Stanford Hosts SMU for Final Home Game of Regular Season

After a big win on Wednesday, Stanford is gearing up for a senior night to remember. The Cardinal will take on SMU on Saturday in one of their most important games of the season. It will also be their final home matchup of the regular season.

The Cardinal are coming into the game at 17-11, and sitting at 6-9 in the ACC. Their prime wins have come against North Carolina, Louisville, and St. Louis. However, they have lost some bad ones as well, including UNLV, Seattle, Notre Dame, and Florida State.

A win against SMU, even at home, could potentially be another quad one win for the Cardinal, which would be huge for postseason hopes. SMU is currently ranked No. 31 in the NET rankings, while Stanford is No. 74.

Despite a thrilling loss at Cal on Wednesday, the Mustangs have had a great season. They are coming in at 19-9 and 8-7 in the conference. SMU has been great this season, known for their upsets and late game winners. However, inconsistency in conference play has proven that they aren’t as unbeatable as one might expect.

SMU is led by one of the best players in the ACC, Boopie Miller, who has taken college basketball by storm with his incredible late-game play. He is averaging 18.6 points and 6.8 assists per game, leading the team in both categories.

The Mustangs also have Jaron Pierre Jr. and B.J. Edwards, who have done a great job helping Miller on the perimeter. Pierre Jr. averages 17.4 points a night, while Edwards is putting up 12.7. Their big man is Samet Yigitoglu, a sophomore that looks and plays like a grown man. Overall, the SMU roster is impressively built.

But it’s not going to be easy for the Mustangs’ big three, as they have to deal with Stanford’s own three-headed monster with Ebuka Okorie, Benny Gealer, and Jeremy Dent-Smith. Okorie is averaging 22.8 points per game, while Gealer and Dent-Smith average 10.7 and 8.2, respectively.

If you enjoy shooting, Stanford is the team to watch. They also have guys that can get extremely hot at the drop of a hat, which makes them a dangerous program. SMU comes in as a heavy favorite, having a 63.5% chance to win on the road over the Cardinal.

The two teams played twice last season, where they split as the home team won each one. SMU won 85-61 in Dallas before Stanford won the return game 73-68 in Palo Alto. That creates an intriguing storyline that will make this season’s game an interesting one.

We are going to pick the Mustangs in a close one. SMU has the better overall talent, and matches up well with the Cardinal. It’s going to be tough for them to keep up with SMU's offense, and therefore won’t be able to get the win despite keeping it within one or two possessions. This one will certainly go down to the wire.

It’s going to be a mix of Miller and Pierre Jr. that dominate in this one. The two are seemingly unstoppable, and Stanford’s perimeter defense won’t be able to keep up. Regardless, Okorie and Gealer will have big games offensively.

We'll go with a final score of SMU 91, Stanford 88.

Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. (PT) and will be on the ACC Network.