STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford and California will add a new chapter to the rivalry when the Bay Area schools meet Friday at 7 p.m. PT at Maples Pavilion in a game broadcast on FS1 and KNBR 1050 AM. The Cardinal has won six of the past nine in the series, including the last two played on The Farm.
AGAINST CAL
California leads the all-time series, 146-120. The Cardinal dropped a 66-55 decision to the Golden Bears in Berkeley on Jan. 29. In the most recent contest played at Stanford, the Cardinal earned a 77-71 win on Jan. 14, 2016. Stanford owns a 66-62 all-time record against Cal at home and has won 20 of the last 23 games against the Bears on The Farm. Senior Grant Verhoeven is the lone Cardinal to have played in a loss to Cal at Maples Pavilion (Jan. 2, 2014).
R2T2 IS ONE OF THE PAC-12'S BEST
Reid Travis "R2T2" is among the conference leaders in many categories. The Cardinal junior forward, who missed four games in a six-game span in the month of January, returned to the court five games ago. In those five games vs. Cal, Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State, he is averaging 19.4 ppg and 6.5 rpg. He has posted double-doubles in each of the last two games (26 pts., 11 rebs. at Arizona, 17 pts., 11 rebs at ASU).
Travis is the only Pac-12 player to rank in the top-six in the league in scoring and rebounding.
EARLIER THIS SEASON AGAINST CAL
Three Cardinal scored in double digits as Stanford's second-half rally fell short in a 66-55 defeat to California at Haas Pavilion on Jan. 29. Reid Travis scored 12 of his team-high 17 points in the second half, while Michael Humphrey added 10 points and nine rebounds and Robert Cartwright finished with 11 points against the Bears.
THE PAC-12 STANDINGS
Stanford entered the week tied with Washington State for ninth in the Pac-12 standings with five games remaining in the regular season. Four of those five contests are against teams ahead of them in the standings in Oregon (second), California (fourth), Utah (sixth) and Colorado (seventh). The Cardinal (4-9) is a game behind both Colorado and Arizona State in the standings.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Stanford has forced 70 turnovers over its last four games against Colorado (23), Utah (17, Arizona (13) and Arizona State (17). Led by senior Marcus Allen's nine steals, the Cardinal has recorded 36 steals in the four contests. The 40 combined forced turnovers against Colorado and Utah was the most in a two-game stretch in conference play in more than 12 years, since Stanford forced 41 combined miscues against USC (21 turnovers - Jan. 22, 2005) and UCLA (20 turnovers – Jan. 20, 2005). Stanford ranks second in the Pac-12 in steals (6.6 spg).
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Stanford has played the fourth toughest schedule in the nation, according to ESPN's daily strength of schedule rankings as of Feb. 15. The Cardinal has played seven games against teams in the top-25 of the RPI as of Feb. 15. Stanford checks in at No. 75 in the latest edition of the NCAA's RPI. 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.
TRAVIS, HUMPHREY ANCHORING POST
Junior forwards Reid Travis and Michael Humphrey have combined to average 38.9 percent (26.7 out of 68.7) of the team's scoring and 43.4 percent (15.1 out of 34.8) of the team's rebounding average. The duo leads the Cardinal in conference play, with Travis averaging 16.4 ppg and 6.9 rpg and Humphrey contributing 11.7 ppg and a team-best 8.7 ppg.
ALLEN'S STANDOUT PERFORMANCE IN THE LAST EIGHT GAMES
Marcus Allen has been one of the Cardinal's leaders on both ends of the floor over the last eight games. He is averaging 12.5 ppg (second on team), while leading the team in steals (16) and ranking second in assists (21) during this span. After averaging 4.4 ppg in his first 17 contests, Allen is averaging more than eight points better per game in his last eight contests.
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON ALLEN'S RECENT PLAY
• The guard is 3-of-5 (.600) from three-point range in Stanford's last three games, after going 5-of-32 (.156) in the first 22 contests.
• He has recorded 14 steals in the last six games and ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in steals per game (1.7) during conference play
• His 112 career steals has moved into a tie with Wolfe Perry (1975-79) for 12th on Stanford's career steals list.
HUMPHREY CONTROLLING THE GLASS
Michael Humphrey has totaled 94 rebounds (9.4 rpg) over the last 10 games. He ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in rebounding at 8.7 rpg during league play. Humphrey has played more than 30 minutes in eight of the last 11 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 year. He was one rebound shy of a double-double (10 points, nine rebounds) at California Jan 29. The junior finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds last time out at Arizona State.
PICKENS ON TARGET FROM BEYOND THE ARC
Junior Dorian Pickens has posted at least one three-pointer in 22 games, with multiple three-pointers in 14 contests. He has totaled 11 three-pointers in his last four games. Pickens is shooting 37.3 percent from three-point range, with a team-best 47 three-pointers. He registered a career-high seven (7-of-10) vs. 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 66.8 percent of the team's overall scoring. Travis (17.2 ppg), Pickens (12.0 ppg), Humphrey (9.5 ppg) and Cartwright (7.2 ppg) are among Stanford's top five scoring leaders. Cartwright is listed as a sophomore after receiving a medical redshirt for the 2015-16 season.
CARTWRIGHT ON POINT
Junior Robert Cartwright has taken over as the Cardinal's starting point guard, starting the last nine contests. He ranks seventh in the Pac-12 in assists (4.2) during conference play, and sixth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1) overall.
