Stanford Cardinal (6-3, 0-0 Pac-12)
at
No. 9/9 Texas Longhorns (10-1, 0-0 Big 12)
Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2014 • 4 p.m. (PT)
Austin, Texas • Frank C. Erwin, Jr. Special Events Center (16,540)
Series History: Texas leads 2-1
Last Meeting: Texas 82, Stanford 62 (March 28, 2008 at Houston, Texas)
Radio: KNBR 1050 AM (PxP: Scott Reiss, Analyst: John Platz)
TV: ESPN2 (PxP: Mark Neely, Analyst: Miles Simon, Reporter: Kaylee Hartung)
The Opening Tip
Stanford (6-3, 0-0 Pac-12) wraps up its challenging road swing Tuesday night against No. 9/9 Texas (10-1, 0-0 Big 12). Facing its second top-10 opponent of the season, the Cardinal will also be making its first appearance in Austin.
Scouting No. 9/9 Texas
No. 9/9 Texas (10-1, 0-0 Big 12) has won three in a row since its only defeat of the season: a 63-51 loss at Kentucky. Tuesday’s contest represents the first game of a home-and-home series that brings Texas to Maples Pavilion in 2015 ... The Longhorns are averaging 72.9 points, 45.1 rebounds and 14.2 assists. Opponents are shooting only 31.4 percent overall and 27.9 percent from long distance ... You’ll want to check out: Jonathan Holmes (12.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 45.5% 3FG), Myles Turner (11.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 88.9% FT), Demarcus Holland (8.6 ppg, 55.6 FG%, 76.5% FT) ... Texas finished 24-11 overall and 11-7 in the Big 12 last season, advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The Longhorns return their top four scorers from a year ago ... Texas has won two of the three meetings. Stanford and Texas have not faced off since March 28, 2008, when the Longhorns defeated the Cardinal 82-62 in the NCAA Sweet 16. Stanford’s only victory was a 72-46 home decision back on Dec. 22, 1962.
Recent Success Against Top-25 Opponents
Stanford is 9-16 all-time against top-25 teams under head coach Johnny Dawkins, including a 70-59 loss to No. 4/3 Duke on Nov. 22. During the 2013-14 campaign, Stanford finished 5-2 against top-25 opponents, defeating No. 23/25 UCLA at home while winning road games at No. 10/10 Connecticut and No. 17/13 Oregon. In the NCAA Tournament, Stanford knocked off No. 17/17 New Mexico and No. 10/10 Kansas. The five top-25 victories were the most since the 2007-08 campaign, when Stanford beat six top-25 clubs.
Takeaways From The BYU Game
Trailing 77-64 with 3:41 left, Stanford’s furious comeback fell short in a 79-77 loss to BYU ... Chasson Randle led the Cardinal with 24 points (9-23 FG, 4-7 3FG) but missed two go-ahead chances during the final six seconds. It was Randle’s 30th career 20-point game ... Stefan Nastic scored 20 points while Reid Travis added a season-high 15 points ... BYU made 21-29 free throws but missed four in the final two minutes. Stanford was 7-10 ... Two Stanford players scored at least 20 points for the first time since Feb. 22, 2014, when Randle poured in 26 and Josh Huestis scored 22 against UCLA ... BYU outscored Stanford 22-13 in points off turnovers and 25-13 in second-chance points.
Pattern Of Slow Starts
Stanford has encountered double-digit deficits in the first half of four consecutive games. The Cardinal has rallied to win two of those contests, defeating Denver and Loyola Marymount. The 12-point hole Stanford faced against Loyola Marymount was its largest deficit overcome since last season’s 53-51 December road upset at No. 10/10 Connecticut, when the Cardinal trailed 43-30 with 16:48 remaining in the second half.
Looking For A Lineup
Dorian Pickens made his first career start in Stanford’s loss to BYU, replacing Rosco Allen in the lineup. Pickens joined fellow rookie Reid Travis among the starting five, representing the first time a pair of true freshmen started a game March 9, 2011, when Anthony Brown and Dwight Powell earned a starting nod. Head coach Johnny Dawkins has employed three different lineups through nine games after using just two combinations last season.
Cashing In From The Charity Stripe
Stanford has converted 144-194 (74.2 percent) from the charity stripe, a total that leads the Pac-12 and ranks 31st in the country ... During Stanford’s six victories, the Cardinal is 117-159 (73.6 percent) from the foul line. In its three losses, Stanford is only 27-35 (77.1 percent) ... Chasson Randle’s 44-47 clip (93.6 percent) from the line ranks fourth-best in the nation ... Randle converted his first 35 freebies of the season before misfiring on the second of two attempts at the 13:14 mark of the second half against Loyola Marymount ... Seniors Anthony Brown, Stefan Nastic and Chasson Randle are a combined 101-118 (85.5 percent) from the foul line this season.
Three (!) Seniors Earning Master’s Degrees
Last year’s memorable NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 run will likely prove to be a valuable experience for senior tri-captains Anthony Brown, Stefan Nastic and Chasson Randle. The veteran trio is equally determined to succeed in the classroom, with each starter currently completing coursework toward their master’s degrees.
Brown (Communication major, 3.26 GPA), a fifth-year senior, is working toward a Coterminal M.A. in the Media Studies program ... Fellow fifth-year senior Nastic (Psychology major, 3.17 GPA) is progressing toward a Coterminal M.A. in the Communication program ... Randle (African and African-American Studies major, 3.30 GPA) is set to complete both his undergraduate degree and master’s degree in four years. Randle has been accepted into the Department of Psychology’s master’s program.
10th-Fewest Turnovers In Nation
Stanford has excelled at taking care of the basketball, with its 99 total turnovers ranking 10th-fewest in the country. The nation’s leader is Cal Poly, which has committed only 80 miscues over its first 10 games.
Team Effort On The Boards
One of the unknowns entering this season was how Stanford would perform on the glass following the departures of eventual NBA Draft picks Josh Huestis and Dwight Powell. So far, so good, as the Cardinal is averaging 38.1 rebounds. It’s been a complete team effort on the boards, led by Anthony Brown’s 7.3 per game. Four of Stanford’s five starters are pulling down at least 4.0 rebounds per game.
