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Men's Basketball

Buffaloes Visit Maples

Game Notes Feb. 2 Opens in a new window YouTube Opens in a new window

BACK ON THE FARM
After three consecutive road games, Stanford (11-10, 3-6 Pac-12) returns to The Farm to play host to Colorado (12-10, 2-7 Pac-12), Thursday, Feb. 2 on Pac-12 Networks. The Buffaloes, who dropped their first seven Pac-12 contests, swept the Oregon schools at home last week.

AGAINST COLORADO
The all-time series between Stanford and Colorado is squared up at 9-9. The Buffaloes have won six in a row dating back to 2012. Prior to that, Stanford had won the previous five meetings. The most recent Cardinal win came in Boulder (74-50) on Feb. 23, 2012. Stanford's last win at Maples Pavilion was 84-64 on Jan. 14, 2012.

PROMOTIONS
Thursday's game is Superhero Night as well as Military and First Responders Appreciation Night. Free Cardinal Superhero shirts will be given out to the first 750 fans in attendance. Fans are encouraged to dress up as their favorite superheroes and there will be a student and fan costume contest during the game. There will also be a face painter available for kids before and during the game. Stanford will also be recognizing and honoring all those who serve throughout the night. There will be a military ticket discount and fans are encouraged to donate tickets to military members and first responders.
 


AT THE TURN IN PAC-12 PLAY
Stanford is tied for eighth with Arizona State at the midway point in Pac-12 play. 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.

TRAVIS TIMELINE
Junior Reid Travis was back in the lineup on Sunday at California, leading the team with 17 points and five rebounds after having missed four of the previous six games with a right shoulder injury. He sat out both games of Stanford's SoCal road trip before returning 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 road games at Oregon State and Oregon.

PICKING UP THE SLACK
With junior Reid Travis unavailable due to a right shoulder injury in recent weeks, Stanford has received timely contributions from several players. Junior Michael Humphrey has effectively anchored the frontcourt, averaging 12.9 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting 44.0 percent (33-75) over the last seven games. Over that same stretch, the backcourt has been led by senior Marcus Allen (9.1 points) and sophomore Robert Cartwright (10.0 points, 4.8 assists).

DEFENSE SHINES OVER LAST FIVE GAMES
Stanford has tightened its defense over the last five games, allowing only 60.8 points and 39.8 percent shooting. Twice during that stretch, Stanford has held its opponent under 55 points, including a season-low 46 to Oregon State in Corvallis on Jan. 19. The Cardinal's perimeter defense has also been solid, limiting foes to 33.3 percent shooting. Meanwhile, Stanford is also forcing 13.8 turnovers per game.
 


STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Despite its 11-10 overall record, Stanford checks in at No. 62 in the latest edition of the NCAA's RPI. Additionally, the Cardinal ranks No. 8 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.

TRAVIS FROM THE LINE
Despite missing four of the last seven games with a right shoulder injury, Reid Travis still ranks among the nation's leaders in free throws attempted (88th, 123) and free throws made (149th, 83) as of Jan. 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. 

HUMPHREY CONTROLLING THE GLASS
Michael Humphrey returned to the starting lineup on Jan. 5 against USC, and he has impacted the paint on both ends. Since his return, Humphrey has totaled 61 rebounds over the last seven games. Humphrey has played more than 30 minutes in five of the last seven contests, after not reaching the 30-minute mark in any of the first 14 games. At UCLA on Jan. 8, Humphrey set a career-high with 27 points and finished one shy of his career-best with 14 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. He followed that with 18 points and a 10-rebound performance in 34 minutes against Washington on Jan. 14, and was one rebound shy of a double-double at California.

THE JUNIOR CLASS
Stanford's four-member junior class - Reid Travis, Dorian Pickens, Michael Humphrey and Robert Cartwright - has accounted for 61.5 percent of the team's overall scoring. Travis (16.6 ppg), Pickens (12.1 ppg), Humphrey (9.4 ppg) and Cartwright (7.3 ppg) are Stanford's top 4 scoring leaders. Cartwright is listed as a sophomore after receiving a medical redshirt for the 2015-16 season. 

CARDINAL IN THE NBA
Five former Stanford standouts – Brook Lopez (Brooklyn Nets), Robin Lopez (Chicago Bulls), Dwight Powell (Dallas Mavericks), Chasson Randle (Philadelphia 76ers) and Josh Huestis (Oklahoma City Thunder) – are on NBA rosters. Brook Lopez leads the Nets in scoring (20.5 ppg) and ranks second in rebounding (5.1 rpg). Robin Lopez is second on the Bulls in rebounding (6.9 rpg). Powell is averaging 7.3 ppg off the bench for the Mavericks. The Philadelphia 76ers recently signed Chasson Randle to a three-year contract on Monday.