CardinalSportsReport – Preview: Stanford MBB faces Oregon on Lunar New Year’s Eve

On Saturday at 8:00 PM PT on FS1, Stanford males’s basketball will tackle the Oregon Geese on The Farm. Stanford is available in at 6-12 total and 1-7 within the Pac-12 whereas Oregon is available in at 11-8 total and 5-3 within the Pac-12.

It’s Lunar New Yr’s Eve because the Yr of the Rabbit shall be ushered in on Sunday. Maybe a pure conscience, this sport shall be a “crimson out” sport, which is acceptable since crimson is an auspicious shade in Chinese language tradition for the Lunar New Yr. As a enjoyable little truth, Rabbits are incessantly seen on the Stanford campus, particularly throughout nocturnal hours.

Final day out: Stanford lastly picked up their first convention win on Thursday with a 67-46 dwelling victory over Oregon State.

RECAP: Stanford MBB dominates Oregon State on The Farm

On Oregon: The Geese are a really dicey workforce. They lately beat then-No.9 Arizona 87-68 at dwelling earlier this month, they gained at Utah by a remaining rating of 70-60, and they’re coming off a dominating win in Berkeley by which they blasted the Golden Bears by a remaining rating of 87-58. They’ve nights the place they are often actually dominant.

On the flip aspect, they misplaced at Colorado 68-41, they misplaced at dwelling to Arizona State 90-73 proper earlier than their dwelling victory over Arizona, and so they additionally misplaced at dwelling Utah Valley by a remaining rating of 77-72 again in December. Utah Valley as a lot of you already know is coached by Stanford legend Mark Madsen.

So, you simply don’t know which Oregon workforce goes to point out up. Are you going to see the workforce that’s beating Arizona or are you going to see the workforce that will get crushed at dwelling by Arizona State? Stringing collectively consecutive sturdy performances is an actual problem for them.

The Geese are led by senior guard Will Richardson, who’s averaging 14.5 factors per sport on 44.8% taking pictures from the sector, 32.0% taking pictures from 3-point vary, and 78.0% taking pictures from the foul line. Inside, the Geese have senior middle N’Faly Dante, who’s averaging 13.4 factors, 7.2 rebounds, and a shade over 1 block per sport. Collectively, Richardson and Dante type a very nice inside-out combo.

The quantity three scoring choice on this Geese workforce is redshirt senior guard Jermaine Couisnard, who’s averaging 12.8 factors per sport on some actually spectacular taking pictures numbers: 50.0% taking pictures from the sector, 52.6% taking pictures from 3-point vary, and 75.0% taking pictures from the foul line. Couisnard missed the primary 14 video games of the season however is now again, having performed within the final 5. The Geese are 3-2 since his return.

As a workforce, the Geese common 70.5 factors per sport on 45.1% taking pictures from the sector, 30.2% taking pictures from 3-point vary, and 68.1% taking pictures from the foul line. They common 37.1 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 6.2 steals, 5.1 blocks, and 12.6 turnovers per sport. In addition they common a +4.9 rebound margin and a -0.9 turnover margin per sport. Their opponents common 66.1 factors per sport on 41.2% taking pictures from the sector, 32.6% taking pictures from 3-point vary, and 76.6% taking pictures from the foul line.

Keys to the sport: For Stanford, the very first thing they should do shoot effectively from the perimeter. We noticed on Thursday how significantly better they give the impression of being when they’re getting some three balls to fall. They don’t must shoot an outrageous share, however they do must knock down their threes at a wholesome clip. If they will get some threes to fall, they need to be in good condition.

Secondly, Stanford must defend the 3-point line. That’s a significant motive why they’ve been struggling as of late. Couisnard particularly is one they should watch on this division. I do know Oregon’s 30.2% taking pictures from deep as a workforce isn’t nice, however Stanford has allowed too many groups to make it rain even after they’re not an awesome perimeter taking pictures workforce.

Lastly, Stanford must discover a technique to not permit Dante to get straightforward baskets inside. He’s an athletic large and can look to get going early and sometimes with lobs and dunks. If Stanford could make issues powerful on him and never permit him to go to work within the paint, that greater than something will make the distinction.

Flooring burns: Going again to his days at Kansas, Stanford head coach Jerod Haase likes to maintain observe of his favourite stat “ground burns” that are counted for every time a participant takes a cost or dives for a unfastened ball. Stanford has 174 ground burns up to now this season, averaging 9.7 per sport. James Keefe and Harrison Ingram each prepared the ground with 28 ground burns on the season whereas Spencer Jones and Michael O’Connell every have 23. Brandon Angel is wanting like the subsequent participant to achieve the 20 ground burn threshold as he at the moment has 19.

Prediction: Given Oregon’s mercurial nature, this can be a sport Stanford completely can win and in a bizarre approach, it truly helps Stanford that Oregon is coming off a dominant victory at Cal. That’s an indication {that a} poor efficiency is coming quickly. That mentioned, Stanford merely hasn’t achieved sufficient this season to warrant being picked to win this sport, so I’m going to choose the Geese, although I feel it’ll be an in depth sport. Oregon 77 Stanford 72 is my prediction.

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