Stanford Cardinal (9-3, 1-0 Pac-12)
vs.
No. 21/19 Washington Huskies (11-2, 0-1 Pac-12)
Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015 • 7 p.m. (PT)
Maples Pavilion (7,233)
Series History: Stanford leads 71-69
Last Meeting: Washington 64, Stanford 60 (Feb. 12, 2014 at Seattle, Wash.)
Radio: KNBR 1050 AM (PxP: Scott Reiss, Analyst: John Platz)
TV: ESPNU (PxP: Roxy Bernstein, Analyst: Corey Williams)
The Opening Tip
Stanford (9-3, 1-0 Pac-12) takes on its third top-25 opponent of the season, hosting No. 21/19 Washington (11-2, 0-1 Pac-12) to close out the first week of conference play. The Cardinal has won five of its last six overall and is unbeaten in seven home games.
Scouting No. 21/19 Washington
Washington (11-2, 0-1 Pac-12) opened the season with 11 straight wins before dropping back-to-back games: a 61-57 home loss to Stony Brook and an 81-75 defeat at California in Friday’s conference opener for both teams ... Washington defeated UTEP to capture the Wooden Legacy title last month and also boasts quality victories against San Diego State and Oklahoma ... The Huskies are averaging 71.2 points and 41.1 rebounds while making 44.6 percent ... The defense is allowing only 60.4 points while opponents are shooting 34.6 percent ... Look out for: Nigel Williams-Goss (14.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 89 assists), Andrew Andrews (11.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, team-best 22 three-pointers), Robert Upshaw (11.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 60 blocks).
Stanford All-Time vs. Washington
Stanford owns a 71-69 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1915-16 campaign. The Huskies have won eight of the last 10 meetings overall, as Stanford is just 2-10 against Washington under head coach Johnny Dawkins. Washington’s last victory at Maples Pavilion occurred on Jan. 12, 2013 in the form of a 65-60 decision.
Notable Career Totals Against Washington
Chasson Randle, who matched his career high by scoring 33 points against Washington last season at Maples, is averaging 18.5 points in four career games. However, Randle is only 3-17 from three-point range during that stretch. In five career appearances, Anthony Brown is averaging 8.0 points while shooting 14-33 (42.4 percent) against the Huskies.
Recent Success Against Top-25 Opponents
Stanford is 10-16 all-time against top-25 teams under head coach Johnny Dawkins. The Cardinal has already faced two nationally-ranked opponents this year, dropping a 70-59 decision to No. 4/3 Duke in Brooklyn and notching a 74-71 overtime upset of No. 9/9 Texas in Austin. Stanford finished 5-2 against top-25 foes during the 2013-14 campaign, with the five victories representing its most since a 6-4 record in 2007-08.
Sunday Success
Stanford has won 11 of its past 13 games played on Sunday dating back to 2012. The Cardinal is 1-1 on Sunday this season with five more such games remaining.
Done With The Washington Schools
Stanford closes out January with a trip to the Pacific Northwest, facing Washington on Jan. 28 and Washington State on Jan. 31. That means the Cardinal will be completely finished with the Washington schools (both home and away series) after only the first month of the conference season. That’s never happened during Pac-8, Pac-10 or Pac-12 play.
Fifth In Pac-12 Preseason Media Poll
Stanford has been picked to finish fifth in the 2014-15 Pac-12 preseason media poll.
Takeaways From The Washington State Game
Anthony Brown notched his third double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) of the season while dishing out a season-high five assists to lead four players in double-figure scoring ... Stanford shot 46.4 percent overall, including 64.0 percent in the second half. Meanwhile, Washington State was limited to 32.6 percent shooting for the contest ... Washington State was just 24-39 from the charity stripe, with the 39 attempts the most for a Cardinal opponent since BYU’s 28-43 clip in November 2013 ... Stanford received key production off the bench from Rosco Allen (10 points, 4-10 FG, 31 minutes) and Marcus Allen (8 points, 4-5 FG, 3 rebounds, 20 minutes) ... For the third time this season, Stanford committed only six turnovers ... Stanford is 3-4 in conference openers under head coach Johnny Dawkins. The Cardinal won its first Pac-12 opener since a 60-59 home triumph over UCLA on Dec. 29, 2011. Since the 1978-79 campaign, Stanford is 19-18 in conference openers (14-7 home, 5-11 away).
Randle’s Next Three-Pointer A School Record
With his next three-pointer, Chasson Randle will become Stanford’s all-time leader in career three-point field goals. Randle finished 1-4 from long range against Washington State, moving into a tie with Dion Cross (1992-96) for 241 career triples. Randle knocked down a freshman-record 85, made 61 as a sophomore and 68 as a junior. Of his 241 career triples, 127 have come in the first half, 109 in the second half and five in overtime.
Travis Sidelined Indefinitely With Injury
Rookie Reid Travis is expected to be sidelined indefinitely with a stress fracture in his upper left leg and was unavailable against Washington State after starting the season’s first 11 games. Travis, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in July, is averaging 7.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game while shooting 44.6 percent overall. Travis has saved his best performances against elite competition, grabbing 12 rebounds against No. 4/3 Duke and 14 boards against No. 9/9 Texas.
