STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford enters the Pac-12 Tournament as the No. 9 seed, where it will face No. 8 seed Arizona State on Wednesday at noon PT in the first game of the conference tournament at the new T-Mobile Arena. The Cardinal completed the regular season tied with Washington State for ninth in the conference and earned the No. 9 seed over the Cougars by virtue of its 84-54 win over WSU at home on Jan. 12 in the lone meeting between the two teams this season.
CARDINAL IN THE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
• 16-18 all-time record in the conference tournament.
• Defeated Washington (77-66) March 13, 2004 to capture its conference tournament title.
• 3-1 all-time against Arizona State in the conference tournament.
• Enters the conference tournament as the No. 9 seed for the second consecutive year and the third time overall.
• 1-2 overall as the No. 9 seed. In 2009, Stanford defeated No. 8 seed Oregon State (62-54) in its opening-round game and lost to Washington (85-73) in the quarterfinals. Last season, the Cardinal dropped a 91-68 decision to the eighth-seeded Huskies in the first round.
STANFORD-ARIZONA STATE IN THE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
2010 – Stanford won, 70-61, as a No. 7 seed over No. 2 seeded ASU in the quarterfinals.
2012 – Stanford won, 85-65, as a No. 7 seed over No. 10 seeded ASU in the first round.
2013 – ASU won, 89-88, in OT as a No. 9 seed over No. 8 seeded Stanford in the first round.
2014 – Stanford won, 79-58, as a No. 6 seed over No. 3 seeded ASU in the quarterfinals.
AGAINST ARIZONA STATE
Stanford leads the all-time series against Arizona State, 48-36. Despite the Sun Devils taking both contests during the regular season and winning the last three meetings, the Cardinal has captured 10 of the last 16 games against the Sun Devils. Stanford dropped a 98-93 decision to ASU at home in its Pac-12 season opener on Dec. 30, and surrendered a lead in the final minute in a 75-69 setback to the Sun Devils in Tempe, Arizona, on Feb. 11.
TRAVIS EARNS FIRST TEAM ALL-PAC-12 HONORS
Junior Reid Travis "R2T2" is a First Team All-Pac-12 selection in a vote by the conferences coaches. The forward ranks in the top eight in the conference in seven different categories and is the only Pac-12 player to rank in the top five in scoring (17.2 ppg, third) and rebounding (8.8 rpg, fifth). The junior has posted nine of his 10 career double-doubles this season. In his last eight games, Travis is averaging 19.4 ppg and 9.6 rpg, including three double-doubles. He is one of two players (TJ Leaf) to rank in the top eight in the league in scoring, rebounding and field goal %. Travis' honor marks the fifth straight season Stanford has been represented on the All-Pac-12 First Team, including Rosco Allen (2016), Chasson Randle (2015), and Dwight Powell (2013 and 2014). It's the seventh time in the last eight seasons a Cardinal has earned first-team honors.
| Category | Average | Pac-12 |
|---|---|---|
| Scoring | 17.2 | 3rd |
| Rebounding | 8.8 | 5th |
| Field Goal Percentage | .570 | 8th |
| Offensive Rebounds | 3.4 | 1st |
| Double-Doubles | 9 | 6th |
| Free Throws Attempted | 173 | 2nd |
| Free Throws Made | 113 | 3rd |
TRAVIS AMONG RARE COMPANY
Reid Travis is one of five individuals in the top six conferences (Pac-12, Big 12, Big Ten, ACC, SEC and BIG EAST) to rank in the top five of his league in scoring and rebounding (as of March 6).
Travis Among Rare Company
| Individual | School | Conference | Scoring (Rank) | Rebounding (Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Swanigan | Purdue | Big Ten | 18.7 (2nd) | 12.6 (1st) |
| Reid Travis | Stanford | Pac-12 | 17.2 (3rd) | 8.8 (5th) |
| Jonathan Motley | Baylor | Big 12 | 17.5 (3rd) | 10.0 (1st) |
| John Collins | Wake Forest | ACC | 19.1 (3rd) | 9.8 (2nd) |
| Josh Hart | Villanova | BIG EAST | 18.7 (1st) | 6.5 (4th) |
TRAVIS FROM THE LINE
Despite missing four games with a right shoulder injury, Reid Travis still ranks among the Pac-12 leaders in free throws attempted (second, 173) and free throws made (third, 113). At Kansas, 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.
ALLEN NAMED TO PAC-12 ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Senior Marcus Allen was voted to the Pac-12's five-member All-Defensive Team. He ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in steals (1.6 spg) in conference play and continues to move up the Stanford record books where he is currently 12th with 119 career steals. Allen has recorded 21 steals in his last 11 games, and leads the Cardinal with 38 thefts overall. The guard has recorded multiple steals in 12 games, with a season-best four against Colorado in February.
