Pittsburgh (11-2) vs Stanford (9-4)
January 4, 2025 at 06:30 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Pittsburgh -11 / Stanford +11 — Over/Under:
The Stanford Cardinal and the Pittsburgh Panthers meet Saturday in college basketball action from Petersen Events Center. Here’s a Stanford vs Pittsburgh prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Stanford vs Pittsburgh pick. We will examine:
The Stanford Cardinal’s recent form and player performance
The Pittsburgh Panthers’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Stanford Cardinal
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Pittsburgh Panthers
Recent betting trends in games played between Stanford and Pittsburgh
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Stanford vs Pittsburgh game
Stanford Cardinal Betting Preview
Stanford’s 2024-25 season kicked off on a nice undefeated run across their first six games. Those victories came courtesy of Denver, Cal State Fullerton, Northern Arizona, UC Davis, Norfolk State, and Santa Clara. After consecutive losses to Grand Canyon and Cal Poly, Stanford got back on the wagon with three straight wins. Those came over Utah Valley, California, and Merrimack. Since then, however, Stanford has stumbled a bit on consecutive losses—both by double-digits. Those came to Oregon and Clemson for a 9-4 overall run.
In the Clemson game on New Year’s Day, the Cardinal held strong with a 43-41 halftime deficit. Stanford fell behind in the second, however, notching a 42-30 run for an 85-71 defeat in the end. Leading the team in scoring during the losing effort was Oziyah Sellers with 20 options and four boards. Maxime Raynaud doubled up on 14 points and 13 rebounds with a pair of blocks, and Jaylen Blakes was also in double-figures with 13 points, five assists, and two steals. Tallis Toure led the bench scorers on a modest four points in nine minutes.
Pittsburgh Panthers Betting Preview
Over on the Pittsburgh side, they also began their year on a nice undefeated run over six games. Those came versus Radford, Murray State, Gardner-Webb, West Virginia, VMI, and LSU in succession. The Panthers would go just 1-2 in the next three games, however, beating Ohio State in OT in between losses to Wisconsin and Mississippi State. Since then it’s been four straight victories for Pittsburgh, however. Those have come courtesy of Virginia Tech, Eastern Kentucky, Sam Houston, and California, resulting in an 11-2 start for the Panthers.
Matched up against Cal on Wednesday, the Panthers came out of halftime with a troubling 42-38 deficit. Pittsburgh got better in the second half, however, notching 48 points in an eventual win 86-74. Tops in scoring was Jaland Lowe with 27 points and eight assists. Cameron Cohen added 19 points with 11 rebounds for a double-double. Leading the bench players was Jorge Diaz Graham on six points in 10 minutes of work during the win.
Why the Pittsburgh Panthers will win
- Pittsburgh has won each of its last 14 games at Petersen Events Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Why the Stanford Cardinal will win
- Stanford has won five of its last six night games.
Stanford vs Pittsburgh Prediction
I’m likely going to stay with Stanford here. The Cardinal could use a good bounce-back effort here after a rough second half in their loss to Clemson, though. Stanford shot pretty well in that one with 44.3 percent from the field and 91.7 percent (11-of-12) from the line and also led the rebounding with a 36-32 edge. The major trouble was the 17 turnovers for 25 Clemson points, though. That said, Stanford has still notched 70 or more points in all but one game so far (61 versus Oregon), and if they can hit that total here the Cardinal should have a solid cover shot.
As for Pitt, they started slowly against California in their latest win but eventually righted the ship and won by double-digits. The Panthers hit 50 percent from the field in that one and snagged 33 boards with just eight turnovers. Pittsburgh has 86 or more points in three straight games, so they’re going to be tough to keep pace with. Stanford should be capable, however, so long as they start well. I think the Cardinals can pull it off in the end.