM PT on ESPN+ and Cardinal Sports Network radio, Stanford men’s basketball will take on the #9/8 Baylor Bears on the road in Waco, Texas. Stanford comes in at 3-1 overall while Baylor comes in at 3-0.
Last time out: On Wednesday, Stanford defeated Valparaiso 74-60 at Maples Pavilion. Brandon Angel led the way for the Cardinal with a career-high 13 points.
RECAP: Stanford MBB takes care of business against Valparaiso
On Baylor: The Bears are the defending national champions, winning their first national title in men’s basketball last season. They lost two key players to the NBA in juniors Davion Mitchell (Sacramento Kings) and Jarred Butler (Utah Jazz), so they’re not the same team as last year, though they are still very dangerous. This year’s Baylor squad is led by sophomore guard L.J. Cryer (17.7 points per game) and freshman guard/forward Kendall Brown (15.0 points & 5.0 rebounds). Both guys are off to a great start this season, looking capable of leading this team.
As a team, the Bears average 89.3 points per game on 49.3% shooting from the field, 34.2% shooting from 3-point range, and 62.5% shooting from the foul line. They average a +17.3 rebound margin, 25.3 assists, 12.3 steals, 6.0 blocks, and 14.0 turnovers per game. Their opponents are averaging 55.7 points per game on 37.3% shooting from the field, 32.1% shooting from 3-point range, and 72.5% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: If Stanford wants to beat Baylor, the first thing they need is to get a whole team effort on both ends of the floor. They need to be sharing the ball and also playing good team defense, not allowing Baylor to score as easily as they are used to. It can’t just be Harrison Ingram out there trying to lead the way by himself. He needs help. The good news is Stanford got good balance against Valparaiso on Wednesday and seemed to gel much better than previous games, so they are capable of bringing this type of balance. The question is can they do it against Baylor?
Secondly, Stanford needs to get some threes to fall. If Stanford can get some threes to fall from Spencer Jones, Harrison Ingram, Brandon Angel, and others, they got a chance to make this interesting. If they’re not making threes, that likely means a lot of rebounds that lead to transition opportunities for Baylor. Stanford doesn’t need to go wild from deep, but they have to make enough threes for it to be noticeable.
Finally, Stanford has to take care of the ball. If they’re turning the ball over, it’s game over. Stanford has to make the most of every possession against Baylor and make sure they’re taking good shots, moving the ball, and not giving away the ball with ease. If Stanford has good ball security, that more than anything will allow them to stay in this game.
Prediction: It’s honestly hard to see Stanford winning this game and with it being on the road, it could turn into a blowout. I’m going to say Stanford gets down by a lot early, but finds a way to climb back a bit in the second half. Baylor 80 Stanford 58 is how I see this playing out.
