Halftime Report
Only one more half stands between Stanford and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have jumped out to a quick 39-30 lead against Merrimack.
If Stanford keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 9-2 in no time. On the other hand, Merrimack will have to make due with a 5-7 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Merrimack Warriors @ Stanford Cardinal
Current Records: Merrimack 5-6, Stanford 8-2
How To Watch
What to Know
If the oddsmakers’ predictions hold true, the near future looks bright for Stanford. They will be home for the holidays to greet the Merrimack Warriors at 10:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 80.2 points per game this season.
Stanford’s season wasn’t pretty last year but it’s starting to look like struggles are in the rearview. They came out on top against California by a score of 89-81 last Saturday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cardinal.
Stanford’s win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jaylen Blakes, who went 7 for 13 en route to 20 points plus six assists and two blocks. Maxime Raynaud was another key player, going 8 for 15 en route to 20 points plus five blocks.
Stanford was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as California only posted five.
Meanwhile, Merrimack came tearing into Friday’s game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Terriers , sneaking past 64-61. For those keeping track at home, that’s the closest win the Warriors have posted since February 15th.
Merrimack can attribute much of their success to Adam Clark, who went 8 for 13 en route to 18 points plus eight assists. Those eight assists gave Clark a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Sean Trumper, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds and four steals.
Stanford’s victory bumped their record up to 8-2. As for Merrimack, their win bumped their record up to 5-6.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Stanford hasn’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 80.2 points per game. It’s a different story for Merrimack, though, as they’ve been averaging only 62.7. The only thing between Stanford and another offensive beatdown is Merrimack. Will they be able to keep them contained?
Odds
Stanford is a big 15.5-point favorite against Merrimack, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Cardinal, as the game opened with the Cardinal as a 13.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 137.5 points.
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