Stanford looks to take a winning streak into the start of Atlantic Coast Conference play when it wraps up the nonconference portion of its schedule against another team on a nice run, Cal State Northridge, on the Cardinal’s home court Saturday night.
With home matchups with Notre Dame and No. 16 Louisville staring it in the face, Stanford (10-2) will be seeking a fourth straight win while looking for success on a court on which it has lost to Seattle and UNLV among its last four home games.
The Cardinal are coming off a 77-68 triumph over previously once-beaten Colorado at a neutral site in Phoenix last Saturday, riding a 32-point explosion by Ebuka Okorie that set a school freshman scoring record. Okorie went 18-for-21 at the free throw line in the win.
Okorie (22.1 points per game) will take the court Saturday as one of just three freshmen averaging 20 or more points per game, joining Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa.
With a record-setting performance in the rear-view mirror and a visit from Notre Dame up next, Stanford coach Kyle Smith wants to be sure his guys don’t overlook Saturday’s opponent, which has won four in a row.
“I’m the biggest cliche guy there is. Your next game is your biggest game,” he assured reporters. “We’ve had trouble finishing games out. We’re still learning in that capacity.”
Northridge (8-5) hasn’t had that issue. All five of its losses this season have been by 14 or more points. The Matadors have excelled in their close contests, winning three times by single-digit margins before rallying from a second-half deficit for a hard-fought, 100-88 home triumph over Sacramento State in their most recent action on Monday.
The Stanford visit will provide a homecoming of sorts for the family of Northridge star Larry Hughes II whose father, Larry averaged 14.1 points per game over 13 NBA seasons from 1998-2012. The elder Hughes averaged 15.8 in 2 1/2 seasons for the Golden State Warriors (2000-02).
“He’s a good kid. A solid guy. Respectful, humble. I see a lot of myself in him,” Larry Sr. assured the media of his son, who, like dad, began his college career at Saint Louis. “He takes care of the people around him.”
Hughes contributed 18 points to the win over Sacramento State. He leads the Matadors in scoring (18.4), 3-pointers (44) and steals (23).
