Virginia (8-7, 1-3 ACC) at Stanford (10-5, 2-2 ACC)

4pm, ESPNU

After a lackluster performance in Berkeley on Wednesday night, UVa continues their west coast road swing on Saturday, crossing the Bay to play at Stanford (4pm, ESPNU). The Cardinal enter the weekend at 10-5 overall and 2-2 in ACC play. They notched their first win over an existing ACC foe on Wednesday when they knocked off Virginia Tech at home, and the Cardinal had previously beaten local rival Cal in their ACC opener. Stanford dropped both legs of their first ACC east coast swing, losing to Clemson and Pittsburgh last week.

Stanford is obviously new to the ACC, but they have a lot of other change they’re managing, too. The Cardinal fired Jerrod Hasse after failing to make a single NCAA Tournament in eight years. Stanford replaced him with Washington State coach Kyle Smith, which seems like a very strong hire. Smith spent five years on the Palouse, getting the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament last year and advancing to the second round, the first time that program had accomplished that feat since Tony Bennett did it in 2008.

Stanford’s statistical profile shows a team that is far from dominant, but they’ve been a lot better than UVa to this point. The Cardinal rank 94th in Kenpom, and are 70th nationally in offensive efficiency, while ranking 141st on the defensive end. In the first season under Smith, Stanford has done a great job taking care of the basketball. They rank 38th nationally in turnover rate, 21st in steal rate allowed and 86th in block rate allowed. They aren’t the best outside shooting team, and their 33.2 percent average on three-point tries ranks 192nd nationally. The Cardinal are slightly better around the rim, making 51.6 percent of their two pointers, 158th-best nationally.

Defensively, Smith has some work to do with his team. Stanford has fouled quite a bit this season, ranking 231st nationally in free throw rate allowed, and opponents have cashed in at the stripe too, making 77.1 percent of their tries. Stanford does rank 49th in offensive rebound rate allowed, which is no surprise given their top player is a 7-foot-1 center who rebounds quite well. Stanford also ranks 5th nationally in assists to made field goal rate, with just 37.3 percent of makes allowed coming on assisted plays.

Maxime Raynaud, Center

There aren’t a ton of college teams that play through a big man these days, but Stanford does. French center Maxime Raynaud briefly jumped in the transfer portal last year but Smith was able to convince him to stay, and the Cardinal are reaping the benefits. Raynaud is one of the nation’s top big men, averaging 20.7 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. At 7-foot-1, Raynaud is a tough cover in the paint, and also shoots nearly five threes per game. Raynaud has notched six double-doubles this year, and four in his last five games, including a 19-point, 14-rebound effort against Virginia Tech on Wednesday.

Jaylen Blakes, Guard

In the backcourt, Stanford’s top scorer is former Duke guard Jaylen Blakes, who is in his first season with the Cardinal after three years in Durham. Blakes is averaging 14.8 points and 5.3 assists per contest, starting all 15 games this season. Blakes is coming off of a very solid performance against the Hokies, going for 17 points while dishing out six assists in the victory.

Oziah Sellers, Guard

Another transfer addition for Stanford in the backcourt, Oziah Sellers is Blakes’ running mate, coming to Palo Alto after a pair of seasons with USC. Sellers started just six games over his two seasons with the Trojans, but has found a bigger role at Stanford, starting all 15 games this season, playing 32.2 minutes per contest. Sellers is Stanford’s third and final player averaging double figures, coming in at 14.1 points per contest. Sellers is a dangerous shooter too, making 39.7 percent of his threes.

Virginia is struggling right now, and there probably isn’t a team in the ACC they should be favored against right now on the road. Stanford had a bit of a rut of their own, losing three straight, but the Cardinal played better in Wednesday’s win over Virginia Tech.

UVa just doesn’t seem like a competitive team right now, and we have to go with Stanford, who have more ways to win than the Hoos do at the moment. Raynaud should be a tough cover for Virginia’s bigs, and the Cardinal have veteran guards that can score and are going to be well coached under Kyle Smith. All of that is a recipe for a tough night for the Hoos, who have yet to win a true road game.