Norfolk State Spartans vs. Stanford Cardinal Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 20th 2024

Preview and Prediction

Both Norfolk State and Stanford have had impressive starts to their seasons, with the Spartans boasting a 4-1 record and the Cardinal undefeated at 4-0. This Wednesday, the two teams will face off at Stanford to determine which is the stronger team.

Last Saturday, Norfolk State secured a 67-58 victory over Hampton, while Stanford defeated UC Davis 79-65 at home on Sunday. The Spartans bounced back from their previous loss to William & Mary with this win, showcasing their resilience.

Murray State transfer Brian Moore Jr. led the way for Norfolk State with 20 points, while Christian Ings contributed 16 points in the victory over Hampton. Jalen Myers, who was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time this season, also had a strong performance with 12 points and seven rebounds.

Norfolk State's upcoming game against Stanford marks the beginning of a challenging three-game trip on the West Coast. The Spartans will also face Grand Canyon on Friday and UC Davis on Monday.

According to Norfolk State coach Robert Jones, the team's goal is to avoid losing streaks and instead focus on building winning streaks. He stated, "good teams don't go on losing streaks," and with their recent win, the Spartans are determined to continue their success on the West Coast.

In their win over UC Davis, Stanford's Maxime Raynaud had a career-high 33 points and 14 rebounds. The Paris native also reached a significant milestone, becoming the 51st player in the program's history to score 1,000 career points. Raynaud's impressive performance included 13 field goals and five 3-pointers, earning him a double-double for the fourth time this season.

Stanford coach Kyle Smith, who previously coached at Washington State, has always believed in Raynaud's potential. He stated, "He's grown at his own pace to be a 7-foot-1 guy," and believes that the best is yet to come for the talented player.

With both teams off to strong starts and talented players on both sides, the matchup between Norfolk State and Stanford is sure to be an exciting one.

PREDICTION

Norfolk State Spartans

Stanford Cardinal

Norfolk State Spartans vs. Stanford Cardinal Recap NOV 20TH 2024

Oziyah Sellers scored seven of his 15 points in the last three minutes to lead Stanford to a 70-63 victory over visiting Norfolk State on Wednesday night.

Sellers, a transfer from Southern California, sank a 3-pointer to give the Cardinal a 63-58 lead with 2:34 to go. He subsequently made four consecutive free throws, and Stanford went up 67-60 with 35 seconds left.

After Norfolk State's Sin'Cere McMahon made a 3-pointer with 29 seconds remaining, the Cardinal's Jaylen Blakes made two free throws to help seal the win.

Stanford is 5-0 for the first time since starting 7-0 in the 2019-20 season.

Blakes made 10 of 12 free-throw attempts and tied his career high with 18 points. Maxime Raynaud led the Cardinal with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Norfolk State (4-2) got 24 points from Brian Moore Jr., 17 from Christian Ings and 10 from Jalen Myers.

Stanford scored 14 unanswered points to take a 14-2 lead five minutes into the game and never trailed thereafter.

Blakes, a graduate transfer from Duke, scored the first seven points of that run.

A 3-pointer by Ryan Agarwal gave Stanford a 30-15 lead, its largest of the game, with 8:25 left in the first half.

Stanford went more than seven minutes without making a field goal, which allowed Norfolk State to cut the gap to 35-31 with 1:28 left in the half.

The Cardinal missed eight consecutive shots from the field in that stretch.

Stanford led 38-33 at halftime behind Raynaud's 12 points and six rebounds.

The Cardinal again had a field-goal drought in the first five minutes of the second half, allowing Norfolk State to go on a 9-1 run and take a 42-40 lead with 14:54 left.

Sellers snapped Stanford's 0-for-6 start from the field in the second half by making a jumper with 14:32 left.

The basket ignited a 9-2 run that enabled the Cardinal to take a 49-44 lead with 8:52 remaining.

Moore scored 10 straight points for Norfolk State to help cut the deficit to 60-58 with 2:50 left.

Sellers made a 3-pointer on Stanford's ensuing possession.