Stanford (6-7) vs. California (6-7)
Friday, Dec. 30 • 7:00 p.m. PT
Maples Pavilion • Stanford, Calif.
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STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford hosts California to open the Pac-12 Conference schedule on Saturday at 7 p.m. PT at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal and Golden Bears enter Saturday's contest with identical 6-7 records. It's the fifth consecutive season Stanford has opened the season at home and the second time in the past five years the Cardinal has opened Pac-12 play against California.
AGAINST CALIFORNIA
California leads the all-time series, 146-121. Stanford has won seven of the last 10 meetings, including a 73-68 victory over the Golden Bears at Maples Pavilion Feb. 17, 2017 in the most recent matchup. The Cardinal has won the last three meetings and 21 of the last 24 games between the rivals on The Farm. Stanford owns a 67-62 edge against California at home.
Stanford's current roster has not lost to California at home. Senior Michael Humphrey is the lone Cardinal to play in all three home victories over Cal the past three years.
STANFORD IN CONFERENCE OPENERS
Stanford owns a 20-19 record in conference openers since the 1978-79 season (15-8 home, 5-11 away). The Cardinal has won two of its last three Pac-12 openers, dropping a 98-93 contest to Arizona State last Dec. 30, defeating No. 21 Utah two years ago and posting a win over Washington State to open the 2015 conference slate. This will be the fifth straight year Stanford opens the Pac-12 season at home. Stanford last opened the conference schedule with California on Jan. 2, 2014, dropping a 69-62 decision to the Golden Bears at home.
JEROD HAASE IN CONFERENCE OPENERS
Jerod Haase is 2-3 in conference openers as a head coach. Stanford's setback to Arizona State last year was Haase's first season as head coach of the Cardinal. He coached UAB to victories over Middle Tennessee to open the 2015 and 2016 Conference-USA slate, after dropping conference-opening decisions to Middle Tennessee in 2014 and UCF in 2013.
STANFORD PLAYERS AGAINST CALIFORNIA
Six Stanford players have played multiple games against California in their careers. Travis has averaged 14.7 ppg and 6.7 rpg in three contests against the Bears. Pickens has averaged 18.5 ppg in two home wins against Cal and Humphrey has averaged 9.0 ppg and 6.3 rpg in the three home wins against the Golden Bears.
| Player vs. Cal | Games | Minutes | Points | Rebounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reid Travis | 3 | 28.0 | 14.7 | 6.7 |
| Dorian Pickens | 5 | 25.6 | 9.4 | 3.6 |
| Michael Humphrey | 6 | 19.5 | 6.2 | 5.2 |
| Robert Cartwright | 4 | 16.0 | 5.0 | 1.3 (apg) |
| Marcus Sheffield | 4 | 22.3 | 6.3 | 2.0 |
| Josh Sharma | 4 | 12.8 | 2.5 | 2.8 |
LAST TIME OUT
Stanford closed the nonconference schedule with a 75-54 defeat to No. 14 Kansas Dec. 21 in Sacramento. Michael Humphrey led the Cardinal with 20 points and seven rebounds. Reid Travis finished with 12 points. Stanford ran into a hot-shooting Kansas squad that raced out to a double-digit advantage midway through the first half. The Jayhawks shot 62.5 percent (20-of-32) from the field during the opening 20 minutes for a 47-29 halftime lead. Kansas shot 52.5 percent for the game. The Cardinal struggled from the field with its second-lowest shooting percentage (34.4 percent) of the season. Stanford's 54 points were its lowest total of the year.
THE GOLDEN STATE TOUR
Stanford is in the middle of a stretch of eight consecutive games played in the state of California. It began with a Nov. 29 matchup with Montana at home, followed by a visit to Long Beach State Dec. 3 and home games with Denver and San Francisco at Maples Pavilion. Last time out, Stanford met No. 14 Kansas in a neutral-site contest in Sacramento Dec. 21. Saturday's game against California is the second of four consecutive opponents from the state of California to visit Maples Pavilion. UCLA and USC visit The Farm next Thursday and Sunday, respectively. Stanford will not leave the State of California for a span of 45 days. The Cardinal will play its first conference road game Jan. 11 at Washington State in Pullman, Washington.
PAC-12'S LEADING SCORER NEWEST MEMBER OF 1,000-POINT CLUB
Junior forward Reid Travis, a preseason All-American and candidate for several national player of the year awards, enters the conference season as the Pac-12's leading scorer at 21.4 ppg. He averaged nearly 23 ppg over his final six nonconference games. The forward matched his career-high with 29 points (first recorded against Kansas last season) in the victory over San Francisco on Dec. 17 to become the 45th member of Stanford's 1,000-point club. He enters Saturday's conference opener against California with 1,023 points and 544 rebounds in his 76-game career so far. Travis also ranks 14th in the Pac-12 in rebounding (7.1 rpg).
