Stanford Takes on Minnesota in Acrisure Series

Stanford will be in for another tough test and will need their depth pieces to step up

AJ Rohosy, Stanford Men's Basketball | Bob Drebin/ISI Photos

It’s officially feast week, and college basketball is currently in one of its best stretches of the season. With key matchups, tournaments, and star players, the sport is truly taking a step up in late November.

On Thursday, Stanford will begin a two-day tournament as a part of the Acrisure Series in Palm Desert, CA, consisting of four great teams. The Cardinal have Minnesota, Santa Clara, and Saint Louis in their division.

Stanford begins by hosting the Golden Gophers on Thursday, before matching up with one of the Broncos and Billikens the day after. Which team they end up facing will depend on if they win or lose, and how the game between Santa Clara and Saint Louis shakes out.

The Cardinal are coming off of an embarrassing loss to Seattle, where they struggled all game to score baskets, and couldn’t contain the Redhawks. Even with stars such as Ebuka Okorie and Chisom Okpara stepping up, the depth, which looked like a strength in the preseason, may in fact be an issue as the opponents get tougher.

Minnesota has struggled as well this season, but to a higher extent. The Gophers come in at 4-2 with wins over no one special. In fact, awful teams such as Green Bay and Chicago State have both given them trouble.

Minnesota has played two good teams this year, Missouri and San Francisco. They lost both of those games, and it was by an average of 17.5 points. In addition, Stanford also played San Francisco in a secret scrimmage back in October, where the Cardinal took care of business by six on the road.

Last season, the Gophers struggled, but did have Dawson Garcia to carry the squad. This year, they don’t have Garcia, but do have a guy who has somewhat picked up the slack. Belmont and North Carolina transfer Cade Tyson leads the Gophers, averaging 21.8 points and 4 rebounds per game.

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson also has been a solid piece, averaging 12 and 11. The Gophers have decent depth, lots coming from mid-major transfers, but they haven’t been able to mesh well together early on in the year.

Despite Minnesota’s struggles, they actually are expected to win per ESPN analytics, which gives them a 60% chance.

However, the Cardinal look like the pick to win this one. Tyson may have a great game, but Okorie is going to dominate as well, and the depth pieces are going to step up now that they are on the big stage. We'll pick Stanford 75-66, comfortably getting the win, and going to take on a tough mid-major opponent the next day.