On Thursday at 7:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Networks and Cardinal Sports Network radio, Stanford men’s basketball will welcome their Ivy-plus brethren from Dartmouth to The Farm. Stanford comes in at 5-3 overall and 1-1 in the Pac-12 while Dartmouth comes in at 3-5 overall.
Last time out: On Sunday, Stanford won their first Pac-12 game of the season against Oregon at home by a final score of 72-69. Stanford senior forward Jaiden Delaire led the way with 20 points and hit the game winning 3-pointer.
RECAP: Jaiden Delaire buzzer beater lifts Stanford MBB past Oregon
On Dartmouth: The Big Green are led by graduate student guard Brendan Barry, who averages a team-high 14.4 points per game on 37.4% shooting from the field, 43.7% shooting from 3-point range, and 90.9% shooting from the foul line. In case you are wondering, yes, Barry is related NBA legend Rick Barry.
The number two option on this Dartmouth team is 5th year forward Aaryn Rai, who is averaging 13.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game on 48.4% shooting from the field, 28.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 85.7% shooting from the foul line. The other member scoring in double figures on average is senior guard Taurus Samuels (10.1 points per game).
As a team, the Big Green average 70.9 points per game on 42.8% shooting from the field, 36.4% shooting from 3-point range, and 73.8% shooting from the foul line. They also average a -4.1 rebound margin, 12.0 assists, 7.0 steals, 4.1 blocks, and 11.5 turnovers per game. Their opponents are averaging 70.8 points per game on 44.6% shooting from the field, 38.0% shooting from 3-point range, and 71.4% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: If Stanford wants to win this game, the first thing they need to do is contain Barry and Rai. If those two guys heat up and get going, this game could get interesting. Stanford has improved defensively, so there’s no reason to think they can’t put the clamps on them. But any hope of a Dartmouth win starts with those guys having a big night. As an extension of that, Stanford needs to defend the perimeter well. Dartmouth is 78th in the nation in 3-point percentage, 20th in 3-pointers made per game (10.5) and 19th in 3-point attempts (28.9).
Secondly, Stanford needs to play a clean game offensively. At times, they tend to commit careless turnovers, averaging 15.3 turnovers per game, which is 46th most in the nation. If Stanford can clean up the turnovers and not give away possessions it’s going to be tough for Dartmouth to win.
Lastly, Stanford needs to make threes as well. Guys like Spencer Jones, Noah Taitz, Harrison Ingram, and Jaiden Delaire are all capable of making threes at a solid clip. If Stanford is knocking down their threes, they’re going to be tough to stop.
Prediction: Given that they’re at home and they’re coming off an emotional win over Oregon, I got Stanford winning this game rather handily. Dartmouth isn’t a very good team and there just isn’t much reason to think the Big Green have much of a shot. 77-60 Stanford winning is how I see this going.
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