Heading into conference play, Reid Travis leads the Pac-12 in scoring with 21.4 PPG.#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/RS3iWTzR2G
— Stanford Men's Basketball (@StanfordMBB) December 28, 2017
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, is the conference's scoring leader entering league play. He ranks 27th nationally in points per game at 21.4 ppg. He ranks in the top-10 in the Pac-12 in 10 categories entering Friday's games.
| Category | Conference Rank | National Rank | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoring Average | 1 | 27 | 21.4 |
| Free Throws Made | 3 | 19 | 73 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 2 | 9 | 104 |
| Total Field Goals Made | 2 | 17 | 99 |
| Total Rebounds | 10 | 153 | 92 |
POST PRESENCE
Stanford's starting post players, Reid Travis and Michael Humphrey, have combined to average 33.0 points and 15.6 rebounds per game this season. The duo is second in the conference among starting post players in combined scoring and is third in combined rebounding, the only pair to rank in the top-three in both categories in the conference. Travis leads the Pac-12 in scoring at 21.4 ppg, to go along with 7.1 rpg. Humphrey ranks fourth in the conference in rebounding at 8.7 rpg, to go along with 11.6 ppg.
Pac-12's Post Players in 2017-18
| School | Players | Combined Scoring | Combined Rebounding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | Travis/Humphrey | 33.0 | 15.6 |
| Oregon State | Tinkle/Eubanks | 32.8 | 13.8 |
| Washington State | Franks/Bernstine | 24.8 | 14.8 |
| USC | Boatwright/Metu | 34.5 | 15.3 |
| California | Lee/Sueing | 23.7 | 12.8 |
| UCLA | Welsh/Golomon | 20.2 | 15.8 |
| Washington | Timmins/Dickerson | 21.6 | 13.4 |
| Arizona | Ayton/Ristic | 29.3 | 17.7 |
| Arizona State | White/Mitchell | 21.4 | 15.4 |
| Oregon | White/McIntosh | 20.9 | 9.4 |
| Colorado | King/Bey | 18.4 | 12.5 |
| Utah | Collette/Rawson | 25.1 | 11.6 |
CARDINAL FINDING ITS RANGE
After averaging 5.9 three-pointers per game through its first 10 games, Stanford nearly set a school single-game record with 13 three-pointers in the Dec. 15 win over Denver. The school record for three-pointers in a game is 15. The Cardinal had averaged 17.1 three-point attempts per game in its first 10 games, before attempting 70 over its last three contests, including 32 against Denver. Leading Stanford from beyond the arc is freshman Isaac White, who has 29 three-pointers on the year, including 10 in his last four games. He ranks 10th in the Pac-12 in three-pointers per game (2.2).
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Stanford's roster has played 610 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 four freshmen on the roster average more than 26 minutes per game. Davis leads the Cardinal in assists per game (4.1 apg), White leads all freshmen in the Pac-12 in three-pointers (29) and da Silva ranks third on the roster in rebounding (5.8 rpg), second in blocks (13) and third in steals (11). Fellow freshman Kezie Okpala made his collegiate debut last time out against No. 14 Kansas, recording six points, two rebounds and two steals in 28 minutes of action.
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 | 9 | 27.5 | 10.5 | 1.9 |
| Daejon Davis | 11 | 28.2 | 9.0 | 4.1 (assists) |
| Oscar da Silva | 10 | 26.8 | 5.7 | 5.8 |
| Kezie Okpala | 0 | 28.0 | 6.0 | 2.0 |
DAVIS TAKING CONTROL OF THE POINT
Freshman Daejon Davis has started all 11 career games he has played in. After averaging 7.0 ppg in his first five games, he is averaging 10.7 points in his last six contests. In a two-game span against Montana and Denver, Davis totaled 37 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
LIMITED ROSTER AROUND THE PERIMETER
Stanford has been without several members of its roster in its first 13 games, playing only seven players at Long Beach State four games ago. 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 11 games with a left foot injury and Sheffield (6.7 ppg last year) has missed all 13 games this season with a left foot injury. Freshmen Daejon Davis (missed two games) and Kezie Okpala (missed first 12 games), and redshirt freshman Kodye Pugh (missed five games) have also been limited this season. Davis and Pugh returned three games ago and Okpala made his collegiate debut last time out against Kansas. All five are perimeter players.
HUMPHREY CONTROLLING THE GLASS
Michael Humphrey, who was among the Pac-12 leaders in rebounding last season, ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in rebounding through nonconference play this season with an average of 8.5 rpg. The average is 74th nationally. The forward ranks third in the conference and 36th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (6.9 drpg). He posted a career-high 18 rebounds against Pacific on Nov. 12. The senior, who is averaging 11.6 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 8.5 ppg in 13 games this season. He had a season-high 19 points against Portland State. He ranks seventh in the Pac-12 in assist/turnover ratio (2.1). Cartwright has started each of the last five games after coming off the bench the previous seven contests.
WIN NO. 100 FOR HAASE
The Dec. 17 victory over San Francisco was head coach Jerod Haase's 100th career coaching victory. He is in his sixth season as a head coach and second with Stanford, following four successful seasons at UAB. The win was Haase's 20th at the helm of the Cardinal.
Shoutout to Reid and Coach Haase for reaching major milestones today! #GoStanford
A post shared by Stanford Men's Basketball (@stanfordmbb) on Dec 17, 2017 at 5:49pm PST
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.
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 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 Feb. 24, 2018, against Washington State.