STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford travels to Lawrence, Kansas to face No. 4/5 Kansas on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse for its fifth game away from Maples Pavilion in nine contests this season. The Cardinal and Jayhawks meet at 12:30 p.m. PT in the first of a four-game series between the two schools to be played through the 2019-20 season.
JAYHAWK GREAT LEADS THE CARDINAL INTO LAWRENCE
Stanford head coach Jerod Haase returns to Allen Fieldhouse, where he starred as a player for Kansas from 1995-97. Haase earned his Bachelor of Science in business administration in 1997 and his Masters in business in 2000. After playing his freshman season at California, Haase transferred to Kansas where he helped lead the Jayhawks to three consecutive conference titles and still ranks 11th in school history in three-point field goals (156) and steals (174). Haase started 99 of 101 games at Kansas and scored 1,264 points (which now ranks 33rd all-time). While at Kansas, Haase was a candidate for the Naismith and Wooden Awards.
As a senior in 1996-97, Haase started alongside Paul Pierce, Jacque Vaughn, Scot Pollard and Raef LaFrentz as Kansas finished 34-2. He averaged 12.0 points per game despite playing with a broken wrist. As a sophomore, Haase averaged 15.0 points and was named the Big Eight Conference Newcomer of the Year and also tabbed a second-team all-conference selection.
STANFORD AGAINST TOP-FIVE TEAMS
Stanford is 5-12 against Associated Press top-five teams since the 2000-01 season. The Cardinal last defeated an AP top-five team on Jan. 28. 2007, earning a 75-68 victory over No. 3 UCLA at home. Stanford's last road win vs. an AP top-five team was Jan. 10, 2004, when No. 4 Stanford defeated top-ranked Arizona, 82-76, in Tucson. The Cardinal's last neutral-site win vs. an AP top-five opponent was No. 21 Stanford's 64-58 win over top-ranked Kansas in Anaheim. Stanford has played a top-five Kansas team twice during that span, also facing off in the NCAA Tournament during the 2001-02 season. No. 2 Kansas defeated No. 24 Stanford, 86-63, in St. Louis.
BACK-TO-BACK RANKED FOES
Saturday's game at No. 4/5 Kansas following its most recent contest against No. 12/13 Saint Mary's marks Stanford's second consecutive game against a nationally-ranked opponent. The last time the Cardinal faced consecutive nationally-ranked foes came during its 2014 NCAA Tournament run. Stanford defeated No. 17/17 New Mexico (58-53) in the second round on March 21, and No. 10/10 Kansas (60-57) in the third round on March 23. Both games took place in St. Louis.
JEROD HAASE AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Head Coach Jerod Haase owns a 2-9 all-time record against nationally-ranked teams. He played 10 ranked foes as the head coach at UAB, leading the Blazers to a win over No. 9/10 Iowa State (60-59) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 19, 2015 in Louisville, and a victory over No. 16/16 North Carolina (63-59) in Birmingham, on Dec. 1, 2013. Wednesday's game against No. 12/13 Saint Mary's was his first nationally-ranked opponent as head coach at Stanford.
THE CARDINAL'S 22,000-MILE SEASON-OPENING JOURNEY
Saturday's game at Kansas will complete a 22,000-mile journey from campus and back for Stanford during its first nine games. The 2016-17 campaign opened in Shanghai, China, more than 6,000 miles from campus. Last week, Stanford traveled nearly 3,000 miles to Orlando, Florida. The trip to Lawrence is nearly 2,000 miles from Stanford's campus. The three trips will total almost 50 hours in an airplane for the Cardinal.
STRONG START
Stanford has started the season with six wins in its first eight games in three of the past four seasons. The Cardinal has started 6-2 or better seven times in the last decade, highlighted by an 8-0 start in the 2008-09 season. That 2008-09 squad opened the season 10-0.
