The Stanford Cardinal come into the 2011 Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament with a lopsided win in their pocket, and a West Coast foe on the docket in the form of the Fresno State Bulldogs.
Mark Rutledge and LaQuentin Miles led the way for the Cardinal this past Friday night, scoring 16 and 14 respectfully, though every player available played some minutes on the floor and all but two of them scored at least two points. Hopefully they can carry this balanced attack into Monday night's meeting with the Bulldogs, who are coming off of a 55-47 victory over Illinois State this past weekend.
One thing to watch for is Stanford's free throw shooting. They made only 43% of their attempts from the charity stripe on Friday, which isn't going to cut it at any level of play. Fresno State's defense is much more disciplined than Central Arkansas, holding Illinois State to only 30% shooting in their last game, and I definitely expect them to give up much less than the 91 points the Card put up on Friday. Should be a good one at Maples.
Date: Monday, Nov. 14, 2011- - 8 p.m.
Site: Maples Pavilion (7,329) - - Stanford, CA
Last Meeting: Stanford 55, Fresno State 48 (Dec. 29, 2007)
Radio: KNBR 1050 AM (Play-By-Play: John Platz, Analyst: Drew Shiller)
TV: ESPNU (Play-By-Play: Mark Neely, Analyst: Miles Simon)
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