BYU vs. Stanford Game Preview
By James Pigott
Nov 11, 2013; Stanford, CA, USA; Brigham Young Cougars forward Nate Austin (33) and Stanford Cardinal forward Josh Huestis (24) fight for position under the basket during the first half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
BYU Cougars (8-3) vs. Stanford Cardinal (6-2)
Date: Saturday, December 20, 2014
Location: Marriott Center, Provo, UT
Time: 9:00 PM MT
TV: ESPNU
Livestream: watchespn.com
Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=68973
PROJECTED STARTERS
BYU
Kyle Collinsworth, 12.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 5.3 APG
Tyler Haws, 23.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG
Chase Fischer, 13.9 PPG
Isaac Neilson, 5.7 PPG
Luke Worthington, 3.4 PPG
Stanford
Chasson Randle, 18.3 PPG
Anthony Brown, 13.4 PPG, 7.5 RPG
Reid Travis, 7.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG
Rosco Allen, 7.8 PPG
Stefan Nastic, 14.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG
Meet the Opponent
The Stanford Cardinal feature a mix of youth and experience, with 4 year starters Chasson Randle and Anthony Brown in the backcourt and senior Stefan Nastic in the middle. But almost everyone outside of those three players has little to no division 1 college basketball experience. Their inexperience has led to some up and down performances, including a demolition of UNLV and a close game against the undefeated Duke Blue Devils, but also a road loss to DePaul and most recently a couple of ugly close wins over Denver and Loyola Marymount.
There are two major weaknesses on this Stanford team: point guard play and bench play. Chasson Randle’s move from the point guard spot was necessary after Aaron Bright’s injury and transfer to Saint Mary’s last season, but Randle is really more of a shooter and averages less than 3 assists per game. So essentially the Cardinal play point guard by committee. Reid Travis and Rosco Allen have been solid players in the frontcourt but neither possess the scoring prowess that Dwight Powell and Josh Huestis (both NBA draft picks) had for the Cardinal last season. Stefan Nastic has really come a long way the past few seasons from a rarely used bench warmer in 2012-13 to one of the best big men on the west coast right now.
Keys to the Game for BYU
Assuming Tyler Haws is playing (which it sounds like he will, but at less than 100%), he needs to get going like he did last year against Stanford in the 110-103 victory for BYU. The Cougars need to use a lot of Corbin Kaufusi to slow down Nastic, because he has the length and interior defense that Isaac Neilson and Luke Worthington might be lacking a bit. Nate Austin’s defensive presence will be missed. Chase Fischer needs to quit his good game-bad game pattern because BYU is really going to need him to make shots, especially if Tyler Haws is limited or not playing at all. Also, Kyle Collinsworth needs to rebound from a head-scratcher game against Weber State and remain poised and assertive offensively.
Prediction
With the status of Tyler Haws uncertain it is really hard to make a prediction for this game. Assuming Haws is limited, I predict a 79-74 victory for BYU, because I believe they have enough backcourt depth to make up for an injured Tyler Haws with Winder, Halford, and Bartley.