On Wednesday at 2:00 PM PT on ESPNU and Cardinal Sports Network radio, Stanford men’s basketball will face off against Wyoming in the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Diamond Head Classic is an eight team tournament that will be played over three days (December 22nd, December 23rd, and December 25th). Stanford comes in at 6-4 overall (1-1 Pac-12) while Wyoming comes in at 9-1 overall.

Last time out: Stanford fell to #17 Texas 60-53 on Sunday in the Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge in Las Vegas. Freshman forward Harrison Ingram was the top performer for Stanford with 15 points and 7 rebounds.

RECAP: Stanford MBB falls to #17 Texas in Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge

On Wyoming: The Cowboys are off to a hot start, having won 9 of their first 10 games. They are 1-1 against Pac-12 opponents, defeating Washington 77-72 in overtime in Seattle and losing to Arizona 94-65 in Tucson. Which in and of itself shows how much of a gap there is between the best and the worst in the Pac-12.

In truth, their win at Washington is probably Wyoming’s best win of the season so far. They really haven’t played that tough of a schedule, so in some respects, their 9-1 record is a bit inflated. But even so, they deserve a lot of credit for taking care of business against their schedule.

Sophomore forward Graham Ike is the top player for this Wyoming team, averaging 19.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He’s shooting 54.7% from the field and overall playing pretty efficient basketball. Senior guard Hunter Maldonado is the number two scoring option, averaging 16.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. In addition to Ike and Maldonado, sophomore guard Xavier DuSell (11.9 points), senior guard Drake Jeffries (11.4 points), and sophomore forward
Jeremiah Oden (10.1 points & 5.4 rebounds) are also scoring in double figures, rounding out a very balanced scoring attack.

As a team, Wyoming averages 79.7 points per game on 48.7% shooting from the field, 37.3% shooting from 3-point range, and 69.0% shooting from the foul line. They average a +4.2 rebound margin, 12.5 assists, 4.5 steals, 2.2 blocks, and 9.5 turnovers per game. Their opponents average 62.8 points per game on 39.1% shooting from the field, 28.7% shooting from 3-point range, and 69.3% shooting from the foul line.

Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they have to do is hold their own inside. Wyoming is used to winning the battle on the boards and coming up with more rebounds and dominating the paint. If Stanford can be the team that’s more effective inside, that’ll be huge for them. This is a game where Maxime Raynaud, James Keefe, and Lukas Kisunas need to get rolling.

The second thing Stanford needs to do is make their threes. Wyoming is used to holding teams to 28.7% shooting from 3-point range while Stanford is used to shooting 33.7%. If Stanford can shoot at their average or better, they should be in good shape 3-point shooting wise. Stanford has guys who can hit threes like Noah Taitz, Jaiden Delaire, and Spencer Jones. They just need to go out and make their threes when given the chance.

Lastly, Stanford needs to be smart with the ball. Too often, Stanford tends to force passes that aren’t there or get a little sloppy with the ball. Stanford will not beat Wyoming if they’re not careful with the ball. Stanford has to make sure they’re making good decisions with the ball, making good reads, and creating good scoring opportunities.

Prediction: Stanford is 6-0 at home, 0-3 on the road, and 0-1 at neutral sites. They’ve been really hard to beat at home but away from home it’s been another story. At some point, Stanford will get a win away from home and I do feel like they’re getting close. They almost beat Colorado and the Texas game, while not quite as close as the final score indicated, was a game that in hindsight Stanford could have won. Wyoming is off to a nice start, but they haven’t really beaten anyone of consequence. With that all in mind, I’m going to say Stanford wins this game 74-70.

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