STANFORD, Calif. – For the second straight season and third time in school history, Stanford will play on New Year's Day, as the Cardinal welcomes No. 18/18 Arizona to Maples Pavilion for a 5 p.m. PT contest.
NEW YEAR'S DAY HISTORY
Sunday marks Stanford's third New Year's Day game in the 102-year history of the program. The Cardinal is 2-0 all-time on New Year's Day. Last season, Stanford defeated No. 21 Utah, 70-68, in overtime at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal's first New Year's Day game was one for the record books. On Jan. 1, 1938, Hank Luisetti scored a Stanford single-game record 50 points on a school single-game record 23 field goals to lead the Cardinal to a 92-27 victory over Duquesne in Cleveland, Ohio.
TRACKING TRAVIS
A look at where junior forward Reid Travis ranks both in the Pac-12 and nationally as of Dec. 31
| Category | Average | Pac-12 | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoring | 18.0 | 3rd | 94th |
| Rebounding | 9.7 | 5th | 35th |
| Field Goal Percentage | .582 | 4th | 35th |
| Offensive Rebounds | 3.5 | 1st | 27th |
| Double-Doubles | 6 | 3rd | 23rd |
| Free Throws Made | 78 | 1st | 18th |
| Free Throws Attempted | 113 | 1st | 3rd |
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
In its first 13 games, Stanford played five teams that are projected to be in the 2017 NCAA Tournament field, according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi. All five of those teams - Kansas (5), Saint Mary's (22), Miami (31), Seton Hall (35) and SMU (47) - also rank among ESPN analyst Jay Bilas' list of "Top 68 Teams In The Land." The Cardinal played only one of these teams, Saint Mary's, on its home floor. Stanford's strength of schedule as of Dec. 31 ranks 17th nationally.
STANFORD AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Stanford is 0-2 against nationally-ranked opponents in the Associated Press poll this season and 48-55 against ranked foes since 2000. Stanford played back-to-back nationally-ranked opponents earlier this year, with setbacks to No. 12 Saint Mary's (66-51) and No. 4 Kansas (89-74).
JEROD HAASE AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Head Coach Jerod Haase owns a 2-10 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. His Stanford team has played No. 12 Saint Mary's and No. 4 Kansas earlier this year.
AGAINST ARIZONA
Sunday marks the 91st all-time meeting between Stanford and Arizona. The Wildcats own a 61-29 advantage in the all-time series. Arizona has won the last 13 meetings. Stanford's last win over Arizona came on Jan. 4, 2009 as Landry Fields' 19 pts. and 11 rebs. led the Cardinal to a 76-60 win.
TRAVIS AMONG RARE COMPANY
Reid Travis is one of five individuals in the top six conferences (Pac-12, Big 12, Big Ten, ACC, SEC and BIG EAST) to rank in the top five of his league in scoring and rebounding. (as of Dec. 31)
Travis Among Rare Company
| Individual | School | Conference | Scoring (Rank) | Rebounding (Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yante Maten | Georgia | SEC | 20.6 (2nd) | 8.2 (2nd) |
| Reid Travis | Stanford | Pac-12 | 18.0 (3rd) | 9.7 (4th) |
| Josh Hart | Villanova | BIG EAST | 20.5 (1st) | 6.5 (5th) |
| Caleb Swanigan | Purdue | Big Ten | 17.8 (4th) | 12.4 (1st) |
| Jonathan Motley | Oklahoma State | Big 12 | 16.3 (4th) | 9.1 (2nd) |
TRAVIS' IMPACT
After missing the final 22 games last season, Reid Travis has made a strong impact in his return this year. He has posted six of his seven career double-doubles in the first 13 games of this season.
Travis' Career Double-Doubles
| Date | Opponent | Minutes | Points | Rebounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 17, 2015 | UC Davis | 23 | 10 | 10 |
| Nov. 11, 2016 | Harvard | 31 | 24 | 17 |
| Nov. 17, 2016 | Weber State | 32 | 22 | 15 |
| Nov. 24, 2016 | Miami | 33 | 11 | 10 |
| Nov. 25, 2016 | Indiana State | 31 | 19 | 12 |
| Dec. 16, 2016 | Cal State East Bay | 22 | 24 | 13 |
| Dec. 22, 2016 | Idaho | 35 | 20 | 12 |
TRAVIS FROM THE LINE
Reid Travis ranks third in the nation in free throws attempted (113) and 18th in the country in free throws made (78) as of Dec. 31. At Kansas on Dec. 3, he set Stanford single-game records for free throws made (19) and attempted (22), while also breaking the same free throw marks by a Kansas opponent. While Travis is getting to the charity stripe much more, his free throw percentage has also improved from last year.
Travis From The Line
| Year | Games | FTM | FTA | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 8 | 24 | 50 | 48.0 |
| 2016-17 | 13 | 78 | 113 | 69.0 |
SHEFFIELD'S CAREER NIGHT AGAINST ARIZONA STATE
Sophomore Marcus Sheffield poured in a career-high 35 points on 11-of-15 shooting in Friday's game against Arizona State. He was just the second underclassman in the history of the program (Ron Tomsic, 39 vs. Bradley and 38 vs. USC in 1952-53) to score 35 or more points in a game. Sheffield was the first Cardinal to record a 30-point game since Chasson Randle collected 35 against Rhode Island in the 2014-15 season.
PICKENS ON TARGET FROM BEYOND THE ARC
Junior Dorian Pickens has posted at least one three-pointer in 11 games, with multiple three-pointers in seven contests. He is shooting 44.1 percent from three-point range (seventh in Pac-12), with a team-best 26 three-pointers. He registered a career-high seven (7-of-10) against Idaho. Pickens connected on the game-winning trifecta against Indiana State with 2.0 seconds left.
THE JUNIOR CLASS
Stanford's four-member junior class - Reid Travis, Dorian Pickens, Michael Humphrey and Robert Cartwright - has accounted for 63.2 percent (578-of-915) of the scoring this season. Travis (18.0 ppg), Pickens (13.5 ppg), Humphrey (7.4 ppg) and Cartwright (6.2 ppg) rank one, two, four and five, respectively, among Stanford's scoring leaders. Cartwright is listed as a sophomore after receiving a medical redshirt for the 2015-16 season.
CARTWRIGHT AND SANDERS RUNNING POINT
The duo of sophomore Robert Cartwright and senior Christian Sanders run the point for the Cardinal. Sanders, who started the first 11 games, ranks seventh in the Pac-12 with an average of 3.9 assists in 18.8 minutes per game. Cartwright, who missed all of last season with an arm injury, has started Stanford's last two contests. He is averaging 6.2 points and 2.9 assists in 23.5 minutes per contest.