Stanford men’s basketball has announced that they will be playing over Thanksgiving at the Acrisure Series during Feast Week (November 25th-28th) at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. It is a multi-team event that will also feature Utah, Minnesota, Washington, Tulsa, Northern Iowa, San Jose State, Santa Clara, San Diego, Cal Baptist, Nevada, and Loyola Chicago. Matchups, specific dates, and broadcast information has not yet been revealed, so we’ll just have to wait and see what that all looks like.
Stanford played at Acrisure Arena last season against Grand Canyon, losing by a final score of 78-71. Having played in that arena before I’m sure will make things a bit more comfortable for the Cardinal. Each arena has its own dimension, configuration, rims, temperature, air currents, and even smell. All those things make for an overall aesthetic vibe of the arena that make it unique from all others.
If you have played in an arena before and your opponent has not, that gives you a certain edge, though it’s hard to quantify that edge in terms of points. I would say the biggest thing is the dimensions. If you aren’t used to the dimensions of an arena with respect to the basket, it can take a bit of time to get your shots to fall. Especially from the perimeter.
One other thing to note is that by playing this event over Thanksgiving, Stanford is unlikely to play in a similar type of event over Christmas. Typically, teams will play in an event over one holiday, but not both. The Cardinal should be home for Christmas if history is any guide.
Going back to the tournament, it’s a good field with a nice blend of high major and mid major competition. Regardless of who Stanford faces, they should get some quality games in that will serve as good preparation for ACC play.
CardinalSportsReport.com on Facebook, IG, Threads, X (Twitter), & Blue Sky: @StanfordRivals
Ben Parker on Facebook, IG, Threads, X (Twitter), YouTube, & Blue Sky: @slamdunk406
Email: slamdunk406@yahoo.com
