SMU Mustangs vs Stanford Cardinal Prediction, 3/1/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: SMU Mustangs vs Stanford Cardinal

Date: Saturday, March 1, 2025

Location: Maples Pavilion in Durham, NC

TV: ESPN+

Maples Pavilion is where the Stanford Cardinal (18-10) will attempt to defeat the SMU Mustangs (21-7) on Saturday.

The SMU Mustangs played California and took home the win by a score of 81-77 in their last contest. SMU finished the contest with a 55.6% FG percentage (30 of 54) and buried 8 out of their 15 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Mustangs knocked down 13 of 20 attempts for a percentage of 65.0%. In reference to grabbing rebounds, they collected 35 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 12 assists in this contest while forcing the opposition into 12 turnovers and earning 7 steals. Regarding defense, SMU let their opponent shoot 39.1% from the field on 25 of 64 shooting. California recorded 11 dimes and had 11 steals in the game. In addition, California collected 29 rebounds (13 offensive, 16 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. California finished the contest at 68.8% when shooting free throws by converting 22 of their 32 attempts. They converted 5 of their 22 tries from three-point range. When talking about fouls, the Mustangs ended up finishing with 25 and California had 19 fouls.

Chuck Harris is someone who was a contributor for this contest. He ended up finishing with 21 points on 9 of 12 shooting. He was on the court for 28 mins and also snagged 3 rebounds. He finished shooting 75.0% from the field and also distributed 3 assists.

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SMU heads into this contest with a mark of 21-7 on the campaign. They average 82.1 points per contest (24th in the country) while shooting 48.3% from the field. The Mustangs are hitting 38.4% on shots beyond the perimeter (232 of 604) and 72.9% from the free throw line. As a unit, SMU is snagging 39.7 rebounds per game and has earned 456 assists on the year, which ranks 42nd in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 12.0 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 17.0 personal fouls per game.

On defense, the Mustangs are able to force 12.1 turnovers per game and they draw 18.2 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 319th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 426 relinquished on the campaign. The Mustangs defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 40.5% (686 of 1,695) and they surrender 33.2 boards per contest as a team. They are giving up 32.8% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 185th in college in points per game allowed (71.9).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Stanford Cardinal got the win with a final of 78-60 when they played Boston College. In regard to cleaning the glass, Stanford allowed Boston College to grab 26 overall (8 on the offensive glass). They wrapped up this game 35.0% from 3-point land by shooting 7 out of 20 and finished the contest at 7 out of 10 from the free throw line (70.0%). The Cardinal allowed Boston College to convert 23 out of 58 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 39.7% for the game. When the game finished, the Cardinal finished the game shooting 28 for 59 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.5%. Regarding shots from beyond the arc, Stanford made 9 out of their 22 attempts (40.9%). They were able to knock down 13 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 92.9%. Boston College was called for 16 personal fouls for this contest which got the Cardinal to the free throw line for a total of 14 tries. They coughed up the ball 11 times, while getting 9 steals in this game. The Cardinal earned 23 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 34 in the matchup.

Maxime Raynaud was important for the Cardinal for this contest. He recorded 23 points in his 27 minutes on the hardwood and accumulated 2 dimes for the contest. He buried 9 of 14 in the matchup giving him a rate of 64.3%, and had 10 rebounds.

Stanford has a mark of 18-10 on the season. The Cardinal are responsible for committing 17.3 personal fouls per game and they connect on 78.8% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 13.8 times per game (173rd in college hoops) and they lose possession via turnover 10.6 times per contest. Stanford has accounted for 2,083 points so far this year (74.4 per game) and they pull in 34.8 rebounds per contest. On the offensive side of the court, the Cardinal are shooting 43.4% from the floor, which is ranked 265th in college.

The Stanford defense gives up 33.8% on shots from beyond the arc (176 of 521) and their opponents are connecting on 75.8% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 10.3 dimes and 32.8 boards every game, which is 15th and 81st in those categories on the defensive end. The Cardinal on defense are ranked 152nd in college in PPG surrendered with 71.0. They have forced 11.8 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 44.8% from the floor (245th in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Stanford

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