By Stephen Vilardo, SuperWest Sports
Don’t write off Stanford and Cal just yet.
In less than a week, the Bay Area schools went from winless away from home to road disrupters, taking down the North Carolina schools last Saturday.
The pair returned to defend their home courts, defeating Miami and Florida State on Wednesday.
With four of the next five in Maples and Haas, the Cardinal and Bears can do some damage.
Here’s an update on their respective seasons to date.
Stanford Rolling Behind Maxime Raynaud’s Double-Doubles
Stanford played twice last week, picking up two big wins. After taking care of business against Miami, the Cardinal recorded a historic victory over North Carolina.
The win in Chapel Hill last weekend was the first ever for Stanford over North Carolina.
Last week I outlined the need for Maxime Raynaud to have a big game against the Heels and he certainly did.
The ACC’s leading scorer and rebounder finished the day with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocked shots. He also knocked down a trio of three-pointers.
That performance coupled with his 28 and 12 against Miami gives him an NCAA leading 16 double-doubles this season. The center has recorded a double-double in each of his last five games.
The Cardinal took care of their home court against the hapless Hurricanes, opening the game with a 21-3 run to take a 16-point lead at halftime.
The lead expanded with a 51-point second half as Stanford dominated from tip-to-horn. The Cardinal are now 10-1 at home for the first time since 2019-20.
After starting ACC play with five of seven games on the road, Stanford is now enjoying some time at home. The Florida State game is the first of two in a run that will seen them play five of six games at home.
It’s a chance for the Cardinal to string together some wins and get themselves into the conference conversation.
Cal Looks to Leverage Dominant Rebounding in Home Stand
California gets the struggling Canes this weekend and will be looking for a sweep of the Florida teams after the Bears knocked off the Seminoles in a mid-week game.
In the win over Florida State, Maddy Sissoko stepped up with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and a career-high five blocked shots.
Cal owned the glass against FSU, pulling down rebounds at a rate of 52.8% in the win. The Golden Bears hauled in a season-high 47 rebounds including 24 on the offensive glass, the most by an ACC team this season.
California needs to continue its dominance on the glass this weekend as Miami ranks 224th in the nation with a total rebound rate of 49.2%.
The Bears have defended Haas this season with an 8-3 mark, but road trips have proven more problematic. Cal is just 2-6 this season away from Berkeley.
The upcoming mid-week game in Dallas against a dangerous SMU squad offers a chance for Cal to nab its first ACC road win.
The Mustangs do not have the deficiencies of the Florida schools, especially on the glass. SMU enters play this weekend 25th in the nation with a total rebound rate of 54.2%.
If the Bears are to leave Dallas with a victory, they will have to do work on the glass.
writes about various topics for SuperWest sports, including stats and records, college sports, and motorsports. He also founded and runs the Sports and Entertainment Research Center (SERC).
