Stanford's Keys to Victory Against Montana State

The Stanford Cardinal have been rolling with a quick 2-0 start to begin the college basketball season. Incredibly impressive performances by freshman Ebuka Okorie in the first two games, and help from senior and junior leaders have dictated a great start to the season. But the Cardinal are just getting started, and they will be tested once again on Wednesday.

Coming to town are the 1-2 Montana State Bobcats. They are the third straight Big Sky opponent that the Cardinal face in the early going, after the Cardinal have dispatched of Portland State and Montana.

Tonight's opponent, Montana State, entered the season expected to be the sixth-best team in the Big Sky, per the coaches and preseason conference media poll. Stanford took down the top two teams by an average score of 16.5 points.

There is no doubt that the Bobcats have had a tough start to the season. In three games played, they fell short to Colorado and Denver, while beating only Northwest Indian, a junior college. With that being said, losing by only six points on the road at Colorado may show that the Bobcats do have some life.

Montana State’s impact is mainly led by three players. Patrick McMahon, a 6-foot-7 senior guard is averaging 17.5 points and 3 rebounds in two games this season. Davian Brown, another senior guard, puts up 15.7 points and 2.7 rebounds. Their third star, you guessed it, is also a senior guard. Jed Miller averages 14 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.

The Cardinal surely need to lock up defensively, making sure that Benny Gealer, Ebuka Okorie, and Jeremy Dent-Smith play well on that side of the ball. If so, Stanford should get the win easily.

Montana State is ranked as the No. 256-best basketball team in the country according to KenPom. Stanford is ranked at number 85 by the same system. Stanford comes in as 14.5 point favorites per ESPN Bet. They are given a 85.4% chance to emerge victorious.

This will be a guard dominant game, where both need to come to play. But the frontcourt depth that the Cardinal have is going to be huge in this one, and getting different guys different looks on a mediocre Bobcat frontcourt will be a game-changer. Not to mention that Okorie has been one of the best players in America this season.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (PT) at Maples.

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