PORTLAND - Stanford, which dropped a 108-87 decision to No. 7 Florida Thursday, continues play in the Phil Knight Invitational (PK80) on Friday. The Cardinal is in the consolation bracket where it will face Ohio State at Moda Center at 6 p.m. PT in a game that will air on ESPN2.
AGAINST OHIO STATE
Stanford is 3-0 against Ohio State. The teams haven't met in nearly 44 years. The Cardinal and Buckeyes last met on Dec. 21, 1973 in Lexington, Kentucky, with Stanford earning a 68-53 win. Notably, this will be the second meeting between the two teams in Portland. On Dec. 28, 1970, Stanford defeated Ohio State 78-74 in overtime at the Portland Far West Classic at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the building next door to today's venue (Moda Center). The Cardinal and Buckeyes also met in Berkeley, California, during the 1941-42 season.
MOST POWER FIVE OPPONENTS IN FIVE YEARS
Friday's meeting with Ohio State (Big Ten) marks its third opponent from a power five conference this season. It's actually the third power five conference opponent in a five-day span. The Cardinal faced North Carolina (ACC) at home on Monday and Florida (SEC) in Portland on Thursday prior to today's meeting with the Buckeyes.
Stanford will face Kansas (Big 12) in Sacramento on Dec. 21, giving the Cardinal four opponents from power five conferences on the 2017 nonconference schedule. It's the most power five opponents in five years, since the Cardinal faced Missouri (SEC), Minnesota (Big Ten), NC State (ACC) and Northwestern (Big Ten) during its 2012 nonconference slate. Stanford went 1-3 in those games, defeating Northwestern (70-68) on the road.
AGAINST THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE
Stanford owns a 35-36 all-time record against the 14 teams currently in the Big Ten Conference. Friday is the first meeting against a Big Ten opponent since Dec. 21, 2013, when Stanford dropped a 68-65 decision to Michigan in the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational in Brooklyn, New York. The Cardinal have played 13 of the 14 teams currently in the conference, with Penn State serving as the lone Big Ten school Stanford has not yet met on the hardwood.
POST PRESENCE
Stanford's starting post players, Reid Travis and Michael Humphrey, have combined to average 33.3 points and 15.3 rebounds per game. Travis is third in the Pac-12 in scoring with at 21.5 ppg. With 23 points against Florida Thursday, the junior has posted five 20-point games in six contests this season. Humphrey is nearly averaging a double-double with 11.8 ppg and 9.0 rpg. His rebounding average is fifth-best in the Pac-12 entering Friday's action.
REID TRAVIS AGAINST TOP-10 FOES
Junior preseason All-American Reid Travis is averaging 25.2 points and 9.0 rebounds in five games he has played against top-10 opponents over the last two seasons. He posted a career-best 29-point performance at No. 4 Kansas last season.
TRAVIS' PRODUCTION VS. TOP-10 OPPONENTS
| Team | Rank | Date | Points | Rebounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 7 | Nov. 23, 2017 | 23 | 5 |
| North Carolina | 9 | Nov. 20, 2017 | 21 | 6 |
| Oregon | 6 | Feb. 25, 2017 | 27 | 14 |
| Arizona | 9 | Feb. 8, 2017 | 26 | 11 |
| Kansas | 4 | Dec. 3, 2016 | 29 | 9 |
FRESHMAN FOCUS
Despite one of the most veteran rosters in the nation, Stanford's freshman class has contributed valuable minutes. Three freshmen - Daejon Davis, Oscar Da Silva and Isaac White - are each averaging more than 25 minutes per game. White ranks third on the team in scoring (11.5 ppg) and Da Silva is tied for second on the team in rebounding (6.3 rpg).
All three freshmen have started the Cardinal's last four games. Prior to this season, Stanford last started three freshmen on January 27, 1983 (at Washington) with Keith Ramee, Andy Fischer and Earl Koberlein earned the starting nod in that contest.
FRESHMAN PRODUCTION
| Name | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isaac White | 6 | 29.7 | 11.5 | 1.8 |
| Oscar da Silva | 4 | 25.8 | 7.2 | 6.3 |
| Daejon Davis | 5 | 28.4 | 7.0 | 4.8 (assists) |
CARDINAL OFFENSE IMPROVED FROM LAST SEASON
Stanford is averaging 76.7 points per game this season, up from its 69.1 scoring average last season. The Cardinal is shooting 45.2 percent from the field in 2017-18, highlighted by a season-best 54.0 percent performance Thursday against Florida. Last season, Stanford shot 43.9 percent from the field.