Stanford is coming off two bounce-back games
after a very tough loss to Texas, and is looking to continue the
win streak in Las Vegas against BYU. This is the first game on
national television and should give extra incentive to put in a
nice performance. To win they will have to beat a fundamentally
sound BYU that made the tournament last year. This game is about
equal distance from both schools so home court shouldn’t be
much of an advantage for either team. Stanford is the favorite,
so expect all the UNLV fans to jump on the BYU bandwagon if BYU
can hang in the game. There was a change in the Stanford lineup
this week as Julius Barnes ,who has been very effective as of
late, replaced Josh Childress and played shooting guard. That in
turn moved Casey over to the Small Forward position. This gave
the team a spark last game, as Barnes was very active in pushing
the ball and giving people open looks, as well as hitting four
three-pointers of his own. Here is what the teams should look
like as they take the floor on the Las Vegas strip.
PG - Matt Montague, 6-0, 190,
Senior, Senior, Louisville, KY (5.8 ppg) vs. Tony Giovacchini
6-2, 180, Senior, Salt Lake City, Ut (5.0 ppg)
This battle will definitely be a sidenote in
the game as both are seniors who are high on experience, but don’t
score a whole lot. Tony needs to shake off a shaky Stanford
Invitational and get his game back on track. Matt Montague is a
great passer and dishes out 7 assists a game, which is very good
in today’s college basketball. This is also due to the sound
offense BYU runs, which relies more on cuts and timing than sheer
athleticism. This is Montague’s 58th start so he
has tons of experience and should give Tony a good test. Tony
just needs to get people involved and hit some open three’s
that he has been getting. He is in a little slump now but it is
something that can easily go away with a solid performance. Look
for this to be a good matchup for BYU as Montague is a high
energy and experience player at the point.
SG - Travis Hansen, 6-6, 210,
Junior, Orem, Ut (16.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg) vs. Julius Barnes 6-1, 180,
Junior, Rowland Heights (9.6 ppg)
Travis Hansen was a reserve player for the
Cougars but came on this year and has earned himself a starting
job. He is second on the team in scoring at 16.3 PPG and is
leading the team in rebounding. He is a highly athletic player
and is a great slasher but also can stroke the three-point shot.
He and his teammate Mark Bigelow have been an outstanding scoring
duo as they have combined for nearly 34 PPG. This will be a tough
guard for Barnes but with Julius’ athletic ability he should
be able to compensate even with a severe height disadvantage.
Barnes in his first start scored 16 points and really gave this
team some energy. It came at a good time, with Childress
struggling and should help Tony with another point guard on the
floor. Barnes plays high energy all the time and can explode at
any moment. He has a turnover problem but this can improve with
more playing time and experience. Look for Barnes to have another
solid game and continue his hot streak.
SF - Mark Bigelow, 6-7, 190, Sophomore,
Olympia, Wa (17.5 ppg) vs. Casey Jacobsen 6-6, 210, Junior,
Glendora, Ca (21.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
Bigelow is one the top, if not the best
Cougar player. He is an excellent shooter and will provide a
tough guard for Casey. Bigelow sees the floor very well and is
very smart on the floor, often making the right pass or decision.
He will not beat himself and is a double threat to drive or shoot
every time he has the ball. This is the key matchup of the game
as Bigelow can’t run around Stanford and go off for a big
night. Jacobsen will also have some added motivation, as he will
be playing in front of the whole country. The last time he was
shown to the nation, it was the West Regional Final in which he
had a very subpar outing against Maryland. Look for Casey to play
inspired and go off for another big game, as his three-point
shooting is back after the last two games. Look for Bigelow to
have a good game, but for Casey to get 20+ points.
PF - Eric Nielsen, 6-9, 215, Senior,
Fremont, Ca (9.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg) vs. Justin Davis 6-8, 230,
Sophomore, Berkeley, Ca (5.3 ppg)
Nielsen is one of the less skilled players
in the starting lineup but shoots a very good 56%. He is another
senior with lots of starting experience and could exploit this
with Justin Davis struggling. Nielsen is second on the team in
rebounding at 5.3 per game and should give Davis a rough go
around in the post. Davis played only 15 minutes last game and
was really looking flat. He has been very streaky, sometimes
looking spectacular on putbacks and sometimes looking lost. Look
for Little to get a lot of playing time again unless Davis comes
out with a big game. This is a minor mathcup in the post, but
with two other big scorers on BYU, Nielsen can’t have a big
game.
C - Jared Jensen, 6-9, 245, Freshman,
West Haven, Ut (7.9 ppg) vs. Curtis Borchardt 7-0, 240, Junior,
Redmond, Wa (15.4 ppg, 11.4 rpg)
Jensen only a freshman has burst onto the
scene at BYU looking fairly impressive. He is shooting 70% from
the field, which should tell a lot and is looking like a player
who could be really effective down the road. Unfortunately he is
going to have to face Curtis Bortchardt who will once again have
a huge height advantage. Borchardt has been off the scale this
season, as he is averaging 15.4 PPG and 11.4 RPG. He has also
improved his post passing and his assists are up this year
because of it. Look for Curtis to have another solid game against
an undersized freshmen post player.
I think people aren’t giving this game
as much attention as they should. BYU is a tough team and will
give Stanford a fight. BYU will play tough defense, but in the
end Stanford should wear them down like they do to many teams.
Look for a victory margin around 10 for Stanford Saturday night.