On Monday at 4 p.m. ET, the Denver Pioneers (0-0, 0-0 Summit) will play the Stanford Cardinal (0-0, 0-0 ACC). Both teams want to get off to a good start by winning their first game.
The Denver Pioneers
Denver’s record of 17–17 at the end of last season ended their string of losing seasons. They made 45% of their field goals and 35% of their three-point shots, which helped them score 81 points per game on average. But their defence was bad; they let 80.5 points per game in. Jaden Delaire and Kendall Moore are two important players who are coming back. Marcus Williams and Tyler McKinney are new players who came in through trades.
Cardinal of Stanford
Stanford had a 14–18 record last season and named Kyle Smith as their new coach. Maxime Raynaud is coming back, and they’ve added new players like Chisom Okpara and Derin Saran. Last year, Stanford’s defence was bad; they let up 76.5 points per game. They haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament in ten years, and they’re moving to the ACC.
Prediction
Stanford has won all seven games it has played against Denver and is at home. They should cover the -17.5 point spread with new coach Kyle Smith and some good new players.
Bet on the Stanford spread of -17.5 points