SATURDAY MEETING WITH THE UTES
Stanford (11-11, 3-7 Pac-12) welcomes Utah (15-7, 6-4 Pac-12) to The Farm Saturday, Feb. 4 on FS1 with Aaron Goldsmith and former Cardinal standout Casey Jacobsen on the call. The Utes are coming off a double-overtime loss at California on Thursday.
AGAINST UTAH
Utah leads the all-time series 18-12 against Stanford. The Utes have won three of the past four outings against the Cardinal. Stanford's most recent win was a 70-68 overtime victory at Maples Pavilion on Jan. 1, 2016. The Cardinal holds a 5-4 record against the Utes since they joined the Pac-12 Conference in 2011-12.
PAC-12 STANDINGS
Stanford is tied for eighth with Arizona State and Colorado in the Pac-12 standings with eight games remaining on the slate. Stanford's second-half conference 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 returned to 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 totaled nine points and five rebounds in 36 minutes against Colorado Thursday night. 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
Stanford received timely contributions from several players while junior Reid Travis was unavailable due to a right shoulder injury in recent weeks. Junior Michael Humphrey has effectively anchored the frontcourt, averaging 12.9 points and 8.6 rebounds while shooting 46.4 percent (39-84) over the last eight games. Over that same stretch, the backcourt has been led by senior Marcus Allen (9.0 points) and sophomore Robert Cartwright (9.8 points, 4.0 assists).
DEFENSE SHINES OVER LAST SIX GAMES
Stanford has tightened its defense over the last six games, allowing only 64.1 points and 42.0 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 36.9 percent shooting. Meanwhile, Stanford is also forcing 14.5 turnovers per game.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Despite its 11-11 overall record, Stanford checks in at No. 79 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.
PICKENS ON TARGET FROM BEYOND THE ARC
Junior Dorian Pickens has posted at least one three-pointer in 19 games, with multiple three-pointers in 11 contests. He is shooting 37.5 percent from three-point range, with a team-best 39 three-pointers (14th in the Pac-12). 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.
THREE-MAN ROTATION AT THE POINT
Stanford has started three different players at the point guard position this season. Senior Christian Sanders started the first 11 games, while redshirt sophomore Robert Cartwright has started nine contests and sophomore Marcus Sheffield has started two games at the point. Cartwright is averaging 3.3 assists per game, which ranks 10th in the Pac-12, while Sanders is dishing out 3.1 (15th). Cartwright, who missed all of last season with an arm injury, is averaging 7.3 points in 25.2 minutes per contest. Sheffield is averaging 7.7 ppg in 20.4 minutes per contest.
THE JUNIOR CLASS
Stanford's four-member junior class - Reid Travis, Dorian Pickens, Michael Humphrey and Robert Cartwright - has accounted for 61.4 percent of the team's overall scoring. Travis (16.2 ppg), Pickens (12.2 ppg), Humphrey (9.5 ppg) and Cartwright (7.3 ppg) are four of Stanford's top 5 scoring leaders. Cartwright is listed as a sophomore after receiving a medical redshirt for the 2015-16 season.
