Battle of the Bay
Stanford (11-9, 3-5 Pac-12) travels across the bay to face rival California (14-6, 5-3 Pac-12) on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 5:30 p.m. on ESPNU. The Bears are coming off a road split at the Oregon schools last week, defeating the Beavers, 69-58, after an 86-63 setback to the Ducks.
Against Cal
California leads the all-time series, 145-120. Stanford has won six of the past eight against Cal, including a 77-71 victory on The Farm on Jan. 14, 2016. The Bears won the most recent meeting between the two teams, 76-61, in Berkeley on Feb. 6, 2016. Stanford's last win at Cal was 69-59 on Jan. 14, 2015 and the Cardinal has won three of its last four at Haas Pavilion.
At the Turn in Pac-12 Play
With a win on Sunday, Stanford will own a 4-5 record at the turn in Pac-12 competition for the second straight season. Two years ago, the Cardinal's 6-3 mark at the turn was its best halfway finish since a 7-2 start to the 2008 campaign. Prior to 2015, Stanford had produced a 5-4 record at the midway point in conference play for three straight seasons. Stanford's second-half league schedule features five home games and four road contests. The Cardinal last posted a winning Pac-12 record in 2014, tying for third place at 10-8.
Coaches vs. Cancer
Stanford is once again proud to participate in Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Week, a nationwide campaign uniting coaches across the country to raise awareness about the American Cancer Society's mission while promoting the organization's vast support system. On Sunday night, the Cardinal coaching staff will be wearing white sneakers and Princess Lacey's Laces, in memory of 8-year-old Lacey Holsworth, an avid basketball fan who died in 2014.
Travis Timeline
Junior Reid Travis has missed four of the last six games with a right shoulder injury. After missing both games of Stanford's SoCal road trip, Travis returned to the lineup on Jan. 12 against Washington State, totaling 17 points (8-12 FG) and six boards in 20 minutes. Two days later against Washington, Travis aggravated the injury after playing 12 minutes in the first half and did not return. Travis did not play in last week's road games at Oregon State and Oregon.
Picking Up the Slack
With junior Reid Travis unavailable due to a right shoulder injury, Stanford has received timely contributions from several players. Junior Michael Humphrey has effectively anchored the frontcourt, averaging 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting 44.9 percent (31-69) over the last six games. Over that same stretch, the backcourt has been led by senior Marcus Allen (10.0 points) and sophomore Robert Cartwright (9.8 points, 4.8 assists).
Strength of Schedule
Despite its 11-9 overall record, Stanford checks in at No. 58 in the latest edition of the NCAA's RPI. Additionally, the Cardinal ranks No. 11 in the strength of schedule metric. Look no further than a daunting nonconference slate that featured the likes of Miami, Seton Hall, No. 12/13 Saint Mary's, No. 4/5 Kansas and SMU. Earlier in conference play, Stanford also faced No. 18/18 Arizona, No. 25/RV USC and No. 4/5 UCLA in succession, representing its first three-game stretch against top-25 foes since 2002.
Pac-12 Hall of Honor
Mike Montgomery will be honored as Stanford's representative for induction into this year's Pac-12 Men's Basketball Hall of Honor. A member of the 2016 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame induction class, Montgomery retired in 2014 after 32 years as a collegiate head coach. Montgomery registered a school-record 393 wins in 18 seasons as head coach at Stanford from 1987-2004, directing the Cardinal to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and a spot in the 1998 NCAA Final Four.
