02-07-2026, 01:37 PM
Stanford desperately needs to get a win following five straight losses. A win might give them a bit of momentum for the upcoming road trip to BC & Wake (2 winnable, but also eminently "loseable" games) and keep alive their dwindling hopes for a first round ACC tourney bye & post-season NIT glory. A loss will put them solidly in the mix for a bottom three finish - and missing out completely on the ACC tourney.
The Cardinal are favored by 8.5 and the over/under is 151.5 - making the implied score 80-71.5. Georgia Tech, currently on a 4-game losing streak, is 11-12, 2-8 in the ACC, 1-5 on the road. Their record is bolstered by an 8-0 showing vs. Quad 4 opponents. Their best (and most reeent) win was at NC State, they played very respectably in an 85-79 loss at Duke, and they made Cal sweat out a 90-85 win on Wednesday.
Injuries and/or illness could be a big factor in this game. Per the ACC injury report:
https://theacc.com/sports/2025/12/29/ava...g-mbb.aspx
Okpara, Skrinda, & Toure are out (no surprises there); for the Yellow Jackets, Peyton Marshall, Mouhamed Sylla, & Dyllan Thompson are out and Kowacie Reeves Jr. & Lamar Washington are questionable. Thompson hasn't played all season, but Marshall (7'0/300! So C) & especially Sylla (6'10/240 Fr C) have had big roles for much of the season. Reeves is the only Jacket to have started in every game so far and Washington has started in 14 games. Both started at Cal, although Reeves only played 6 minutes - reportedly due to illness.
Starters at Cal were:
#11 Baye Ndongo (6'9/240 Jr F) ACC All-Rookie team in '24, All-ACC 3rd team in '25, got one vote for pre-season ACC PoY this season. Had 15 pts & 16 rebounds in a 60-52 win over Stanford last season. Scores 12.3 ppg, #7 in ACC rebounding (8.2 rpg) & #14 in blocks (1.2 bpg).
#14 Kowacie Reeves Jr. (6'7/205 RSr F) 2 seasons at Florida/2 at GTech. Leads team with 15.0 ppg (#18 ACC) on 45.2% FGs (#17) and 2.0 3s/g (#15).
#1 Lamar Washington (6'4/200 Sr G) 2 season Texas Tech/ 1 UOP (All-WCC 2nd team & school assists record - 191). #5 in ACC assists (5.8/g), #15 with 2.0 assists/TO, #18 with 1.5 steals/game.
#12 Kam Craft (6'6/205 RJr G/F) 2 seasons Xavier/1 as a starter at Miami of Ohio
#3 Jaeden Mustaf (6'6/210 So G) Scored 7pts vs Stanford last season.
Four subs played at Cal - one "big" and 3 guards. #8 Cole Kirouac is a tall (7'0"), but not particularly big (only 199 lbs!) freshman who has not had a big role most of the season - played 5 minutes vs. Cal. #0 Akai Fleming (9.4 ppg, #11 in ACC with 81.4% FTs) has started 14 games, #7 Chas Kelley III (3 seasons at BC) has been part of the rotation all season, and #10 Davi Remagen (a grand-nephew of Pele!) has played in only 8 games, but played 19 minutes vs. Cal. Fleming & Kelley led Tech with 19 & 15 points respectively vs. Cal.
It will be interesting to see, against this potentially guard-dominant team, if Coach Smith continues to use Okorie, Gealer, & Dent-Smith together as he did for much of the second half vs. Clemson. And to see if Cammann can show that his productivity vs. Clemson was not an anomaly - and along with Giltay and Rohosy, capitalize on what should be a significant size advantage. And to see if Young &/or Thompson can provide more than just an occasional spark.
Nothing is a sure win for Stanford at this point, but this one really is a must win.
The Cardinal are favored by 8.5 and the over/under is 151.5 - making the implied score 80-71.5. Georgia Tech, currently on a 4-game losing streak, is 11-12, 2-8 in the ACC, 1-5 on the road. Their record is bolstered by an 8-0 showing vs. Quad 4 opponents. Their best (and most reeent) win was at NC State, they played very respectably in an 85-79 loss at Duke, and they made Cal sweat out a 90-85 win on Wednesday.
Injuries and/or illness could be a big factor in this game. Per the ACC injury report:
https://theacc.com/sports/2025/12/29/ava...g-mbb.aspx
Okpara, Skrinda, & Toure are out (no surprises there); for the Yellow Jackets, Peyton Marshall, Mouhamed Sylla, & Dyllan Thompson are out and Kowacie Reeves Jr. & Lamar Washington are questionable. Thompson hasn't played all season, but Marshall (7'0/300! So C) & especially Sylla (6'10/240 Fr C) have had big roles for much of the season. Reeves is the only Jacket to have started in every game so far and Washington has started in 14 games. Both started at Cal, although Reeves only played 6 minutes - reportedly due to illness.
Starters at Cal were:
#11 Baye Ndongo (6'9/240 Jr F) ACC All-Rookie team in '24, All-ACC 3rd team in '25, got one vote for pre-season ACC PoY this season. Had 15 pts & 16 rebounds in a 60-52 win over Stanford last season. Scores 12.3 ppg, #7 in ACC rebounding (8.2 rpg) & #14 in blocks (1.2 bpg).
#14 Kowacie Reeves Jr. (6'7/205 RSr F) 2 seasons at Florida/2 at GTech. Leads team with 15.0 ppg (#18 ACC) on 45.2% FGs (#17) and 2.0 3s/g (#15).
#1 Lamar Washington (6'4/200 Sr G) 2 season Texas Tech/ 1 UOP (All-WCC 2nd team & school assists record - 191). #5 in ACC assists (5.8/g), #15 with 2.0 assists/TO, #18 with 1.5 steals/game.
#12 Kam Craft (6'6/205 RJr G/F) 2 seasons Xavier/1 as a starter at Miami of Ohio
#3 Jaeden Mustaf (6'6/210 So G) Scored 7pts vs Stanford last season.
Four subs played at Cal - one "big" and 3 guards. #8 Cole Kirouac is a tall (7'0"), but not particularly big (only 199 lbs!) freshman who has not had a big role most of the season - played 5 minutes vs. Cal. #0 Akai Fleming (9.4 ppg, #11 in ACC with 81.4% FTs) has started 14 games, #7 Chas Kelley III (3 seasons at BC) has been part of the rotation all season, and #10 Davi Remagen (a grand-nephew of Pele!) has played in only 8 games, but played 19 minutes vs. Cal. Fleming & Kelley led Tech with 19 & 15 points respectively vs. Cal.
It will be interesting to see, against this potentially guard-dominant team, if Coach Smith continues to use Okorie, Gealer, & Dent-Smith together as he did for much of the second half vs. Clemson. And to see if Cammann can show that his productivity vs. Clemson was not an anomaly - and along with Giltay and Rohosy, capitalize on what should be a significant size advantage. And to see if Young &/or Thompson can provide more than just an occasional spark.
Nothing is a sure win for Stanford at this point, but this one really is a must win.
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