Oregon Ducks vs. Stanford Cardinal Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 21st 2024

Preview and Prediction

Two long-standing Pac-12 rivals will face off as non-conference opponents when Stanford and No. 10 Oregon go head-to-head in the opening game of the San Jose Tip-Off men's basketball event on Saturday evening in California.

The doubleheader will also feature a match-up between Cal and No. 23 San Diego State in the nightcap.

This will be the first time since the 1967 Portland Far West Classic that Stanford (9-2) and Oregon (10-1) will meet outside of league play. The Ducks are now part of the Big Ten conference, while Stanford is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Last season, the two teams met once with Oregon traveling south and leaving with a 78-65 victory.

This will be the fourth time this season that Oregon will face a former Pac-12 opponent. They previously beat Oregon State 78-75 on the road in November, and split Big Ten contests against Southern California (68-60 road win) and UCLA (73-71 home loss) earlier this month.

Since their only loss of the season, Oregon has only played one game, a 79-61 win against Stephen F. Austin at home last Sunday. However, the game was not without a scary moment involving key reserve Kwame Evans Jr.

Evans, who averages 5.5 points and 4.4 rebounds, had to be helped off the court with an apparent knee injury. Fortunately, coach Dana Altman reported that there is no structural damage, only a deep bruise causing pain.

Evans' teammates were relieved to hear the news.

"KJ is like our silent killer," said Jadrian Tracey. "His energy and presence are crucial for us, especially on the defensive end. He has the length and versatility to guard any position. He's been a big contributor for us defensively."

Oregon's high ranking is largely due to their success in neutral-site games. They won the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas last month, defeating Texas A&M, San Diego State, and Alabama along the way.

Stanford will face a ranked opponent for the first time this season. Their only previous game on a neutral court resulted in a 78-71 loss to Grand Canyon in Palm Springs, California on November 26th.

The Cardinal enter this game on a three-game winning streak, including an 89-81 victory over Cal in both teams' ACC debut.

For Stanford star Maxime Raynaud, this game against Oregon presents an opportunity to overcome a difficult rivalry. In five previous games against the Ducks, Raynaud has never recorded a double-double and has averaged just 8.4 points and 5.6 rebounds. This is a far cry from his impressive averages this season of 21.5 points and 11.7 rebounds.

The senior is looking forward to the challenge of facing a top-tier opponent as Stanford looks for a signature win.

"The one thing we need to improve on is finishing games," Raynaud said, referencing the team's seven-point losses to Grand Canyon and Cal Poly. "Other than that, we have all the pieces to be one of the top teams in our conference."

This time around, Raynaud will have to contend with fellow 7-footer Nathan Bittle, who leads the Ducks in both scoring (14.3 points) and rebounding (8.5). Bittle, who missed last year's game against Stanford due to injury, will be returning to his hometown of Napa in the North Bay area of San Francisco.

PREDICTION

Oregon Ducks

Stanford Cardinal

Oregon Ducks vs. Stanford Cardinal Recap JAN 21TH 2023

Spencer Jones led a balanced attack with 16 points, Stanford's defense held Oregon to its third-lowest scoring output of conference play and the Cardinal dominated the visiting Ducks at both ends for a surprising 71-64 victory Saturday night.

Harrison Ingram aided the cause with 11 points and all six other Cardinal who saw action chipped in with at least six points. Stanford (7-12, 2-7 Pac-12) won its second straight after opening the conference season with seven straight defeats.

Jermaine Couisnard had a game-high 18 points for Oregon (11-9, 5-4), which split Pac-12 contests for the third straight week after an impressive 87-58 romp at California on Wednesday.

In a game that featured two distinctly different halves, Stanford went up by as many as nine while running up a 42-37 halftime advantage. Jones had half his 16 points in the half, during which the Cardinal shot 66.7 percent overall and hit seven of their 12 3-point attempts.

The second half immediately took on a different personality when the Cardinal held the visitors without a point for the first 3:04. In the meantime, Michael O'Connell had a three-point play and Ingram nailed his third 3-pointer of the night, extending the Stanford advantage to 48-37.

The Ducks never got closer than nine again until Couisnard hit two free throws to close the gap to 68-61 with 28 seconds left. But Jones knocked down two clinching free throws less than a second later.

Michael Jones had 10 points, O'Connell eight, Brandon Angel and Max Murrell seven each, and Maxime Raynaud and Isa Silva six apiece for the Cardinal, who shot 50.0 percent from the field.

Ingram, who connected on 3-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc, also found time for a team-high-tying eight rebounds, a game-high five assists and two steals. Raynaud matched Ingram's rebound total.

Rivaldo Soares backed Couisnard with 13 points and Keeshawn Barthelemy added 11 for Oregon, which shot just 4-for-16 on 3-pointers in the second half after going 6-for-14 in the first 20 minutes.

Oregon's N'Faly Dante was the game's leading rebounder with 15 to go with nine points and two blocks.