On Tuesday at 7:00 PM PT on ACCNX, Stanford men’s basketball will welcome Merrimack to The Farm. Stanford comes in at 8-2 overall while Merrimack comes in at 5-6.

Last time out: Stanford defeated Cal in Berkeley on Saturday, December 7th by a final score of 89-81. Stanford led by as much in 20 points.

RECAP: Stanford MBB controls Cal in Berkeley

On Merrimack: After winning their opener against Vermont, the Warriors lost six straight games before winning four straight games, so they’ve been a streaky team this season. They’ll be gunning for five straight wins when they face Stanford, so Stanford cannot take them lightly. Especially when you consider what happened to Stanford against Cal Poly.

The Warriors are led by sophomore guard Adam “Budd” Clark, who is averaging 19.7 points, 5.2 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. Clark is the only player on the team scoring in double figures on average, though a couple of players are knocking on the door in senior guard Devon Savage (9.6 points) and graduate student forward Sean Trumper (9.5 points).

As a team, the Warriors are averaging 62.7 points per game on 40.9% shooting from the field, 30.3% shooting from 3-point range, and 75.5% shooting from the foul line. They average 29.7 rebounds, 10.4 assists, 7.5 steals, 3.2 blocks, and 9.9 turnovers per game. They also average a -10.0 rebound margin and a +3.5 turnover margin per game. Their opponents average 66.7 points per game on 41.2% shooting from the field, 31.2% shooting from 3-point range, and 71.4% shooting from the foul line.

Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is dominate the glass. Big man Maxime Raynaud is averaging 22.1 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, helping Stanford achieve a +4.0 rebound margin per game. Merrimack in contrast gets destroyed on the glass on average. If Stanford outrebounds Merrimack like they are supposed to, I think they’ll be fine.

Secondly, Stanford needs to just keep moving the ball well. They did a great job moving the ball against Cal and getting multiple players going. Stanford is averaging 15.2 assists per game while their opponents average 9.0 assists per game. If Stanford moves the ball well and prevents Merrimack from doing so, they’ll be fine.

Lastly, Stanford needs to make sure they are taking goods shots. So long as they have good shot selection and play smart, they’ll be in good shape to win.

Prediction: I got Stanford winning this one rather handily. They’re at home, coming off a dominant win over Cal, and have finals behind them. Stanford 84 Merrimack 60 is how I see this one shaking out.

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