Stanford will attempt to complete a Big Sky Conference hat trick Wednesday night when it looks to remain unbeaten at the expense of visiting Montana State.
Adjusting to life without star big man Maxime Raynaud, who now plays for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, the Cardinal (2-0) have ridden the brilliance of freshman guard Ebuka Okorie to season-opening wins over Portland State and Montana.
Okorie, a New Hampshire native who didn’t arrive in California with an abundance of fanfare, thrilled his new fans with a pair of strong performances.
He posted a Stanford freshman record for an opener by scoring 26 points on Nov. 4 in an 89-79 win over Portland State. He added 29 points in a 91-68 romp over Montana on Saturday.
Stanford coach Kyle Smith labeled the performance against Montana “pretty awesome” but also cautioned future opponents that “he’s going to get better.”
“He’s going to get a lot of different coverages, so he’s going to have to learn,” Smith said after Saturday’s win. “But he’s a weapon. When we get a rebound, there’s not a better feeling for a coach … get the ball in his hands. Good things are happening.”
Wednesday’s contest will fall on the midpoint of Stanford’s five straight home games to tip off Smith’s second season at the helm. Louisiana and Seattle also will visit in the next nine days.
In Montana State (1-2), the Cardinal will encounter an opponent that’s been encouraged by both of its early losses.
After playing competitively in an 84-78 opening defeat at Colorado, the Bobcats had a shot at a go-ahead basket in the final seconds against Denver on Sunday, only to misfire and then watch the visiting Pioneers convert a game-winner with 1.8 seconds left.
Montana State lost 75-73 despite a strong offensive performance that included an early 17-0 flurry in a game in which it shot 49.2% from the field.
“I think that was a little glimpse of what this team can be,” guard Jed Miller told reporters after he hit 4 of 5 shots from 3-point range in a 16-point effort. “But we also feel like we got humbled a little bit.”