Stanford Looking To Make It Three In A Row Against Oregon State: Game Preview
Jan 24, 2013; Boulder, CO, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Chasson Randle (5) controls the basketball in the second half of the game against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Coors Events Center. The Buffaloes defeated the Cardinal 75-54. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Stanford Cardinal (13-8, 4-4 Pac-12) take on the Oregon State Beavers (11-10, 1-7 Pac-12) at home in a Sunday matinee. Stanford is coming off of an upset against the Oregon Ducks while the Beavers lost at Cal on Thursday and have lost two of their last three games.
The Beavers are led by senior point guard Roberto Nelson who racks up 16.4 points per game and is pretty much they key to their offense. He has scored 25+ points four times this season, so he’s dangerous and must be held in check.
Behind him is junior forward Devon Collier who averages 14.2 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game. While not the explosive player that Nelson is, Collier will get you consistent points game in and game out.
Stanford brings to the table their usual big guns. Chasson Randle has taken over as the team’s leading scorer having now scored at least 15 points in 7-straight games. This comes after a pretty ugly game against USC exactly one month ago where he ended up with a forgettable 0 points on 6 shots in 15 minutes. His apparent wake-up call has helped the Cardinal greatly.
Josh Huestis earned his third double-double of the year last game against the Ducks and continues to produce, especially in the rebounding category where he leads the team with 9.2 rebounds per game. That’s enough for 5th best in the Pac-12 conference. Couple that with his 2.1 blocks per game, which is 3rd most in the conference, and you’ll see why he’s one of Stanford’s best players.
The Cardinal now have two convincing wins in a row (87-56 win at Utah, 76-52 win vs Oregon) and hope that this afternoon that number goes to three. They have looked very impressive in those games and look to finally be coming together as a team. Another win this afternoon and Stanford could find themselves locked in a 3-way tie for 5th place in the Pac-12 and right in the thick of things.
For now at least, Stanford has looked great as a team and will look to keep it rolling against an Oregon State squad who has only been able to muster one conference win this season. A win against the Beavers will go a long way to a better seed in the conference tournament and I look for the Cardinal to take it to them early, and eventually come out with the win.