Virginia at Stanford Basketball Preview
By Josh Burton
Coming off a pair of disheartening losses, first a 70-50 home loss to Louisville last Saturday followed by a 75-61 road loss to California this week, the University of Virginia Men’s Basketball team is now 8-7 (1-3 in ACC play) and will look to get on back on track as they take on Stanford this Saturday. This game is scheduled to tip at 4 pm and will air on ESPNU.
About Stanford
The Stanford Cardinal are the final ACC newcomer left for the Hoos to face. They are led by first year head coach Kyle Smith. Smith has a career record of 268-198, with Stanford currently being 10-5 (2-2 in ACC play). He was previously at Washington State, where he coached five seasons and took the Cougars to the Round of 32 last March.
Lining Up
Stanford plays a fairly deep lineup, with 9 players averaging over 12 minutes per game. They start:
G - #21 Jaylen Blakes (6’2” Senior, Duke transfer, averages 14.8 points and 5.3 assists per game)
G - #4 Oziyah Sellers (6’5” Junior, USC transfer, averages 14.1 points per game, hitting 39.7% from three-point range)
G - #11 Ryan Agarwal (6’6” Junior, averages 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game)
F - #10 Chisom Okpara (6’8” Junior, Harvard transfer, averages 6 points per game)
F - #42 Maxime Raynaud (7’1” Senior, averages 20.7 points and 11.6 rebounds per game)
Okpara’s starting spot is new as of their last game. Before that, 6’10” Freshman Aidan Cammann had been starting. Although Okpara started the last game, he only saw 6 minutes of action as they opted to primarily use 6’8” Freshman Donavin Young. The Cardinal are deep on bodies to run out in the frontcourt.
Lead Man
Maxime Raynaud is very clearly the best player on the team, and is also one of the top players in the ACC. This season he’s expanded his game to be able to score from outside, and has been hitting at very respectable 37.5% from three-point range on good volume.
The Hoos will have their hands full trying to shut Raynaud down. They’ve had difficulty slowing down talented big men this season. This should be an excellent spot to extend the rotation and get as many different looks onto Raynaud as possible. This could be a matchup Anthony Robinson can shine. Look for him to get his crack at defending Raynaud, as it will certainly be all hands on deck.
Next Up
Following the west coast trip, the Hoos will head back home to take on SMU. That one will be Wednesday night (1/15) at 9. Be sure to follow all the action with Locker Room Access, our pregame shows will begin 30 minutes before tip.
(Featured Image Credit: Getty)