On Sunday at 6:00 PM PT on ESPN2, Stanford men’s basketball will welcome Kent State to Maples Pavilion for a second round game of the NIT.
Last time out: On Tuesday, Stanford defeated Cal State Northridge 87-70. Maxime Raynaud (22 points & 11 rebounds) and Oziyah Sellers (20 points) led the way for the Cardinal.
RECAP: Stanford MBB cruises past CSUN in first round of NIT
On Kent State: The Golden Flashes come in at 23-11 overall having gone 11-7 in the MAC. In their opening NIT game, they upset St. Bonaventure on the road 75-56. Now, they make the cross country flight to the Bay Area to see if they can upset the Cardinal on The Farm.
The leading scorer for the Golden Flashes is senior guard Jalen Sullinger, who is averaging 15.3 points per game on 42.2% shooting from the field, 37.4% shooting from 3-point range, and 87.3% shooting from the foul line. Redshirt senior forward VonCameron Davis (14.6 points) and graduate student guard Morgan Safford (10.6 points & 6.1 rebounds) are also scoring in double figures.
As a team, the Golden Flashes average 73.8 points per game on 43.8% shooting from the field, 31.8% shooting from 3-point range, and 74.6% shooting from the foul line. They average 37.1 rebounds, 12.6 assists, 7.6 steals, 3.2 blocks, and 11.8 turnovers per game. The also average a + 5.1 rebound margin and a +1.1 turnover margin. Their opponents average 68.0 points per game on 41.8% shooting from the field, 31.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 74.6% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is keep feeding the big man. If Maxime Raynaud, who is averaging 20.1 points & 10.6 rebounds per game, has another average or above average performance, Stanford should be fine.
Secondly, Stanford needs to contain Sullinger and Davis. Those two guys are really setting the tone and leading the way for the Golden Flashes. If Stanford can keep those guys under wraps, they should be in a good spot to win this game.
Finally, Stanford needs to win the free throw battle. If Stanford can be the team getting to the free throw line more frequently and shoot a better percentage, they should be fine.
Prediction: I got Stanford winning by a final score of 77-69. I think it’ll be a competitive game, but the Cardinal will come out on top.
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