Preview: Stanford Men’s Basketball to open with Pitt in ACC tourney
On Tuesday at 11:00 AM PT on ACC Network, Stanford men’s basketball will face Pittsburgh in the first round of the ACC tournament. Stanford comes in at 20-11 overall and 9-9 in the ACC as the No. 10 seed in the tournament while Pittsburgh comes in at 12-19 overall and 5-13 in the ACC as the No. 15 seed.
Last time out: Stanford got a one-point 85-84 victory at NC State on Saturday. Ebuka Okorie led the way for the Cardinal with 33 points, five rebounds, and three assists while Jaylen Thompson had a career-high 15 points and six rebounds.
RECAP: Stanford Men’s Basketball gets huge win at NC State
READ: Stanford freshman Ebuka Okorie named to All-ACC First Team
Student-Athlete Availability Reporting: The following guys are out for Stanford per the ACC availability report: Anthony Batson, Tallis Toure, Chisom Okpara, and Kristers Skrinda. The following guys are out for Pittsburgh: Dishon Jackson, Brandin Cummings, and Papa Amadou Kante.
On Pittsburgh: The Panthers have had a rough season as their record indicates. Losing Cummings really hurt them as he was averaging 12.5 points per game as their leading scorer. Senior forward Cameron Corhen is the leading scorer on the team with Cummings out, averaging 13.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Senior guard Barry Dunning Jr. (12.5 points) and freshman forward Roman Siulepa (10.0 points & 5.5 rebounds) are also scoring in double figures, doing their part. They just haven’t had had a lot of help.
That all said, Pittsburgh put up a good fight in the Bay Area, losing to Stanford by just eight points 75-67 while going on to beat Cal 72-56. Last week, they fell to Florida State at home 75-74 before bouncing back at Syracuse 71-69 in overtime. All things considered, they’re actually coming into the ACC tourney with a bit of momentum and playing better than their overall record would indicate.
Sports-Reference: Pittsburgh Roster & Stats
Bubble Watch: Stanford is currently a bubble team for the NCAA tournament, meaning they are in the mix to get a spot in the tournament, but at the same time have work to do to get in. Beating Pittsburgh is an absolute must. For more insight on what the Cardinal need to do, check out what Joe Lunardi had to say on Monday.
READ: Bracketologists Joe Lunardi and Charlie Creme talk Stanford
Keys to the game: The first thing Stanford needs to do is dominate inside. In their win over Pittsburgh last month, Stanford outscored Pittsburgh 42-24. That right there is the recipe. Stanford needs guys like AJ Rohosy, Oskar Giltay, and Jaylen Thompson to get rolling inside with a healthy dose of Ebuka Okorie attacking the rim. If that happens, Stanford should be in good shape.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is win the 3-point battle. Pittsburgh kept the game on The Farm close with their 9-23 (39.1%) shooting from 3-point range while Stanford shot 7-20 (35.0%). If Stanford is able to be the better 3-point shooting team this time, they should win with even more ease than last time.
Finally, Stanford needs to win the turnover battle. Stanford had a +4 advantage (13-9) in the turnover department last time against Pittsburgh. If they once again have fewer turnovers, I like their chances of winning.
Prediction: I got Stanford defeating Pitt for a second time. I think the Panthers will make it a real fight, but the Cardinal will pull out with the win 76-70.
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