BROOKLYN - Stanford meets Arkansas of the Southeastern Conference in the third-place game of the NIT Season Tip-Off on Friday at 9:30 a.m. PT at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Cardinal has already played three games in the NIT Season Tip-Off, posting victories over Green Bay and Charleston Southern at home, before dropping a 59-45 decision to No. 8/9 Villanova on Thursday in Brooklyn.
RECORD VS. ARKANSAS, SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
Stanford and Arkansas meet for just the second time on the hardwood when the two teams clash Friday at the Barclays Center. The Cardinal earned a 60-53 victory over the Razorbacks on Jan. 2, 1948 in San Francisco.
Stanford is 16-12 all-time against current members of the Southeastern Conference, most recently defeating Vanderbilt, 78-75, on March 24, 2015 at Maples Pavilion to earn its last trip to New York City and a berth in the semifinals of the 2015 Postseason NIT.
CONTROLLING THE GLASS
Stanford’s 55 rebounds against Villanova in the NIT Season Tip-Off on Thursday were the most by the Cardinal in the Johnny Dawkins era. Dawkins, in his eighth season as head coach of the Cardinal, has seen Stanford record 50 or more rebounds in a game six times.
MARCUS ALLEN LEADS CARDINAL OFFENSIVELY
Junior Marcus Allen is averaging a team-best 14.7 points per game in Stanford’s last three contests, after missing the first two games with a foot injury. The guard has started each of the last two games, averaging 30.0 minutes. Allen scored a season-high 18 points against SMU.
PICKENS NOTCHES DOUBLE-DOUBLE AGAINST VILLANOVA
Sophomore guard Dorian Pickens posted his first career double-double on Thursday, recording 11 points and a career-best 10 rebounds against the Wildcats. After averaging 2.1 points in 9.8 minutes per game last season, he ranks third on the team in scoring this season with 12.2 points in 30.4 minutes per contest.
TRAVIS IN THE PAINT
Sophomore Reid Travis is coming off a season-high 12-rebound performance against Villanova. He has recorded five double-digit rebound games in his first 33 career games with the Cardinal. The forward registered a career-high 18 points at Saint Mary’s last week. He ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.2 points per game in a team-high 35.0 minutes per contest.
ROSCO ALLEN FROM DEEP
Senior Rosco Allen is averaging 10.4 ppg this season with eight of his 19 field goals on the season from three-point range. He leads the team in three-pointers made, shooting 42.1 percent from beyond the arc this season. Allen has recorded multiple three-pointers in three games this season, with a high of three against SMU. He entered the NIT Season Tip-Off ranked sixth in the Pac-12 in three-point field goals and percentage this year.
POINTS HARD TO COME BY THURSDAY
Stanford held Villanova, which entered Thursday’s matchup averaging 84.8 ppg, to 59 points in the contest - nearly 26 points below its season scoring average. The Cardinal, which came into Thursday averaging 79.2 ppg, finished with 45 points against the Wildcats. It was the program’s lowest point total since a 43-point performance against Arizona at home on Feb. 4, 2012.