STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford closes its regular-season home schedule this week, welcoming Oregon State and Oregon to The Farm. The Cardinal hosts the Beavers Wednesday at 8 p.m. PT, before a Saturday afternoon matchup with the No. 6 Ducks on Senior Day at Maples Pavilion.
AGAINST OREGON STATE
Oregon State holds a 75-69 edge in the all-time series with Stanford. The Cardinal has won seven of the past nine meetings against the Beavers, including a 62-46 victory over OSU in Corvallis, Oregon last month. Oregon State, however, won the last meeting on The Farm, posting a 62-50 win on Feb. 11, 2016. Reid Travis has played just once against OSU (Feb. 26, 2015).
R2T2 IS ONE OF PAC-12'S BEST
Reid Travis "R2T2" is among the conference leaders in many categories. The Cardinal junior forward, who missed four games earlier this year with a right shoulder injury, returned to the court six games ago. In those six games vs. Cal (2), Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State, he is averaging 19.0 ppg and 7.7 rpg. He has posted double-doubles in two of the last three games (26 pts., 11 rebs. at Arizona, 17 pts., 11 rebs. at ASU) and nearly missed a third last time out against Cal (19 pts., 9 rebs.).
Travis and UCLA's TJ Leaf are the only two Pac-12 players to rank in the top-eight in the league in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage.
WHERE TRAVIS RANKS
| Category | Average | Pac-12 Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Scoring | 17.3 | 3rd |
| Rebounding | 8.6 | 7th |
| Field Goal Percentage | .556 | 8th |
| Offensive Rebounds | 3.4 | 1st |
| Double-Doubles | 8 | 6th |
| Free Throws Made | 102 | 5th |
| Free Throws Attempted | 155 | 4th |
EARLIER THIS SEASON AGAINST OREGON STATE
Michael Humphrey had 21 points and Marcus Allen added 12 to lead Stanford to a 62-46 victory over Oregon State Jan. 19 in Corvallis. Dorian Pickens matched his season-high with seven rebounds, while Humphrey added six boards in the win. The Beavers led for most of the first half, before the Cardinal surged ahead just before halftime, stretching its lead in the second half.
THE PAC-12 STANDINGS
Stanford enters the week in ninth place in the Pac-12 standings with four games remaining in the regular season. Three of those four contests are against teams ahead of them in the standings in Oregon (second), Utah (sixth) and Colorado (seventh). The Cardinal (5-9) is a half-game behind both Colorado and Arizona State in the standings. Stanford was picked to finish 10th in the Pac-12 preseason media poll.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Stanford has forced 90 turnovers over its last five games against Colorado (23), Utah (17), Arizona (13), Arizona State (17) and California (20). 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). Led by senior Marcus Allen's 10 steals, the Cardinal has recorded 44 thefts in the five contests. Stanford ranks second in the Pac-12 in steals (6.7 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. 20. The Cardinal has played seven games against teams in the top-20 of the RPI as of Feb. 20. Stanford checks in at No. 68 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 38.8 percent (26.7 out of 68.9) of the team's scoring and 43.1 percent (15.0 out of 34.8) of the team's rebounding average. The duo leads the Cardinal in conference play, with Travis averaging 16.7 ppg and 7.1 rpg and Humphrey contributing 11.2 ppg and a team-best 8.3 ppg.
ALLEN'S STANDOUT PERFORMANCE IN THE LAST NINE GAMES
Marcus Allen has been one of the Cardinal's leaders on both ends of the floor over the last nine games. He is averaging 12.3 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 almost eight points better per game in his last nine contests.
| Marcus Allen | Scoring Average | Steals (Avg.) | Assists (Avg.) | Field Goal % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First 17 Games | 4.4 | 15 (0.9) | 24 (1.4) | .341 (28-82) |
| Last 9 Games | 12.3 | 17 (1.9) | 21 (2.3) | .506 (42-38) |
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON ALLEN'S RECENT PLAY
• The guard has made three three-point range in Stanford's last four games, after recording five in the first 22 contests.
• He has recorded 15 steals in the last seven games and ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in steals per game (1.6) during conference play.
• His 113 career steals rank 12th on Stanford's career steals list.
HUMPHREY CONTROLLING THE GLASS
Michael Humphrey has totaled 98 rebounds (8.9 rpg) over the last 11 games. He ranks sixth in the Pac-12 in rebounding at 8.3 rpg during league play. Humphrey has played more than 30 minutes in eight of the last 12 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 at Arizona State on Feb. 11.
PICKENS ON TARGET FROM BEYOND THE ARC
Junior Dorian Pickens has posted at least one three-pointer in 23 games, with multiple three-pointers in 15 contests (each of the last five). He has totaled 14 three-pointers in his last five games, shooting 40.0 percent from three-point range during that span. Pickens owns a team-best 50 three-pointers on the year, including a career-high seven (7-of-10) vs. Idaho earlier this season. Pickens connected on the game-winning trifecta against Indiana State with 2.0 seconds left.