On Thursday at 8:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Networks, Stanford men’s basketball will welcome Washington State to The Farm for a home game at Maples Pavilion. Stanford comes in at 9-7 overall and 4-2 in the Pac-12 while Washington State comes in at 12-5 overall and 3-3 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: On Sunday, Stanford defeated Utah by a final score of 79-73. Maxime Raynaud led the way for the Cardinal with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks.
RECAP: Stanford MBB fends off Utah
On Washington State: The Cougars are off to a nice start this season. They have a good overall record and are coming off an impressive home victory over #8 Arizona in which they won by a final score of 73-70. In their game before beating Arizona, they defeated USC on the road by a final score of 72-64, so they’re coming in with some momentum.
The Cougars have three players scoring in double figures on average in fifth year forward Isaac Jones (15.4 points & 7.7 rebounds), redshirt freshman guard Myles Rice (14.6 points), and senior forward Andrej Jakimovski (10.1 points & 5.9 rebounds). They also have a couple other players averaging north of eight points per game, so they have some depth and balance.
As a team, the Cougars average 74.7 points per game on 47.3% shooting from the field, 33.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 69.6% shooting from the foul line. They average 38.2 rebounds, 12.9 assists, 5.5 steals, 5.5 blocks, and 10.9 turnovers per game. They also average a +5.9 rebound margin and a -0.1 turnover margin per game. Their opponents average 66.0 points per game on 39.5% shooting from the field, 31.7% shooting from 3-point range, and 75.6% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is make their free throws and get to the line. Stanford made their free throws against Utah on Sunday and did a nice job getting to the line shooting 19-26. If Stanford is able to maintain that same level of aggression and knock down their foul shots at a similar clip, they’ll have the edge for sure.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is contain Isaac Jones. At USC, Jones had 26 points and at home against Arizona, he had 24 points. Stanford should look to hold him under 20 points. If they do, they should be in a good spot to win this game.
Finally, Stanford needs to win the battle in the paint. This isn’t just with rebounding, but it starts there. It also means points in the paint, blocks, and just overall physicality inside. If Stanford is able to be the more physical team inside, they should be fine. That was a major reason why they picked up the win on Sunday against Utah.
Prediction: While Stanford is coming in on a two game winning streak, so is Washington State. I would not be surprised if Washington State pulls this one out. It’s close to a toss-up game. That said, given this game is at Maples Pavilion, I gotta roll with Stanford to win this game. 77-72 is my final score prediction. I think it’s close, but the Cardinal find a way to pull it out.
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