On Wednesday at 7:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Networks, Stanford men’s basketball will take on the Chicago State Cougars at Maples Pavilion. Stanford comes in at 7-12 overall and 2-7 in the Pac-12 while Chicago State comes in at 5-16 overall. The Cougars currently do not have a conference after leaving the WAC due the geography being such a bad fit and thus are operating as an independent.
Sports Enthusiasts: What Will the Future Hold for Chicago State After the WAC?
Last time out: On Saturday, Stanford defeated Oregon 71-64, completing a home sweep of the Oregon schools. Stanford senior forward Spencer Jones led the way for the Cardinal with 16 points and 6 rebounds while sophomore forward Harrison Ingram had 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.
RECAP: Stanford MBB outperforms Oregon at Maples
On Chicago State: As has been said earlier, Chicago State is operating as an independent right now. Not that big of a deal for football, but a real headache for basketball and most other sports. They’re having to get creative with their scheduling this time of year and fortunately for them, Stanford saw some value in playing a midweek game before facing Cal on Saturday.
The Cougars to their credit do have five wins over IUPUI, Valparaiso, University of Southern Indiana, East-West University, and at Coastal Carolina in their most recent game. They also have some close losses to some legit D1 programs: 73-63 loss at Tarleton State, 70-63 loss at Ball State, 58-55 loss at Minnesota, 66-65 loss at Murray State, and they actually played Marquette decently tough, losing 82-68.
The bottom line is that while they are independent and struggling, they’re still a D1 level team and need to be respected as such. They are not an opponent who Stanford can just glaze over. Stanford needs to take these guys seriously.
The Cougars are led by sophomore guard Wesley Cardet, Jr. who is averaging 16.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game on 43.3% shooting from the field, 31.3% shooting from 3-point range, and 82.1% shooting from the foul line. Cardet was rated a 4-star talent coming out of high school. Sophomore guard Jahsean Corbett averages 13.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while senior guard Elijah Weaver averages 11.8 points. Weaver was a 4-star talent out of high school as well. So, they got a couple other legit scorers around Cardet, Jr.
As a team, the Cougars average 67.1 points per game on 41.4% shooting from the field, 32.2% shooting from 3-point range, and 73.6% shooting from the foul line. They average 34.6 rebounds, 11.2 assists, 5.3 steals, 2.8 blocks, and 14.5 turnovers per game. They also average a -0.1 rebound margin and a -3.4 turnover margin per game. Their opponents average 73.7 points per game on 45.3% shooting from the field, 32.0% shooting from 3-point range, and 69.9% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: The first thing Stanford needs to do is simply defend the perimeter. The way teams can hang with Stanford and make things interesting is if they make threes at a good clip. Cal did a nice job of this in Berkeley. If Stanford is defending the perimeter well and not allowing the Cougars to heat up from downtown, they should be fine.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is control the glass. Stanford is used to winning the rebound battle while Chicago State is not. If Stanford wins the rebound battle decisively, I like their chances to win with little trouble.
Finally, Stanford needs to move the ball well. When they move the ball well, they get good looks and those looks tend to fall. When Stanford struggles is when one guy tries to play hero ball or the ball just kinda sticks in one place for too long. If Stanford is moving the ball well and getting good shots as a result, it’s hard to see how they lose this game.
Prediction: As I’ve said before, while their record isn’t great and they’re operating as a struggling independent, Chicago State is still a D1 opponent and needs to be respected as such. I do have Stanford winning just because they took care of business against Cal Poly, Loyola Chicago, and Pacific, three teams who are all better on paper than Chicago State. That said, I do think Chicago State will keep it somewhat respectable and I also think Stanford doesn’t want to risk anyone getting injured if they can avoid it. Stanford 75 Chicago State 60 is how I see this one going.
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