In their final home game of the season, the Washington Huskies (15-11) host the Stanford Cardinal (13-11) at Alaska Airlines Arena. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 20 and will air on PAC.
The Huskies lost a tough one against California 78-75 on Thursday. Andrew Andrews was the team’s high scorer, finishing with 18 points. The Cardinal, meanwhile, are coming off a 72-56 win over Washington State on Thursday. Michael Humphrey played well and claimed his third double-double of the season, accumulating 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Marquese Chriss has really been playing well for the Huskies. During that stretch, he has averaged 19.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.6 steals, 2.6 blocks, and 0.6 three-pointers.
This game should be a battle of contrasting styles. The Huskies (ranked second in the nation in possessions per game) prefer an up-tempo style of play, while the Cardinal (296th) are more half-court oriented. Also, the offense of the Cardinal seems ready to earn plenty of trips to the line. They rank 14th in the nation in FTA rate (45.4), while the Huskies are among the nation’s most foul-happy teams (allowing a 325th-ranked mark of 44.5).
The Huskies enter the game with records of 15-11 Straight Up (SU) and 14-11 Against The Spread (ATS). The Huskies have one of the most prolific home offenses in the entire nation, averaging 84.9 points per game. The Huskies have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the 14th-ranked rebounding team in Division I, averaging 41.4 per game, while the Cardinal rank 262nd in the nation with 34.7 per game. The Washington defense is doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games. It is allowing an average of 73.9 points per game, well under their season average of 80.4. An area where the Huskies are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average a Division I-best 7.2 blocks per game.
Across the court, Stanford has a SU record of 13-11 and an ATS record of 9-12-1. During the last 10 games, they averaged 83.7 PPG, above their 69.9 PPG season average. The Stanford defense has allowed an average of 83.9 points per game during the last 10 games, higher than their season average of 68.9. Stanford may be taking trips to the free throw line early and often with the Huskies averaging a Division I-high 24.5 fouls per game.
These conference rivals will be facing off in their first head-to-head contest of the season. When they last met the Cardinal were winners, taking the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. They are even ATS at 5-5 in their most recent meetings as well. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Washington held the edge in all three of these categories twice in the last five meetings. Stanford did so once.
Predictions: SU Winner – Wash, ATS Winner – Wash
Notes
Washington is one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 84.0 points per game (ranked sixth). Stanford allows 68.9 points per game (ranked 91st).
The Washington Huskies average 79.3 possessions and 1.059 points per possession in games this season. The Stanford Cardinal average fewer possessions with 66.7, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.048.
Washington has an average effective field goal percentage of 47.4%. Stanford is 7-9 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Washington Huskies attempt 22.0 three point field goals per game and the Stanford Cardinal attempt 17.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, Washington has an 11-8 record and Stanford has a 4-3 record.
The Washington Huskies top all teams in blocked shots with 7.2 per game. The Stanford Cardinal fall lower in the rankings, averaging just 3.3 blocks per game (ranked 183rd).
The Washington Huskies are the fourth-ranked team in offensive rebounds, while the Stanford Cardinal are the 128th-ranked team in defensive rebounds.
On average, Washington forces a turnover rate of 21.1%. When Stanford turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 4-2 record.
