Stanford Travels to Berkeley, Hoping For Revenge

After a week-long break, Stanford is finally back in action, with an immensely intriguing matchup on their hands. This weekend, the Cardinal will travel to the East Bay to take on their biggest rival, Cal. This one is going to be a contest with a lot at stake for each program.

Stanford is coming into the game at 16-10, and is currently 5-8 in the ACC. Their key wins come against Louisville, North Carolina, and St. Louis, with two coming at home and one at a neutral site. Clearly in big games, the Cardinal have shown that they know how to produce.

Cal is having their best season in over a decade, where they look like a potential March Madness team. Key wins against UCLA at a neutral site, North Carolina at home, and Stanford on the road have given them tons of hope at a potential run in the NCAA tournament.

Speaking of the win over Stanford, Cal came into Palo Alto just a few weeks ago, and dominated the Cardinal. After trailing 29-13 early, the Bears completely flipped the switch, going on a 65-37 run from that point on. John Camden and Justin Pippen combined for 43 points, helping the Bears get the win. Jeremy Dent-Smith came off the bench for a 20-ball for Stanford.

The last time the two matched up in Berkeley though, Stanford came away with a win thanks to Jaylen Blakes and Maxime Raynaud. The Cardinal won 89-81 in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score.

Looking at Cal’s roster, it’s a good mix of talent and role players. Stars such as Dai Dai Ames (17.1 points per game), Pippen (14.9), Camden (14.2) and Chris Bell (13.5) have done a great job finding their night, and going off at the right time. Even after Rytis Petraitis got injured, they have done a good job filling his role.

Clearly, the Bears matched up well with the Cardinal in their previous date in Palo Alto. The shots went in, stars showed out, but most importantly of all, their defense was fantastic.

Stanford star freshman Ebuka Okorie went just 1-16 from the field, playing by far the worst game of his young career. Cal completely locked the guard up, and it forced the Cardinal’s depth pieces to try to step up. While Dent-Smith did, it just wasn’t enough to come away with the win.

This is going to be an interesting one. Cal has star power, creativity, reliable role players, and a defensive system that completely stopped Stanford in their first matchup. But the Cardinal are better coached, have a deeper roster, and have by far the best player on the court in Okorie.

ESPN analytics gives Cal a 66% chance to win.

This one could go either way, but we are going to pick the Bears to win this one. They showcased tons in the Palo Alto contest that makes it too tough to pick against them. However, it wouldn't be shocking to see Okorie have a standout game with 30 points. Regardless, it’s going to be Cal 82, Stanford 74, with the Bears officially ending Stanford's season.