Preview: No. 6 Stanford Cardinal hosts the Duke Blue Devils in national TV tilt

The No. 6 Stanford Cardinal (3-0) will have a chance to showcase their supremacy against the Duke Blue Devils (3-1) on Sunday on national television (3 p.m. ET, ABC).

With undefeated Stanford at home, the Cardinal can demonstrate why they should be the favorites to come out of the Pac-12 this season. At the same time, the Blue Devils will be looking to spoil the party by pulling off the upset on the road.

Is this the year for Stanford?

With three national titles under their belt and 15 Pac-12 championships in hand, Stanford is looking to add more hardware to their trophy room.

So far, they look primed to do so, winning their three games—including a matchup with then-No. 9 Indiana—in convincing fashion. Cameron Brink has been a super senior, averaging a double-double and junior Kiki Iriafen has led the team in points with 18.7 a night. With a balanced attack of dominant bigs and guards, Stanford has shown little to no weaknesses in their game during the season’s opening matchups.

Duke Basketball... the underdog?

While the men’s team might have prestige, notoriety and haters, the Duke women’s team, is an underdog story. Having been absent from the NCAA tournament since 2019, Duke’s main goal, other than improving in ACC play, is to reach the Big Dance. After starting out on the right foot, they lost to Davidson, 69-62, on Thursday. On a night when the Blue Devils were ice-cold from deep, shooting 2-for-13 from three-point land, they failing to close the gap in the fourth-quarter deficit.

To defeat Stanford, it will take a coalition of the willing. That means the Duke guards will have to put on a masterclass of offensive prowess to have a shot at the upset. Junior Reigan Richardson, sophomore Tania Mair and freshman Oluchi Okananwa all are averaging double digits in points. They will have to match their season averages—and then some—if they want to leave California with a win.

Closing thoughts

It’ll be an uphill battle for Duke, but playing a team as talented as Stanford is good for a budding program. It allows you use the elite team as a measuring stick to see how far you are from the ultimate goal. For Stanford, it’s a chance to add another dominant win to their resume and stay undefeated as they prepare for Pac-12 action.

Game information

Duke Blue Devils (3-1) vs. No. 6 Stanford Cardinal (3-0)

When: Sunday, Nov. 19 at 3:00 p.m. ET

Where: Maples Pavillion in Stanford, CA

How to watch: ABC