Stanford vs. Pitt: Players to Watch Out For, Who Comes Out on Top

Over the last few weeks, the Stanford Cardinal have been burning hot. They have taken down Pitt, SMU, Notre Dame, and NC State in the past week and a half, giving them a four-game win streak, and propelling themselves into deep consideration for the NCAA Tournament.

However, nothing is confirmed just yet, and the Cardinal are going to need one to two wins in the ACC tournament to put themselves in the best spot for March Madness.

On Tuesday, the Cardinal take on the Pitt Panthers in the first round of the ACC tournament. Stanford comes in as the No. 10 seed, while Pitt is the No. 15 seed. It is a win-or-go-home game, where the winner keeps their season alive, and the loser goes home. This is going to be a great battle in Charlotte.

Beware of panthers

Pitt has a roster filled with a few stars, along with solid role players. Their best player is Cameron Corhen, a forward averaging 13.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Their main guards are Barry Dunning Jr., a 12.5 point per game scorer, as well as Nojus Indrusaitis and Damarco Minor, who both average 8.9 points a night.

When these two programs matched up back in February, Stanfrod won 75-67, while Corhen led the way for Pitt, scoring 22 on 8-of-13 shooting from the field while going 5-of-6 from the line. He also added a team-high eight boards.

Dunning was the other main scorer for the Panthers, putting up 19 on 7-of-11 while nailing four of his seven three-point attempts. Containing these two players would give the Cardinal a great shot at coming away with a much-needed win in the first round of the ACC tourney.

Stanford ready to make some noise

Stanford is led by star freshman guard Ebuka Okorie, who is averaging 23.1 points per game and was just named All-ACC first team. In the last four games, Okorie has put up 34, 22, 24, and 33 points. It’s clear that Okorie is a star, especially when March rolls around.

Speaking of players that star when March rolls around, Jeremy Dent-Smith is another top player for the Cardinal to keep an eye out for. He is putting up 8.6 points a night, including a 21 point and 10 point game over the last two outings for Stanford. He has the ability to go off on any given day.

The Cardinal also have Benny Gealer and AJ Rohosy, two former walk-ons turned senior starters and leaders, as well as Aidan Cammann, a sophomore that has taken a big step up in conference play. Overall, this Stanford team is talented.

Stanford vs. Pitt

The two teams actually matched up earlier this season, where the Cardinal beat the Panthers in a close home battle just two weeks prior to this matchup. The final score was 75-67, with Okorie leading the way with an incredible 34 point outing to go along with six rebounds and six assists.

This game though is on the East Coast, which could give the Panthers a sneaky advantage that many may not have noticed. This won't be in the friendly confines of Maples, like their previous matchup.

Stanford comes in as a favorite, given a 57.6% chance to get the victory per ESPN analytics.

It’s definitely going to be a close one, but we are going to pick Stanford to come away with the victory, 71-66. It’s going to be a similar game to the first meeting, but the Cardinal are going to need this win a lot more than the Panthers. In addition, Pitt couldn’t stop Okorie the first time, and he's a big-game guy, so they'll have their work cut out for themselves trying to slow him down on Tuesday.

Whether that means Okorie goes off, or it brings pressure allowing one of Dent-Smith or Gealer to play well, it doesn’t really matter. Stanford is going to be able to score in this one, and they're fighting for their future in the NCAA tournament. Needing a win, the Cardinal grab this one and move onto the second round.

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