Stanford MBB goes to Wake Forest

Stanford men’s basketball takes on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on the road Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. PT on ESPNews. Stanford is 11-5 overall and 3-2 in the ACC, while Wake Forest is 12-4 overall and 4-1 in the ACC.

Last time: On Saturday, Stanford defeated Virginia 88-65. Stanford Center Maxime Raynaud led the Cardinal with 24 points and 10 rebounds.

REVIEW: Stanford MBB beats Virginia on the farm

On Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons are 0-3 against ranked opponents this season, including Clemson, an ACC opponent. Clemson is not currently ranked, but was at the time they played. The Demon Deacons’ four wins in ACC play are against Boston College, Syracuse, NC State and Miami. The best team in this group is NC State, which is in contention for an NIT spot, so Wake Forest doesn’t really have any good wins. They pretty much won the games they were supposed to win, but didn’t really punch above their weight.

The Demons Deacons are led by the Upper Guard Hunter Salliswho averages 18.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 46.0% from the field, 28.9% from 3-point range and 87.7% from the foul line. Senior security guard Cameron Hildreth (13.6 points and 4.3 rebounds) and senior forward Tre’Von Spillers (10.2 points & 8.8 rebounds) also average double-digit points. Things go a little downhill after that, so these three guys really have to carry the load.

As a team, the Demon Deacons are averaging 70.3 points per game on 44.4% shooting from the field, 28.6% shooting from 3-point range and 74.2% shooting from the foul line. They average 34.1 rebounds, 12.1 assists, 7.9 steals, 4.6 blocks and 12.1 turnovers per game. They also have an average rebound margin of -1.6 and a turnover margin of +2.4 per game. Their opponents are averaging 65.8 points per game on 38.6% shooting from the field, 30.9% from 3-point range and 77.7% from the foul line.

Key to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is contain Sallis. He is the engine that drives this Demon Deacons team. If they make it difficult for him and don’t give him a big night, it will be difficult for Wake Forest to pull this one off.

The second thing Stanford needs to do is collapse the glass fountain. Wake Forest is overtaken on average. When people like Maxime Raynaud and… Ryan Agarwal After a good rebound for Stanford, the Cardinal should be in a good position to win this game.

Finally, Stanford needs to maintain a good offensive flow throughout the game. If they go on a prolonged losing streak without points or field goals for more than four minutes, it could spell doom. Stanford needs to make sure they are making consistent shots and not allowing Wake Forest to take advantage of the lull on offense.

Forecast: Since they’re at home, I’m picking Wake Forest to win, but this is a very winnable game for Stanford. Stanford should feel like it has a real chance here. I would say Wake Forest wins by a final score of 73-70.

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