STANFORD, Calif. - After playing three straight games on the road and breaking for final exams, Stanford plays its first game at Maples Pavilion in 23 days when the Cardinal hosts Dartmouth on Saturday (Dec. 12) at 7 p.m.
Stanford, which does not play a game during the school’s final exam period, last played on Nov. 27 with a 69-66 come-from-behind victory over Arkansas more than 3,000 miles away from campus in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Cardinal’s seven-game homestand lasts into the new calendar year, with its Pac-12 Conference opening weekend at home against Utah on Jan. 1 and Colorado on Jan. 3.
BACK FROM BREAKSaturday’s matchup with Dartmouth is Stanford’s first game in 15 days, following its annual two-week break for final exams. The Cardinal, which defeated Arkansas (69-66) on Nov. 27 in its last game action, has won its last eight “first-game-back” contests from the extended break dating back to 2006.
AGAINST DARTMOUTH, THE IVY LEAGUEStanford is 5-1 all-time against Dartmouth. The two schools squared off in the 1942 NCAA Championship game, with the Cardinal earning a 53-38 victory on March 28, 1942 in Kansas City, Mo. to win the NCAA title. The two schools most recently squared off on Dec. 22, 2004 at Maples Pavilion, a 71-54 victory for the Cardinal. Dartmouth recorded a 39-38 victory over Stanford in 1938 for its lone win in the series. Stanford owns a 30-8 all-time record against members of the Ivy League.
ROSCO ALLEN FROM DEEPComing off a career-high 25 points against Arkansas, Rosco Allen is averaging 12.8 ppg this season. Eleven of his 25 field goals have been from three-point range. He is shooting a team-leading 45.8 percent on three-point field goals this season, which ranks eighth in the Pac-12. The senior ranks 10th in the conference, averaging 1.8 three-pointers per game,
BROOKLYN COMEBACKStanford erased a 17-point deficit (48-65) with 6:11 to play, scoring 21 of the game’s final 22 points to earn a 69-66 come-from-behind victory over Arkansas in the NIT Season Tip-Off Nov. 27 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Senior Rosco Allen scored eight of his career-high 25 points in the final 4:27 of the game.
| Notable Comebacks In School History | ||||
| Date | Opponent | Score (Deficit) | Time Remaining | Result |
| Nov. 27, 2015 | Arkansas | 48-65 (17) | 6:11 | W, 69-66 |
| March 4, 2004 | Washington State | 56-61 (5) | 0:25 | W, 63-61 |
| Feb. 7, 2004 | #12 Arizona | 73-77 (4) | 0:43 | W, 80-77 |
| March 22, 1998 | Rhode Island (NCAA Elite Eight) | 65-71 (6) | 0:59 | W, 79-77 |
PRODUCING IN INCREASED ROLESWith the graduation of starters Chasson Randle, Anthony Brown and Stefan Nastic following last season, several members of the Cardinal have stepped in to increased roles this year. Stanford’s current starting lineup - Rosco Allen, Marcus Allen, Michael Humphrey, Reid Travis and Christian Sanders - combined to average 23.7 points in 91.4 (18.3 per player) minutes per game last season. That same group is averaging a combined 55.6 in 143.8 (28.8 per player) minutes this year.
| Producing In Increased Roles | ||||
| Player | Minutes (14-15) | Points (14-15) | Minutes (15-16) | Points (15-16) |
| Rosco Allen | 26.4 | 7.3 | 34.8 | 12.8 |
| Marcus Allen | 22.8 | 6.4 | 31.3 | 14.0 |
| Reid Travis | 23.1 | 6.2 | 33.7 | 12.7 |
| Michael Humphrey | 11.3 | 3.1 | 20.5 | 9.3 |
| Dorian Pickens | 8.6 | 2.0 | 29.2 | 11.0 |
| Christian Sanders | 7.8 | 0.7 | 23.5 | 6.8 |
| Malcolm Allen | - | - | 16.3 | 5.2 |
| TOTALS | 100.0 | 25.7 | 189.3 | 71.8 |
NEW LOOK LINEUP
Rosco Allen was the lone Cardinal from Stanford’s starting lineup in the 2015 postseason NIT Championship game against Miami who has started all six games this season. Stanford’s starting lineup in its last games (Rosco Allen, Marcus Allen, Reid Travis, Michael Humphrey and Christian Sanders) has started a combined 104 games individually. Rosco Allen leads the way with 36 career starts.
STRONG START FOR MARCUS ALLENJunior Marcus Allen made his season debut against SMU after missing the first two games of the season with a foot injury. He made his presence felt immediately with 18 points in 24 minutes against the Mustangs. Allen was inserted into the starting lineup the next game against Saint Mary’s, where he finished with 14 points in 28 minutes. The shooting guard has scored in double figures in all four games he has played in this season, adding 12 points each against Villanova and Arkansas. He leads the Cardinal in scoring, averaging 14.0 ppg this season.
HUMPHREY FILLING UP THE BOX SCORESophomore Michael Humphrey is averaging 9.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game this season. He ranks seventh in the Pac-12 in blocks per game and 11th in the conference in field goal percentage (.553). Humphrey has started four of Stanford’s six games, including each of the last two contests. The forward has two double-doubles with 13 points and 11 rebounds against Green Bay and 13 points and 12 rebounds vs. Charleston Southern. He has four career double-doubles in 36 career games.
TRAVIS A FORCE IN THE PAINTSophomore forward Reid Travis leads the team in rebounds (7.2 rpg) and ranks third on the team in points (12.7 ppg). His team-leading 55.6 field goal percentage ranks 10th in the Pac-12. Travis is a regular starter in the paint for the Cardinal this year after making 12 starts and averaging 6.2 ppg in 23.1 mpg during his freshman season in 2014-15. The sophomore scored a career-best 18 points at Saint Mary’s three games ago and collected a career-high 12 rebounds against Villanova two games ago.
QUARTERBACKS TURNED POST PLAYERSSophomore forwards Reid Travis and Michael Humphrey were each the quarterback of their high school football team. Travis was the signal caller for three years at DeLaSalle HS in Minnesota, before deciding to focus on basketball his senior year. Humphrey was the starting quarterback at Sunnyslope HS in Phoenix.
SANDERS THE FLOOR GENERALAfter totaling 81 points in 61 games over his first three seasons at Stanford, senior point guard Christian Sanders has combined to record 41 points in six contests this year. He scored a career-high 23 points in a career-long 31 minutes in the season-opening win over Green Bay, more than doubling his previous career-high of 11 against Belmont during the 2012-13 season. The senior is also averaging 3.0 assists per game with a career-best eight in the win over Charleston Southern on Nov. 15.
PICKENS NOTCHES DOUBLE-DOUBLE AGAINST VILLANOVASophomore guard Dorian Pickens posted his first career double-double, recording 11 points and a career-best 10 rebounds against No. 8 Villanova on Nov. 26. After averaging 2.1 points in 9.8 minutes per game last season, he ranks fourth on the team in scoring this season with 11.0 points in 29.2 minutes per contest.
HOME SWEET HOMEStanford is 2-1 in its first three home games of the 2015-16 season and is now 94-31 at Maples Pavilion under head coach Johnny Dawkins. Stanford has won at least 10 home games for 22 straight seasons dating back to 1992-93.