ALLEN'S LAST EIGHT GAMES
Over his last eight games, Marcus Allen is averaging 14.4 ppg (second on team), while leading the team in steals (12) and ranking third in assists (20) during this span. After averaging 5.7 ppg in his first 22 contests, Allen is averaging nearly nine points better per game in his last eight contests.
| Allen | Scoring Avg. | Steals (Avg.) | Assists (Avg.) | Field Goal % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First 22 Games | 5.7 | 26 (1.2) | 36 (1.6) | .392 (47-123) |
| Last 8 Games | 14.4 | 12 (1.5) | 20 (2.5) | .495 (45-91) |
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON ALLEN'S RECENT PLAY
• Made five three-pointers in last seven games, after five in first 22 contests.
• Recorded 21 steals in last 11 games.
• His 119 career steals rank 12th on Stanford's all-time steals list.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Stanford ranks second in the Pac-12 in steals at 6.7 spg overall. The Cardinal is averaging 7.3 steals per game in its last 12 contests and has held eight of its last 12 opponents below their season scoring averages. Stanford is forcing 15.4 turnovers per game on average over its last 12 games. The Cardinal forced 41 combined turnovers in consecutive games against Cal (20) and Oregon State (21) - the most in a two-game stretch in conference play in more than 12 years, since Stanford also forced 41 combined miscues vs. USC (21 turnovers - Jan. 22, 2005) and UCLA (20 turnovers – Jan. 20, 2005).
Last 12 Opponents
| Opponent | Season Turnover Avg. | Turnovers vs. Stanford |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon State | 15.4 | 17 |
| Oregon | 12.0 | 19 |
| California | 12.8 | 13 |
| Colorado | 12.4 | 23 |
| Utah | 13.5 | 17 |
| Arizona | 11.4 | 13 |
| Arizona State | 10.5 | 17 |
| California | 12.8 | 20 |
| Oregon State | 15.4 | 21 |
| Oregon | 12.0 | 8 |
| Colorado | 12.4 | 6 |
| Utah | 13.5 | 11 |
| Average | 12.8 | 15.4 (185 total) |
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Stanford has played the sixth toughest schedule in the nation, according to ESPN's strength of schedule rankings on March 5. The Cardinal has played eight games against teams in the top-20 of the RPI. Stanford's RPI is 87, while its average RPI loss is 49, according to the March 5 NCAA report. Look no further than a daunting nonconference slate that featured Miami, Seton Hall, No. 12/13 Saint Mary's, No. 4/5 Kansas and SMU. In conference play, Stanford faced No. 18/18 Arizona, No. 25/RV USC and No. 4/5 UCLA in succession, its first three-game stretch vs. top-25 foes since 2002.
PICKENS ON TARGET FROM BEYOND THE ARC
Junior Dorian Pickens has posted at least one three-pointer in 26 games, with multiple three-pointers in 18 contests, including seven of his last eight games. He has totaled 27 three-pointers and has shot 45.9 percent from three-point range in his last nine games. In February, Pickens had a streak of seven consecutive games with multiple three-pointers. The junior owns a team-best 63 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.
Pickens' games with four or more three-pointers
| Date | Game | 3PM | 3PA | PCT | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/20/16 | CSUN | 4 | 6 | 66.7 | 17 |
| 12/22/16 | Idaho | 7 | 10 | 70.0 | 25 |
| 2/25/17 | Oregon | 6 | 8 | 75.0 | 18 |
| 3/4/17 | Utah | 5 | 7 | 71.4 | 20 |
TRAVIS, HUMPHREY ANCHORING THE POST
Junior forwards Reid Travis and Michael Humphrey have combined to average 38.1 percent (26.3 out of 69.1) of the team's scoring and 43.1 percent (14.9 out of 34.6) of the team's rebounding average. In conference play, Travis is averaging 16.7 ppg and 8.0 rpg in 14 games, and Humphrey is contributing 10.4 ppg and 7.4 rpg in 17 contests.
HUMPHREY CONTROLLING THE GLASS
Michael Humphrey (6.1 rpg overall) is averaging 7.4 rpg in Pac-12 play. At UCLA, Humphrey set a career-high with 27 points and finished one shy of his career-best with 14 rebounds. He was one rebound shy of a double-double (10 points, nine rebounds) at Cal. The junior finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds at Arizona State. Humphrey has played more than 30 minutes in eight of the last 15 contests, after not reaching the 30-minute mark in the first 14 games.
THE JUNIOR CLASS
Three members of Stanford's junior class - Reid Travis, Dorian Pickens and Michael Humphrey - have accounted for 56.3 percent of the team's overall scoring average (38.9 out of 69.1). Travis (17.2 ppg), Pickens (12.6 ppg) and Humphrey (9.1 ppg) are Stanford's top three scoring and rebounding leaders.
SHEFFIELD JOINS TOMSIC WITH PERFORMANCE VS. ASU
Sophomore Marcus Sheffield poured in a career-high 35 points on 11-of-15 shooting in Stanford's home matchup with Arizona State, on Dec. 30. Sheffield was just the second underclassman in the history of the program (Ron Tomsic, 39 vs. Bradley and 38 vs. USC in 1952-53) to score 35 or more points in a game. Sheffield was the first Cardinal to record a 30-point game since Chasson Randle collected 35 against Rhode Island on March 22, 2015.