Pioneers Come to Town

 Stanford (4-6) vs. Denver (5-6)
Friday, Dec. 15 • 7:00 p.m. PT
Maples Pavilion • Stanford, Calif.
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Game Notes • Stanford 
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STANFORD, Calif. – After 11 days off for final exams, Stanford returns to the court on Friday, as the Cardinal hosts Denver at 7 p.m. PT at Maples Pavilion. It will be Stanford's first home game in more than two weeks, since defeating Montana Nov. 29. Five of the Cardinal's next six games are at home.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Friday's game is televised on Pac-12 Network with Roxy Bernstein and Don MacLean on the call. The Stanford Cardinal Sports Network will have live audio coverage of the game as Scott Reiss and John Platz have the call courtside at Maples Pavilion. Fans can access the broadcast on GoStanford.com, SiriusXM channel 84, or on a mobile device via the TuneIn app.

AGAINST DENVER
Stanford and Denver have met 12 times previously, with the Cardinal winning 10 of those contests. The Cardinal has won the last six meetings, most recently defeating the Pioneers, 49-43, during the 2014-15 season. Stanford is 6-0 against Denver at home.  
 
THE LAST MEETING BETWEEN THE CARDINAL AND PIONEERS
Stanford defeated Denver, 49-43, on Dec. 13, 2014, in the last meeting between the two schools. The Cardinal won the game despite scoring under 50 points for the first time since a 39-37 victory over Washington State on Feb. 25, 2006. Since the 2014 meeting between the Cardinal and Pioneers, Stanford has scored less than 50 points just twice, falling to Villanova (59-45) in 2015 and SMU (72-49) in 2016.    
 

Help us support Toys for Tots at Maples this weekend!#GoStanford https://t.co/uVEWb1IzDe

— Stanford Men's Basketball (@StanfordMBB) December 14, 2017

POST-FINALS SUCCESS
Stanford has won its last 10 games following its extended break for final exams. The Cardinal has not lost a "post-finals" game since Dec. 16, 2006, a 62-46 defeat to Santa Clara. Last season, Stanford defeated Cal State East Bay (79-55) following a 12-day break for final exams. 
   
AGAINST THE SUMMIT LEAGUE
Stanford is 12-3 against current members of the Summit League. The Cardinal has played four teams (Denver, South Dakota, South Dakota St., Oral Roberts) most recently facing Denver. 

 
POST PRESENCE
Stanford's starting post players, Reid Travis and Michael Humphrey, have combined to average 32.8 points and 16.4 rebounds per game. The duo ranks second in the conference among starting post players in both combined scoring and combined rebounding. Travis is second in the Pac-12 in scoring at 21.7 ppg and 10th in rebounding at 7.8 rpg through Wednesday's games. The junior has posted eight 20-point games in 10 contests this season. Humphrey is nearly averaging a double-double with 11.1 ppg and 8.6 rpg. His rebounding average is fifth-best in the Pac-12 through Wednesday's games. 

Pac-12's Post Players in 2017-18

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Stanford's roster has played 584 combined games. The Cardinal entered the season with the fifth-most veteran roster (games played) in the nation. While fourth-year players Reid Travis and Michael Humphrey anchor the post, injuries have limited several veteran perimeter players. This has given one of the nation's top recruiting classes a chance to play important minutes as freshmen this season. Stanford has started three freshmen - Daejon Davis, Oscar da Silva and Isaac White - together in six games this season. All three average more than 27 minutes per game. Davis leads the Cardinal in assists (4.5 apg), White leads all freshmen in the Pac-12 in three-pointers per game (2.4) and da Silva ranks third on the roster in rebounding (5.6 rpg).
 
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

Next-man-up mentality. #GoStanford

A post shared by Stanford Men's Basketball (@stanfordmbb) on Dec 7, 2017 at 2:29pm PST

 
R2T2
Junior preseason All-American Reid Travis is living up to his preseason accolades. The forward, who entered the year as the Pac-12's leading returning scorer and rebounder, ranks 23rd nationally in points per game, eighth nationally in free throw attempts and 13th nationally in free throws made as of Thursday. He ranks in the top-10 in the Pac-12 seven categories.
 FRESHMAN PRODUCTION

 
APPROACHING 1K
Reid Travis enters Friday's game against Denver 38 points shy of becoming the 45th player in school history with 1,000 career points. Of the 44 who have already achieved the milestone, only eight have done so in less than 80 career games. Travis has played in 73 games. 
 

.@2ReidTravis2 is just 38 points away from 1000 in his career ??????#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/WHgBkxiHD3

— Stanford Men's Basketball (@StanfordMBB) December 6, 2017

LAST TIME OUT
Reid Travis posted his third double-double of the season with 26 points and 11 rebounds for Stanford, but the Cardinal came up short in a 76-68 setback to Long Beach State on the road Dec. 3. The Cardinal were up by as many as five in the middle of the second half, before the 49ers made a run to take the lead with eight minutes remaining. Travis topped the 20-point mark for the eighth time this season, scoring 18 of his game-high 26 in the second half. It's his third double-digit rebound game of the year.
 
