STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford returns to the Beaver State on Sunday, as the Cardinal faces Oregon in Eugene for a 7 p.m. contest at Matthew Knight Arena. Stanford returned to campus after Wednesday night’s 78-72 victory at Oregon State to allow student-athletes to attend classes on Thursday and Friday, before heading back to Oregon on the weekend.
HOW TO FOLLOW
ESPNU will have the telecast, Stanford’s fourth-straight game on the channel. Roxy Bernstein and Corey Williams will have the call. Stanford alums John Platz and Scott Reiss will have the call on KNBR 1050 AM.
AGAINST OREGON
Stanford and Oregon have met 140 times previously. The Cardinal holds a 91-49 advantage in the all-time series. Stanford and Oregon have split their previous four meetings over the last three seasons. Oregon captured the most recent matchup, 73-70, at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal won the last meeting in Eugene, posting an 82-80 victory over No. 17 Oregon at Matthew Knight Arena on Jan. 12, 2014. The last two meetings have been decided by a total of five points. Stanford is 3-3 in six games in Eugene in the Johnny Dawkins era.
LAST MEETING WITH THE DUCKS
Oregon’s Elgin Cook scored 21 points in a 73-70 win for the Ducks. Dwayne Benjamin made one of two free throws with 14 seconds left to give Oregon the lead and Joseph Young, who also scored 21 points, sank a pair of free throws with three seconds left after a Stanford miss. Chasson Randle scored 17 points to lead the Cardinal, while Stefan Nastic added 16 points, Marcus Allen 14 and Anthony Brown 11 against the Ducks.
150 AND COUNTING
Stanford’s Anne and Tony Joseph Director of Men’s Basketball, Johnny Dawkins, captured his 150th career victory last time out in Stanford’s 78-72 victory over Oregon State on Wednesday night. Dawkins, who owns a 150-105 career coaching record in his eighth season at Stanford, has taken the Cardinal to the postseason each of the last four seasons, winning at least 20 games in three of the past four years. Under Dawkins, Stanford has won two NIT titles and reached the 2014 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior Rosco Allen and junior Marcus Allen combined for nearly half of Stanford’s scoring as the Cardinal held off Oregon State, 78-72, Wednesday at Gill Coliseum to give Stanford’s Anne and Tony Joseph Director of Men’s Basketball, Johnny Dawkins his 150th career victory. Rosco Allen led the Cardinal with 21 points, while Marcus Allen added 15 points, six rebounds and a team-high three steals.
Winning Locker Room! #GoStanford
A video posted by Stanford Men's Hoops (@stanfordbball) on Jan 6, 2016 at 10:50pm PST
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Stanford has played the fifth-toughest schedule in the nation, according to ESPN’s Daily RPI on Jan. 8. The Cardinal’s first 15 opponents have totaled 144 wins (9.6 average) through Jan. 7. The five teams - SMU, Villanova, Saint Mary’s, Texas and Colorado - Stanford suffered setbacks to are a combined 62-11 through Jan. 7. Overall, Stanford’s RPI is 48 through games of Jan. 7.
AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
The Cardinal is 1-1 against top-25 teams this season and 12-21 against ranked foes in the Johnny Dawkins era. Stanford defeated No. 21 Utah (70-68) on Jan. 1 and fell to No. 8/9 Villanova (59-45) on Nov. 27.
BALANCED SCORING
Stanford’s balanced scoring attack includes five guys averaging double figures - Rosco Allen (14.1), Reid Travis (12.8), Marcus Allen (12.8), Dorian Pickens (12.1) and Michael Humphrey (10.4). The Cardinal is one of just three teams in the Pac-12 to have five individuals averaging double figures in the scoring column this season.
SHEFFIELD IN PAC-12 PLAY
Freshman Marcus Sheffield is averaging 10.7 points in 20.7 minutes per game in three Pac-12 contests, after averaging 4.0 points in 11.2 minutes in the Cardinal’s 11 nonconference games.
SOPHOMORE IMPACT
The sophomore class has played a major role in the Cardinal’s success this season. Despite playing without injured point guard Robert Cartwright all season and without injured forward Reid Travis’ 12.8 ppg average the last six games, Michael Humphrey (10.4 ppg) and Dorian Pickens (12.1 ppg) have each started the last six games and have accounted for 38.0 percent of the scoring (163-of-429) during those six contests.
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 14 games this season. The Cardinal has used six different starting lineups in its first 14 games. In the last six contests, Stanford utilized the lineup of Rosco Allen, Marcus Allen, Michael Humphrey, Christian Sanders and Dorian Pickens. The Cardinal owns a 4-2 record with its current lineup.
ROSCO ALLEN FROM DEEP
Nearly half of Rosco Allen’s field goals (28-of-62) have come from three-point range. The senior ranks 11th in the Pac-12 in three-point field goals per game (2.0). He has recorded multiple three-pointers in nine games with at least three, five times. He has totaled 20 in the last nine games.
HUMPHREY'S LAST SIX GAMES
Sophomore Michael Humphrey, who is averaging 10.4 points and 7.4 rebounds overall, is averaging 13.3 ppg and 8.7 rpg in his last six contests. The forward has played the last six games without fellow starting forward Reid Travis, who is out indefinitely with a stress reaction in his leg. The sophomore ranks seventh in the Pac-12 blocks (1.9 bpg) and 11th in rebounds (7.4 rpg). Humphrey has started 12 games, including each of the last 10 contests. The forward posted a career-high 21 points against Sacramento State. He has two double-doubles with 13 points and 11 rebounds against Green Bay and 13 points and 12 rebounds vs. Charleston Southern.
MARCUS ALLEN EXCELLING ON BOTH ENDS OF THE FLOOR
Junior Marcus Allen has scored in double figures in nine of the 12 games he has played in this season. He ranks third on the Cardinal in scoring, averaging 12.8 ppg. The guard, who missed the first two games with a foot injury, is also averaging 2.3 assists and ranks second in the Pac-12 in steals (1.9).
PICKENS PROVIDES SCORING PUNCH
Sophomore Dorian Pickens is fourth on the team in scoring (12.1 ppg) and is second on the team with 24, three-pointers. Pickens had a career-best 24 points (on six, three-pointers) against Texas. He posted his first career double-double, with 11 points and a career-best 10 rebounds against No. 8 Villanova. The sophomore, who is averaging 29.4 minutes this season, averaged 2.1 points in 9.8 minutes last season.
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 72 points in 14 contests this year. He scored a career-high 23 points in a career-long 31 minutes in the season-opening win over Green Bay. The senior is also averaging 2.7 assists per game with a career-best eight in the win over Charleston Southern on Nov. 15.
TRAVIS A FORCE IN THE PAINT
Sophomore Reid Travis is second on the team in rebounds (7.1 rpg) and ranks third in points (12.8 ppg). His team-leading 55.7 field goal percentage ranks eighth in the conference. He scored a career-best 18 points at Saint Mary’s and collected a season-high 12 rebounds against Villanova. Travis is out indefinitely with a stress reaction in his left leg.
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 14 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 94 minutes in 10 games. Sharma has registered 13 blocks in 74 minutes over 11 games.