STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford will make its 10th visit to Madison Square Garden next week, with the Cardinal having compiled a 13-4 overall record in the famed arena.
It's also the Cardinal's third appearance at MSG (and sixth overall in NYC) over the last four seasons, with Stanford defeating Minnesota 75-51 to capture the 2012 Postseason NIT crown.
John Platz, a reserve guard at Stanford from 1982-84, is in his 26th season as a member of the men's basketball radio broadcast team. Platz, a true historian of Stanford Athletics who also serves as the sideline reporter for football broadcasts, offers his take on Stanford's memorable moments at MSG.
Dec. 30, 1936: Stanford 45, Long Island University 31
In perhaps the most memorable college basketball game of the first half of the 20th century, Hank Luisetti-led Stanford brought its speed and its revolutionary “one-handed shot” prowess to Madison Square Garden and halted the 43-game winning streak of Clair Bee-coached Long Island University, 45-31, before 17,643 fans. Luisetti, then in his junior season in which he would earn the first of his two national player of the year awards, scored 15 points to lead Stanford and was given a standing ovation when he left the floor with 30 seconds remaining in the game.
Dec. 27, 1937: Stanford 45, City College of New York 42
Stanford built a 33-20 lead with seven minutes remaining in the game then withstood a furious CCNY comeback - including two missed layups in the final minutes - to prevail 45-42. Hank Luisetti, held to just four points through the first 33 minutes of the game, scored 10 of Stanford’s final 12 points to help secure the victory. Jimmy Powers, at the time the Sports Editor of the New York Daily News, called the CCNY-Stanford contest the most exciting basketball game he ever saw.
Dec. 29, 1937: Stanford 49, Long Island University 35
Center Art Stoefen scored 20 points and All-American Hank Luisetti added 10 points as Stanford overcame a 23-21 halftime deficit with a late 18-4 scoring run to defeat Long Island University for a second consecutive year at the Garden, 49-35. Stanford held the Blackbirds to just 14 field goals in an incredible 91 attempts. In the Brooklyn Daily Eagle game story, legendary CCNY Coach Nat Holman, watching from the stands, said that Luisetti’s all-around game was as good as he had ever seen in the college game.
Dec. 27, 1973: La Salle 77, Stanford 66
La Salle held Stanford all-conference center Rich Kelley to just 10 points and the Explorers used a 21-6 late-game spurt - plus Stanford’s misfortune of having both Kelley and fellow Cardinal big man Tim Patterson foul out in the final minutes - to pull away with a 77-66 victory in the opening round of the 1973 Holiday Festival tournament. Junior starting forward and future Major League baseball pitcher David Frost scored 26 points for Stanford in defeat.
Dec. 29, 1973: Stanford 79, Saint Louis University 63
Aided by six consecutive second-half points from sophomore forward Ed Schweitzer, Stanford breezed to a 79-63 victory over Saint Louis University in the morning consolation game of the Holiday Festival. Rich Kelley led the Cardinal in scoring with 23 points. The start time for the Saturday game was 10:30 a.m., and it was estimated that no more than 150 people were in the building at the tip--including the ushers, policemen, vendors, players, coaches and referees.
March 25, 1991: Stanford 73, Massachusetts 71
Junior forward Adam Keefe scored 24 points, and senior forward Andrew Vlahov had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists as Stanford edged John Calipari-coached Massachusetts 73-71 in a semifinal game of the 1991 Postseason NIT. Vlahov’s two free throws with five seconds remaining, giving him a perfect 12-12 from the free throw line on the night, sealed the Cardinal victory.
March 27, 1991: Stanford 78, Oklahoma 72
All five Stanford starters scored in double figures as the Cardinal used a 7-0 run late in the game to claim the championship game of the 1991 Postseason NIT with a 78-72 win over Oklahoma. Keefe, named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, had 12 points; senior guard Kenny Ammann scored 22 points; senior guard John Patrick contributed 13 points; senior forward Andrew Vlahov chipped in with 14 points and 11 rebounds; and senior forward Deshon Wingate added 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Nov. 25, 1998: Stanford 55, St. John's 53
Before 14,496 at the Garden, senior guard Arthur Lee made two free throws with 11 seconds remaining to give Stanford a four-point lead, and the No. 3 Cardinal held on to upend No. 23 St. John’s 55-53 in a semifinal game of the 1998 Preseason NIT. Lee’s free throws capped a 17-3 Stanford run that enabled the Cardinal to wrest control of the game from the upset-minded Red Storm. Mark Madsen led Stanford with 15 points. Ron Artest led St. John’s with 15 points.
