Texas Tangle

STANFORD, Calif. - Winners of three straight, Stanford continues its seven-game homestand Saturday night as the Cardinal welcomes Texas to Maples Pavilion. Saturday’s contest can been seen on ESPN2 with Doug Sherman and Fran Fraschilla on the call. Stanford alums Scott Reiss and John Platz have the call on KNBR 1050 AM. 
AGAINST TEXAS, THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE
Saturday marks the fifth all-time meeting between Stanford and Texas. The Cardinal earned a 74-71 overtime victory over the No. 9 Longhorns on Dec. 23, 2014 in Austin. Saturday will be Texas’ second-ever trip to Stanford. The two teams played on Stanford’s campus on Dec. 22, 1962, with the Cardinal posting a 72-46 win. Stanford is 14-16 all-time against current members of the Big 12 Conference. 
A LOOK BACK AT 2014 STANFORD-TEXAS MEETING
Anthony Brown scored 25 points, including the go-ahead basket in overtime, to lift Stanford to a 74-71 win over No. 9 Texas in Austin on Dec. 23, 2014. Brown converted four three-pointers, but his final basket, with 1:08 remaining in OT, was the difference. Chasson Randle, who finished with 22 points, made a jumper with 10 seconds left for the final margin of victory. Among current members of the Cardinal who played in the game, Reid Travis collected a career-best 14 rebounds with seven points. Rosco Allen had seven points. Grant Verhoeven (2), Robert Cartwright (2), Dorian Pickens (0) and Christian Sanders (0) also played in the win.
SOPHOMORE IMPACTStanford’s sophomore class has played a major role in the Cardinal’s success this season. Despite playing without injured point guard Robert Cartwright, the unit that includes Reid Travis (12.8 ppg), Michael Humphrey (8.3 ppg) and Dorian Pickens (10.8 ppg) has accounted for 44.3 percent of Stanford’s points this season. Starting forwards Travis (7.1 rpg) and Humphrey (6.4 rpg) have accounted for 36.9 percent of the Cardinal’s rebounds this season.   

HOME SWEET HOME
Stanford is 4-1 in its first five home games of the 2015-16 season and has won seven of its last eight at home overall. The Cardinal owns a 96-31 record 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. 
ROSCO ALLEN FROM DEEP
Rosco Allen is averaging 13.5 ppg this season. Half of his field goals (17-of-34) have come from three-point range. The senior ranks seventh in the Pac-12, shooting 45.9 percent (17-of-37) from beyond the arc. He has recorded multiple three-pointers in six of Stanford’s eight games with at least three in a contest four times. He has totaled nine three-pointers in his last three games.

PRODUCING IN INCREASED ROLES
With 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 55.4 in 144.5 (28.9 per player) minutes this year. In addition, Dorian Pickens has increased his scoring average (10.8 ppg this season from 2.0 ppg last season) with more time on the floor (26.6 mpg this year from 8.6 mpg last year).

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 eight games this season. The Cardinal has used four different starting lineups in its first eight games, with the same lineup (Rosco Allen, Marcus Allen, Reid Travis, Michael Humphrey and Christian Sanders) in its last four contests. Stanford is 3-1 in those games. 

STRONG START FOR MARCUS ALLENJunior Marcus Allen scored 18 points in 24 minutes in his season debut against SMU after missing the first two games with a foot injury. 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 six games he has played in this season, adding 12 points each against Villanova, Arkansas and Dartmouth, and finishing with 17 against DePaul. He leads the Cardinal in scoring, averaging 14.2 ppg.   

HUMPHREY FILLING UP THE BOX SCORE
Sophomore Michael Humphrey is averaging 8.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game this season. He ranks fourth in the Pac-12 and 32nd nationally in blocks per game. Humphrey has started six of Stanford’s eight games, including each of the last four 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 38 career games.  
TRAVIS A FORCE IN THE PAINT
Sophomore forward Reid Travis leads the team in rebounds (7.1 rpg) and ranks third on the team in points (12.8 ppg). His team-leading 55.7 field goal percentage ranks 11th 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. The sophomore scored a career-best 18 points at Saint Mary’s and collected a season-high 12 rebounds against Villanova.
SANDERS THE FLOOR GENERAL
After totaling 81 points in 61 games over his first three seasons at Stanford, senior   point guard Christian Sanders has combined to record 53 points in eight 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 3.4 assists per game with a career-best eight in the win over Charleston Southern on Nov. 15.


PICKENS PROVIDES SCORING PUNCHSophomore Dorian Pickens is second on the team in three-pointers with 10. He connected on three against DePaul, en route to a 16-point performance. The sophomore posted his first career double-double, recording 11 points and a career-best 10 rebounds against No. 8 Villanova. After averaging 2.1 points in 9.8 minutes per game last season, he ranks fourth on the team in scoring this season with 10.8 points in 26.6 minutes per contest. 

FRESHMEN MAKING IMMEDIATE CONTRIBUTIONS
The Cardinal’s three-member freshman class of Josh Sharma, Marcus Sheffield and Cameron Walker have each seen action this season. Sheffield is the lone newcomer to see time in all eight contests, earning the start in the season opener against Green Bay. Walker, who missed the first four games of the year with a calf injury, has totaled 38 minutes in the last three games. Sharma has registered five blocks in 38 minutes over six games.