Stanford Hosts Louisville in Measuring Stick Battle

After a disastrous performance at home against Notre Dame, Stanford basketball is in a difficult position. The Cardinal have a difficult schedule ahead, starting with Louisville on Friday. But at the turn of the year, a common refrain is, “new year, new me.” Stanford can take that advice, as they look to transform themselves into a competitive opponent in the ACC in the new year.

Stanford’s momentum has been off recently. While they did beat UT Arlington, Colorado, and CSU Northridge, their December 30th loss to Notre Dame, who were missing their star player, completely erodes the momentum they'd built. Now, the Cardinal have to get it back against the toughest home opponent they have faced in the Kyle Smith era.

Louisville comes into the game 11-2, and ranked No. 16 in the nation. The Cardinals began the season 7-0, getting a big rivalry win over Kentucky at home, as well as a win over Cincinnati. Despite losses against No. 25 Arkansas and No. 20 Tennessee, both came on the road and were played in tough environments. They have recently beaten No. 22 Indiana, as well as Cal on Tuesday.

The Cardinals’ roster consists of immaculate guard play, lots of talent, and a great overall team. Their leading scorer is Ryan Conwell, a transfer from Xavier, who is averaging 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. However, many consider their star to be freshman phenom Mikel Brown Jr., who has always been a big name after being a five-star recruit.

He averaging 16.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists this year, being the Cardinals’ true point guard. Virginia transfer Issac McKneely has been great as well, putting up 11.2 points per game. He is the only Cardinal star to play against Stanford last season, where he put up 22 points in the road loss. Their forwards can contribute as well, but it’s much more of a guard-centered team.

Louisville’s incredible guard depth will rival Stanford’s underrated one. Freshman Ebuka Okorie is averaging 21.5 points per game, as well as 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists. Benny Gealer is putting up 10.9 points per game, and is the biggest three point threat on the roster. Jeremy Dent-Smith is another long range threat, averaging 7.0 points per game.

Louisville comes in as the heavy favorites, holding a 88.7% chance to get the victory per ESPN.

We are going to pick Louisville to dominate this one on the road. Coming off of a road domination over Cal by 20 points, the Cardinals are hot, and the Cardinal just aren’t. While Stanford does match up well against Louisville, it’s more of an offensive battle than a defensive one. While Gealer is a good defender, it’s not going to be enough against so many different guards.

Louisville is going to get a 17 point win, 92-75.

This one could be a little closer if Stanford pulls a complete reversal of their Notre Dame performance and is able to shoot the lights out, but Louisville will prove to be a tough opponent to take down.