Stanford - Texas Preview

Sweet 16
Stanford Cardinal (3) Vs. Texas Longhorns (2)
Friday, March 28 @ 7:27 pm

In the second round, the Stanford Cardinal managed a one-point win over 6th seed Marquette, taking the game 82- 81. Marquette went into the locker room ahead 36- 30. Stanford tied it up at 71-all with 0:09 left in regulation. They won it in OT.

The Cardinal team stayed in the game through disciplined play, making just 14 fouls to the Golden Eagles’ 24. That gave Stanford 16 more foul shots and 10 more points from the charity line than their opponents. Stanford was also helped by a 50% success rate from beyond the arc and a 47% conversion mark from the field.

For Stanford, it was the play of forward Brook Lopez that won the day. Lopez was 10-11 from the line and hit 10 of 20 from the floor, including a leaner with less than two seconds remaining in OT. He put up 30 points total. Point guard Mitch Johnson piled up 16 assists and put in 7. Center Robin Lopez grabbed 9 rebounds and hit for 18 points while blocking 3 shots.

In their second round game, the Longhorns of Texas managed to beat the Hurricanes of Miami 75- 72. It was bombs away by the Longhorns as they held off a late rally by the Hurricanes.

Texas went 13 of 26 (50%) from the long-range arc. However, weak foul shooting (57%) certainly hurt the team as Miami outscored them 19 to 12 at the charity stripe. The Horns controlled the boards and blocked 7 shots. Swingman Damion James earned a double-double with 16 rebounds and 16 points. Guard A.J. Abrams was the game’s high scorer with 26 points. Guards D.J. Augustin and Justin Mason totaled 14 assists between them.

Both clubs are fine three-point shooters and possess good defenses. Look for Texas to control the boards. But Stanford plays a disciplined game and has fine foul shooting chops. Texas needs to make more frees. Look for a tight one here.