LIMITED ROSTER
Stanford has been without several members of its roster in its first 10 games, playing only seven players in its last contest at Long Beach State on Dec. 3. Among the group of unavailable players for the Cardinal has been senior tri-captain and second-year starter Dorian Pickens and junior second-year starter Marcus Sheffield. Pickens (12.6 ppg last year) has missed the last eight games with a left foot injury and Sheffield (6.7 ppg last year) has missed all 10 games this season with a left foot injury. Freshman Daejon Davis (missed two games), redshirt freshman Kodye Pugh (missed five games) have also been limited this season. All four are perimeter players for the Cardinal.    
 
DAVIS TAKING CONTROL OF THE POINT
Freshman Daejon Davis has started all eight career games he has played in. After averaging 3.0 ppg in his first two career games, he is averaging 11.5 points in his last six contests. The freshman posted a career-best 17-point performance in his last game against Montana on Nov. 29.
 
CARDINAL OFFENSIVE IMPROVED FROM LAST SEASON
Stanford, which returned 78.4 percent of its scoring from last season, is averaging 74.7 points per game this season. The average is up nearly 6.0 ppg from its 69.1 scoring average last season. The Cardinal has topped the 70-point mark in a game eight times in 10 games. Last season, it had only reached the 70-point mark four times in its first 10 games. 
 
PAGON EARNING IMPORTANT MINUTES
Sophomore Blake Pagon, a walk-on, has earned valuable minutes for the Cardinal recently. After playing 10 minutes over five games last season, Pagon has totaled 72 minutes playing in eight of the first 10 games this year. He played a career-long 19 minutes against Montana with a career-best four rebounds and two assists. Pagon, who has two career points on a pair of free throws last season, is in search of his first career field goal. He has two field goal attempts this season.
 
Pagon, one of five sons for parents Garrett and Amanda, is following in his parents' footsteps. Both also studied at Stanford. His mother, Amanda, was a standout runner and swimmer at Stanford. She was a member of three Pac-10 cross country championship teams in 1993, 1994 and 1996. She was a member of Stanford's first NCAA champion women's cross country team in 1996.
 
HUMPHREY CONTROLLING THE GLASS
Michael Humphrey, who was among the Pac-12 leaders in rebounding last season, ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in rebounding this season with an average of 8.6 rpg. He posted a career-high 18 rebounds against Pacific on Nov. 12. The senior, who is averaging 11.1 ppg, has three double-doubles this year.
 
CARTWRIGHT WITH CAREER-BEST NUMBERS
After averaging 4.1 ppg over the first two seasons (67 games) of his career, junior Robert Cartwright is averaging 9.8 ppg in 10 games this season. He had a season-high 19 points against Portland State three games ago. He ranks sixth in the Pac-12 in assist/turnover ratio (2.3). Cartwright has started each of the last two games after coming off the bench the previous seven contests.
 
CONRAD RAY TO SERVE AS HONORARY CAPTAIN
Stanford celebrates the accomplishments of several individuals throughout the season, naming an honorary captain for each of its home games. The honorary captain is with the team throughout gameday and sits on the Stanford bench during the game. Stanford's Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf, Conrad Ray, will serve as the honorary captain for Friday's game against Denver. Ray, in his 13th season with the Cardinal men's golf program, was enshrined into the Golf Coaches Association of America earlier this week in Las Vegas. He has led the Cardinal to three Pac-12 championships 11 NCAA Championship appearances, and the 2007 NCAA title.
 

Our final inductee of the night, Stanford Men's Golf Head Coach and GCAA Past President Conrad Ray! @StanfordMGolf pic.twitter.com/mI33eYcd4H

— GCAA (@GolfCoachesAssn) December 12, 2017

THE FOURTH-YEAR CLASS
The four members of Stanford's fourth-year class - Reid Travis, Dorian Pickens Michael Humphrey and Robert Cartwright - accounted for 62.6 percent of the team's scoring and 55.4 percent of the team's rebounding last season. Pickens and Humphrey are true seniors, while Travis and Cartwright have each had their medical hardship waivers granted and are redshirt juniors with another year of eligibility remaining after this season. Cartwright missed the entire 2015-16 season with a compound fracture of his right forearm sustained in preseason practice on Nov. 2, 2015. Travis was forced to miss the final 22 games of the 2015-16 season with a right leg injury. Pickens has missed the last eight games with a left foot injury.  
 
PETER SAUER CAPTAINSHIP
Head coach Jerod Haase announced the establishment of the Peter Sauer Captainship in September, naming Reid Travis, Dorian Pickens and Michael Humphrey captains. The three will wear patches on their uniforms honoring the legacy of the late Peter Sauer, a team captain and leader of Stanford's 1998 Final Four team. Stanford will celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the 1998 Final Four team during the regular-season home finale against Washington State on Feb. 24, 2018.
 

 
WHAT'S NEW AT MAPLES: Stanford Concessions is bringing new flavors during the 2017-18 season to enhance the fan experience in Maples Pavilion. Some highlights include Maples carvery sandwiches, slow smoked brisket sandwich, Vietnamese Pho, Buffalo Chicken Breast Wrap, and Punjabi Potato Pea Samosas. Gameday favorites and soup specials will be back, including grilled bratwurst sausages, New England-style clam chowder and Brisket chili bow. For those looking to sip on something warm or fans with a sweet tooth can enjoy the Harvest Beverage and Dessert Bar which features spiced apple sider, Ghiradelli hot chocolate, and crème brulee cheesecake, warm apple caramel crisp and more! Please note: The new menu will roll out throughout the season, and items will vary depending on game time.