The Pitt basketball team is off to 2-0 start in ACC play, and that 20-game journey continues tonight when the Stanford Cardinal come to the Petersen Events Center for a 6:30 nationally televised game on ESPN2.
The Cardinal will bring a 9-4 record into tonight’s game and it will mark the first meeting between the two schools as members of the ACC. In fact, the two programs haven’t played at all since 2013 and only three times since 1931, so needless to say there is not much history here, despite this now being a conference game.
Following Pitt’s 86-74 win over Cal on Wednesday, head coach Jeff Capel was asked about his knowledge of the Cardinal, and he admitted it was not extensive at the time.
"I don't know anything,” Capel said of Stanford. “I know a little bit because I watched them play Cal, as I was watching Cal. I know their big kid is really, really freaking good.”
The Pitt coach has a point there.
Stanford boasts one of the most dominant players in the ACC this season. 7-foot-1 senior Maxine Raynaud has been a load this season, as he leads the ACC in both scoring (20.8 PPG) and rebounding (11.9). Raynaud has produced 11 double-doubles this season, and is a proficient scorer from all three levels with even 21 makes from 3-point range this season.
"I mean, I was really impressed with (Raynaud) in that Cal game,” Capel said of his first impressions Stanford. “I'd heard a lot about him, but that was my first time seeing them play, and he's really, really good. He's as good a player as I've seen this year.”
Pitt will have its hands full with Raynaud, as well as Duke transfer Jaylen Blakes, who has seen his production skyrocket since transferring across the country. Blakes was a role player for the Blue Devils the past three seasons, but the 6-foot-2 senior guard been solidly the No. 2 option for the Cardinal this season, with 11 double-digit scoring outputs in 13 games.
While Stanford presents some tough individual matchups, this is also a game that should feel very winnable for this 11-2 Pitt team. The Panthers have a big one looming, with a road trip to take on top-5 Duke next Tuesday, so perhaps this game can fall into the trap territory.
Or maybe not. Pitt’s depth was tested on Wednesday, and it might be a similar situation for today. Prior to the Cal game, it was revealed senior guard Ishmael Leggett would be out with a ‘lower body’ injury, which turned out to be a rolled ankle.
The severity of the injury does not sound like a bad long term outlook for Leggett, as he should be back to full speed soon, although his status for today is up in the air.
“I don't know, we’ll see,” Capel said when asked about Leggett’s availability for today following the Cal game.
In his place, Pitt received some bigger contributions from some of the guys in the lineup. Freshman guard Brandin Cummings stepped into the lineup and produced 15 points, while junior center Cam Corhen tallied a season-high 19 himself.
Of course, Pitt’s star player also stepped up himself. Sophomore point guard Jaland Lowe totaled 27 points against Cal, as he was able to take over the game without his usual running mate alongside him. For Lowe, he didn’t see a reason for the team to have a slip up, even without Leggett on the court, and that same mantra would no doubt be applied to today’s game as well.
“That we're a bunch of fighters, that we don't quit, and we're going to advance together every day,” the sophomore guard said of what he learned about his team on Wednesday. “One guy gets hurt, another guy steps up. That's all it is. We trust one another, so it's just another game. We know we can trust our brothers.”
