The Washington Huskies (10-5 overall) are undefeated in the Pac-12 conference season going into the game at Maples Pavilion on the campus of Stanford University. While the conference year is only two games old for the Dawgs, both of the Husky victories have been on the road. They hope to keep that impressive streak alive against the Cardinal (10-6 overall, 1-2 in Pac-12 play) in the game that tips at 8:00 p.m. P.S.T. tonight.
Washington's most impressive win to date was their 62-47 beating of California on Wednesday night. The Huskies showed strong defense against potent guards, toughness on the boards, and a willingness to share the ball. The result was an easy win in Berkeley.
Tonight's task will be similar. Stanford's leading scorer is a forward (Dwight Powell, 14.5 ppg) but they feature a balanced attack. Guards Chasson Randle and Aaron Bright (from Bellevue, WA) are the numbers two and three scorers respectively. Like Cal, Stanford's rebounding statistics are better than Washington's. That said, the Huskies dominated the Bears on the boards. If they can accomplish that task again, the Huskies should make it two in a row near the City by the Bay.
Stanford's Achilles heel has been, quite simply, an inability to hit the ocean from the beach. The Cardinal are 279th in the nation in field goal percentage, at barely over 40%. That's terrible and will make tonight a long night unless they can get that turned around. It will be up to the Huskies to harass the Cardinal into a performance that continues that ineptitude.
The Cardinal are listed as a six point favorite. Take the Dawgs and the points. Use your winnings on a down payment on a down payment on a down payment on tuition to Stanford.
Tonight's game can be seen on Root Sports Northwest. It can be heard on KJR-950 AM in western Washington and on the Washington IMG Sports Radio Network around the state.
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