AGAINST KANSAS
Saturday's Stanford-Kansas game marks the 12th all-time meeting between the two schools. The Jayhawks lead the all-time series, 8-3, however, the Cardinal has won the last two meetings. In the most recent meeting, Stanford defeated Kansas, 60-57, on March 23, 2014, in St. Louis to advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Saturday will mark Stanford's sixth trip to Lawrence, Kansas, and first since Dec. 18, 1967. The Cardinal is 0-5 in games played in Lawrence.
AGAINST THE BIG XII
Stanford owns a 14-17 all-time record against current members of the Big 12 Conference. The Cardinal has played Kansas (11) the most of any current team in the league. Stanford's last meeting with a Big 12 opponent was Dec, 19, 2015, as the Cardinal dropped a 75-73 decision to Texas at home.
TRAVIS DOMINANT IN RETURN
After missing the final 22 games last season, Reid Travis has made a strong impact in his return. He leads the team in scoring (16.3 ppg) and rebounding (9.5 rpg), ranks second in the Pac-12 in offensive rebounding (3.5), fifth in overall rebounding and 11th in scoring. He ranks 40th nationally in rebounding and is 13th in the nation in free throw attempts (62). Travis has posted four of his five career double-doubles in the first eight games of this season.
PICKENS ON TARGET FROM BEYOND THE ARC
Junior Dorian Pickens has posted at least one three-pointer in six of Stanford's seven games, with multiple three-pointers in five contests. After going 0-of-2 from three-point range in the first game of the season vs. Harvard, Pickens posted multiple trifectas in five straight games. He is shooting 43.8 percent from three-point range (12th in Pac-12), with a team-best 14 three-pointers on the year. He registered a season-high four (4-of-6) vs. Colorado State. Pickens connected on three trifectas in the win over Indiana State, including the game-winner with 2.0 seconds left.
BIGS PROVIDE BOOST
Stanford's group of Reid Travis, Michael Humphrey and Grant Verhoeven have provided a strong presence in the paint for the Cardinal through the season's first eight games. The trio has combined to score 239 points (29.9 ppg) and collect 143 rebounds (17.9 rpg) this season.
The Harvard game was the first time all three recorded double digits in the scoring column in the same game.
FLOOR BURNS COMES TO THE FARM
During his standout collegiate career at Kansas, Jerod Haase was known for his energy and passion on the court, diving for loose balls and taking charges, whatever he could do to help his team win. During his time with the Jayhawks, the "floor burns" stat was created in his honor and is still tracked by the program today. One year, Haase totaled 167. Beginning with the 2016-17 season, Stanford will track floor burns as an official stat throughout the year.
VERHOEVEN AN IMPACT IN THE PAINT
Senior Grant Verhoeven is averaging 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per game this season. Along with his stats, Verhoeven has become a force in the paint for each of Stanford's opponents, drawing several charges throughout the year. In the Cardinal's win over Seton Hall last Sunday, he drew five charges and caused six turnovers by the Pirates overall. While his minutes average is relatively the same, he is averaging 3.0 more points and 2.0 more rebounds this season.
CARTWRIGHT, SANDERS RUNNING POINT
The duo of sophomore Robert Cartwright and senior Christian Sanders run the point for the Cardinal. Sanders, who has started all eight games, is averaging 3.6 assists in 19.9 minutes per game. Cartwright, who is back on the court after missing all of last season with an arm injury, is averaging 3.0 assists in 24.3 minutes per contest.
STANFORD AND KANSAS AGREE ON FOUR-GAME SERIES
Stanford and Kansas have announced an agreement on a four-game series. The Cardinal and Jayhawks will meet each of the next four seasons, beginning with Saturday's trip to Lawrence, Kansas. The two teams will meet Dec. 21, 2017 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, before Stanford returns to Lawrence on Dec. 1, 2018, and hosts the Jayhawks at Maples Pavilion Dec. 29, 2019. Stanford Head Coach Jerod Haase was a standout guard for Jayhawks from 1995-97.