Verhoeven Effective In Starting Debut
Grant Verhoeven made his first start in 57 career games on Friday against Washington State, replacing Reid Travis in the lineup. Verhoeven played 15 minutes before fouling out, missing his only shot attempt but grabbing six rebounds (three offensive, three defensive). Verhoeven joins Travis, Marcus Allen and Dorian Pickens are Cardinal players to make their first career start this season. Head coach Johnny Dawkins has employed five different lineups through 12 games after using just two combinations all of last season.
Brown Named Pac-12 Player of the Week
Anthony Brown was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for Dec. 22-28. It was the first career honor for Brown and the first for a Cardinal player this season. Stanford was honored with two selections last year, as Josh Huestis (Feb. 24) and Chasson Randle (Dec. 23) received recognition. Brown scored a season-high 25 points in Stanford’s 74-71 overtime upset of No. 9/9 Texas on Dec. 23. Brown drove inside for the go-ahead basket with 1:08 left in overtime and connected on 9-17 from the field while making all four of his three-point tries. Brown was also 3-3 from the free throw line and grabbed four rebounds in a career-high 41 minutes.
Cashing In From The Charity Stripe
Stanford is shooting 180-244 (73.8 percent) from the charity stripe, ranking 38th nationally ... During Stanford’s nine victories, the Cardinal is 153-209 (73.2 percent) from the foul line. In its three losses, Stanford is only 27-35 (77.1 percent) ... Chasson Randle’s 52-56 clip (92.9 percent) from the line ranks third-best in the country ... 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 128-151 (84.7 percent) from the foul line this season.
12th-Fewest Turnovers In Nation
Stanford has excelled at taking care of the basketball, with its 125 turnovers representing the 12th-fewest total in the country. The Cardinal has committed 10 turnovers or less in seven games this season, averaging only 10.4 per game. The Division I leader is Cal Poly, which had committed only 101 miscues through 12 games as of Saturday night.
No. 9/9 Texas Upset Highlights Nonconference Play
Stanford upset No. 9/9 Texas 74-71 in overtime on Dec. 23 in Austin, defeating its highest-ranked road foe since edging No. 9/9 Washington State 67-65 in overtime on Feb. 2, 2008 ... Anthony Brown scored a season-high 25 points, including the go-ahead basket, while Chasson Randle added 22 points and a critical insurance bucket with 10 seconds left ... Reid Travis’ season-high 14 rebounds helped Stanford hang with Texas on the glass despite the Longhorns entering the game averaging 45.1 boards ... Stanford erased a seven-point first-half deficit, connected on 8-18 three-pointers and committed only six turnovers. The game featured 11 ties and nine lead changes. ... Texas suffered its first home nonconference loss to an unranked team since falling to Wisconsin on Dec. 29, 2007.
Home Sweet Home
Stanford is unbeaten in seven home games this season and 83-27 at Maples Pavilion under head coach Johnny Dawkins. Stanford finished 12-4 at home in 2013-14 and reached the 10-win mark for the 21st consecutive season.
Team Effort On The Boards
One of the unknowns entering this season was how Stanford would perform on the glass following the departures of rebounding standouts Josh Huestis and Dwight Powell, who capped their four-year careers having played more games (Powell – 136, Huestis – 135) than anyone else in the program’s 100-year history before parlaying outstanding senior seasons into NBA Draft selections. So far, so good, thanks to a complete team effort on the boards, led by Anthony Brown’s 7.1 clip. With Reid Travis (6.9 rpg) and Stefan Nastic (6.4 rpg) also in the mix, the Cardinal boasts three players averaging at least 6.0 rebounds per game.
Coaches vs. Cancer Classic Runner-Up Finish
Stanford fell 70-59 to No. 4/3 Duke in the championship game of the Northwestern Mutual Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. The Cardinal was competing in its sixth preseason tournament under head coach Johnny Dawkins and is now 13-9 in such games. In the semifinals, the Cardinal routed UNLV 89-60 thanks to a decisive edge on the boards and 14 three-pointers. However, Stanford was limited to 36.1 percent shooting the following night against Duke. The game against Duke represented the first coaching matchup between Johnny Dawkins and Blue Devil head coach Mike Krzyzewski. Meanwhile, Chasson Randle was named to the All-Tournament team, averaging 20.0 points while shooting 14-27 overall in Brooklyn.
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.
2015-16 Recruiting Class To Provide Boost
Head coach Johnny Dawkins has announced the signing of three incoming student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. The group will join the Cardinal for the 2015-16 campaign. The class, which is ranked No. 22 by Rivals.com, includes Josh Sharma (Lexington, Mass. - Northfield Mount Hermon HS), Marcus Sheffield (Alpharetta, Ga. - Chattahoochee HS) and Cameron Walker (Santa Maria, Calif. - Righetti HS). All three signees are projected as top-100 players and four-star recruits, following up Stanford’s recent line of strong classes.
