Stanford Looks For Redemtion Against USC In Rematch: Game Preview
Jan. 3, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans forward Eric Wise (34) and Stanford Cardinal forward Josh Huestis (24) battle for a rebound in the second half of the game at the Galen Center. USC won 71-69. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The Stanford Cardinal (15-9, 6-5 Pac-12) tip-off against the USC Trojans (11-13, 6-5 Pac-12) for the second time this season, this time at home in Maples Pavilion.
Both teams are fighting for position in the Pac-12 Conference and this will most likely be another close game between the two teams.
Both Stanford and USC hold a 6-5 record in the conference and are only one game behind the ASU Sundevils who were defeated by Stanford in their game this past Saturday. USC is coming off a 71-60 win against Washington and have now won three straight games.
In their previous matchup the Trojans got the best of the Cardinal by two points in a 71-69 final. In that game Chasson Randle struggled for Stanford and ended the game with zero points. Since then he has scored double digit points in 9 of his last 10 games, including a streak of eight-straight with 15+ points, so to say that game was a wake-up call for him is an understatement.
Also hot for the Cardinal is Josh Huestis who had another great game on Saturday with a double-double and adding four blocks as well. He is now fourth in the conference in blocks at 2.1 a game and has been getting better every game for a team that needed it.
He and Dwight Powell, who is the seventh best scorer in the conference averaging 15.1 points a game, will have to be good in this important game for positioning within the conference.
They’ll be facing a Trojans team led in scoring by Eric Wise, followed by J.T. Terrell and Byron Wesley. Wise averages 12.3 points per game while the other two are just over 10 at 10.6 and 10.3 respectively. Wise is also second on the team in rebounds (5.6) behind Dewayne Dedmon who averages 6.9 boards. Wesley is also third on the team in that department bringing down 4.5 rebounds off the glass a game.
The Trojans are a very well-rounded team and do not rely too heavily on or two players and can be very difficult to play against. To add to all those names is guard Jio Fontan who is second in the conference in assists (5.1) and is the team’s main facilitator on offense, all while averaging 9.5 points a game as well.
The Cardinal continue to shoot the ball much better than the start of the season, especially from three, and will hope that it continues in a key matchup tonight against the Trojans. That should bode well for Stanford against a USC team that is the worst team in the conferece defending shots behind the arc.
Final score? Stanford wins 68-65 in another game down to the wire and pulls into a tie with Arizona State for fourth in the conference.