These last few weeks of regular season hoops before tournament play gets underway really is the most exciting. It is a great time to analyze what teams are still game-ready, and which are having trouble rising to the occasion each night. This Thursday’s battle between Stanford and No.11 Utah is no exception.
The Cardinal is just 1.5 games back in the Pac-12 standings and has won three of their last five, but lost two straight contests that were a bit too close or comfort. They dropped a deflating 89-88 on the road against WSU and another neck-and-neck tilt, 69-67, at home versus UCLA. Yes, they squeaked out a 70-62 victory against USC last weekend, but they will need to be more competitive if they expect to keep up with the Utes in SLC.
Utah, on the other hand, has won four of their last five including a very convincing 79-51 roadie at Colorado last weekend. Their only two conference losses have come against Arizona–we all remember that nailbiter–and against UCLA on February 1. The Utes have a steady schedule leading up to the rematch with the Wildcats on February 28, and home victories against the NorCal kids of Stanford and then Cal on the 15th would spell well before they hit the road for Oregon.
What makes this particular matchup on Thursday so interesting is not so much the matchup of big name players–yes, opposing senior guards Chasson Randle and Delon Wright are fun to watch, but that’s another story for another article–but will come down to which program will set the pace. Neither team is high-scoring, averaging 74.2 and 74.9 points a game respectively. Rebounds and clean play are going to be extra key at Huntsman Center, particularly for Stanford–Utah isn’t just comfortable at home but their fifth-overall field goal percentage is no joke.
Tip off between the Utes and the Cardinal is scheduled for 6pm Pacific time.
*Section Photo credit to Ethan Miller, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Joe Camporeale, USA Today Sports.
