Free Pick | NCAA | Wednesday | Jan. 15

#684 Wake Forest -6 over Stanford 6 PM CT

Joining the ACC is likely to make winning road games difficult for Stanford. The Cardinal won their ACC debut on the road but that was up the road at Berkeley vs. fellow ACC newcomer Cal. The Cardinal are coming off back-to-back ACC home wins over Kyle Smith to reach 3-2 in league play but this trip for games vs. Wake Forest and North Carolina on the road could be a challenge. In the past two ACC road games on the east coast Stanford lost by 14 and 15 points respectively. The only road wins all season for Stanford came in the neighborhood with a win at Santa Clara in addition to the win over Cal. That two-point win over Santa Clara is the only top 100 win Stanford has so far this season. The 4-1 start in ACC play for Wake Forest has come through a favorable path with a home win over NC State the best the Demon Deacons can offer. Wake Forest did beat Michigan and Minnesota in non-conference play while playing close with Florida and Texas A&M. The defensive numbers Wake Forest are excellent and while the season numbers shooting beyond the arc are poor, the Demon Deacons have improved by seven percent in 3-point shooting since turning to ACC play. This is a pairing of one of the best defenses in the ACC vs. one of the worst and while Stanford has appealing turnover and free throw rates on offense, playing on the east coast after a nice home win over the weekend could likely lead to the team falling short of those averages.