Nov. 27, 1998: North Carolina 57, Stanford 49
With two freshmen and an inexperienced sophomore in its starting lineup, No. 9 North Carolina nonetheless defeated No. 3 Stanford 57-49 in the championship game of the 1998 Preseason NIT before 13,471 fans at MSG. Junior point guard Ed Cota led the way for the Tar Heels, recording game-highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds and making four free throws in the final 90 seconds to seal the victory after Stanford had narrowed the score to 46-43.
Nov. 11, 1999: Stanford 80, Duke 79 (OT)
Despite losing senior forward Mark Madsen to a hamstring injury late in the second half, No. 13 Stanford used an 8-2 run late in regulation and a 10-0 spurt in overtime to edge No. 10 Duke 80-79 in the opening round of the 1999 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Senior guard David Moseley led the Cardinal with 20 points in what was the first-ever meeting between Stanford and Duke.
Nov. 12, 1999: Stanford 72, Iowa 58
Freshman Casey Jacobsen, in his second-ever college game, scored 17 points to lead No. 13 Stanford to a 72-58 victory over Iowa in the championship game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Junior center Jason Collins, playing in his second-ever college game having missed the prior two seasons due to injury, had 18 points and 12 rebounds, while twin brother and junior forward Jarron Collins added 17 points and 10 rebounds in the Cardinal victory.
Nov. 27, 2002: Stanford 69, Florida 65
Junior guard Matt Lottich hit a pair of three-point baskets to fuel a Stanford comeback in the final five minutes as the Cardinal upset No. 8/7 Florida 69-65 in a semifinal game of the Preseason NIT. Lottich’s second three-pointer broke a 62-62 tie with just under one minute remaining in the game, and sophomore center Rob Little's basket from inside the paint with 18 seconds remaining in the game—with the score then tied at 65—gave Stanford the lead for good.
Nov. 29, 2002: North Carolina 74, Stanford 57
Tar Heel freshman Rashad McCants had 18 points, and fellow freshmen Raymond Felton and Sean May added 16 and 12 points respectively as North Carolina defeated Stanford 74-57 in the championship game of the Preseason NIT. Senior guard Julius Barnes and sophomore forward Josh Childress each had 17 points for Stanford, which suffered its first loss of the season after four wins.
Nov. 23, 2011: Stanford 82, Oklahoma State 67
Senior forward Josh Owens made his first nine shots from the field and finished with 21 points to lead Stanford to an 82-67 victory over Oklahoma State in a semifinal game of the Preseason NIT. Freshman Chasson Randle added 17 points and sophomore guard Aaron Bright had 15 points for the Cardinal, which took control of the game with an 18-0 run that spanned the final minutes of the first half and the opening minutes of the second half.
Nov. 25, 2011: Syracuse 69, Stanford 63
Despite 13 points from Aaron Bright and 12 from Chasson Randle, No. 5 Syracuse used a 15-3 game-ending run to squeak past Stanford 69-63 in the championship game of the Preseason NIT. Syracuse forward Kris Joseph, who scored a game-high 18 points and who would later be named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, knocked down a key three-point basket in the final five minutes as part of the Orangemen’s rally before 8,477 at the Garden.
March 27, 2012: Stanford 74, Massachusetts 64
Sophomore forward Anthony Brown scored 13 of his season-high 18 points in the second half to lead Stanford to a 74-64 win over Massachusetts in a semifinal game of the Postseason NIT. Massachusetts took its first lead since early in the game with just over eight minutes remaining in the game, but Brown hit a three-point basket to push the Cardinal back on top, then later scored seven points during an 11-3 run that put Stanford in control.
March 29, 2012: Stanford 75, Minnesota 51
Sophomore guard Aaron Bright, playing in a sixth-man role throughout the tournament, had 15 points and six assists en route to earning tournament Most Outstanding Player honors as Stanford defeated Minnesota 75-51 to claim its second Postseason NIT crown. Leading by six at halftime, Stanford forced two turnovers to open the second half to take a 10-point lead and stayed up by double figures the rest of the way.
