After a comeback win over Cal, Pittsburgh Basketball looks to complete the home sweep this week over the new ACC peers. Up next is Stanford (9-4, 1-1), who lost on the road at Clemson a few days ago. The Cardinal have shown the potential to beat good teams and with the Panthers being underhanded, this could be a close call.
Here are the keys to the Panthers getting this victory.
1. Defend Maxime Raynaud of Stanford
There’s not a ton of elite frontcourt players in the ACC but the Cardinal have one of them in Raynaud, a 7’1 senior big man. He leads the team with 20.8 ppg and 11.9 rpg on 50% shooting from the field and 35% from deep. The big man has scored 14+ points in every game, including 14 points and 13 rebounds against Clemson’s big man.
This will be the toughest challenge for Cam Corhen all season, but he’s coming off a 19-point and 11-reb performance against Cal. He and backup Papa Kante will have their hands full and probably get in foul trouble too. How much they limit Raynaud will be important in this matchup.
2. Sellers and Blakes vs Lowe and Cummings
The Cardinal have one of the top scoring backcourts in the ACC, with Duke transfer Jaylen Blakes (15.2 ppg and 5.2 apg) and former USC guard Oziyah Sellers (14.2 ppg) being the primary perimeter scorers. Pitt has Jaland Lowe, coming off 27 points and eight assists versus Cal.
Assuming Ishmael Leggett (ankle) isn’t available for a second straight game, freshman guard Brandin Cummings will get the start again. He scored 15 points in the last game and is shooting 44% from deep on the year. If Raynaud has a big game insider, the Panthers will need to counter that by winning the backcourt battle.
3. Battle of the supporting casts
One issue Stanford has had is the lack of consistent production outside of its Big 3. The two other starters in the last game were forwards Aidan Cammann and Ryan Agarwal. The one player most likely to offer double-digit numbers is Agarwal, who averages nearly 8.0 ppg.
This is a game where if Pittsburgh can get points from Zack Austin, Jorge and Guillermo Diaz Graham and Amsal Delacic, they’ll have enough to get this win, with or without Leggett.