Stanford (13-11, 7-4) at
Utah (13-9, 5-6)
Thursday, Feb. 8 • 5:00 p.m. PT
Jon M. Huntsman Center • Salt Lake City, Utah
Television • FS1
Radio • GoStanford.com | TuneIn
Live Statistics • GoStanford.com
Game Notes • Stanford | Utah
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STANFORD, Calif. – Coming off a sweep of the Oregon schools, Stanford hits the road the next two weeks. The Cardinal will play three games in three different states, beginning Thursday against Utah in Salt Lake City. Stanford will play Colorado in Boulder Sunday, before returning to California for a date with the Bears in Berkeley Feb. 18. In all, Stanford will have 19 days between home games. Thursday's game with Utah will be the only meeting between the schools this season.
Pac-12 RACE HEATING UP
At 7-4, Stanford is tied with UCLA for fourth in the Pac-12 standings. The Cardinal is coming off its first home sweep of the Oregon schools in five seasons. Stanford's seven conference wins so far are one more than its win total from all of last season's league slate. The Cardinal opened Pac-12 play with a 5-1 mark for just the second time in the last 14 seasons. In January, Stanford won five consecutive conference games for the first time in 10 seasons and posted its first conference road sweep in eight seasons. Five of Stanford's final seven Pac-12 games are on the road. Left on the Cardinal's slate are two games against teams in the top-six in the conference and five against teams in the bottom six in the league standings.
THE CAPTAINS IMPACT
Reid Travis, Dorian Pickens and Michael Humphrey were each voted to the role of the Peter Sauer Captainship, honoring the legacy of the late Peter Sauer, a team captain and leader of Stanford's 1998 Final Four team. The three captains account for 60.3 percent of the scoring average (45.9 out of 76.1 ppg) and 50.8 percent (19.2 out of 37.8 rpg) of the rebounding average.
AGAINST UTAH
Thursday marks just the 33rd meeting between Stanford and Utah. The Utes lead the all-time series, 19-13. The Cardinal has won just once (2013) in five trips to Salt Lake City since Utah joined the Pac-12 beginning with the 2011-12 season. Stanford's current roster has not played in a win against the Utes in Salt Lake City. Stanford and Utah have split the last four overall meetings, however, with the Cardinal winning each of the last two home contests. Utah is one of four teams Stanford will only play once this year, due to Pac-12 scheduling.
CARDINAL PLAYERS AGAINST UTAH
Six active Stanford players have played against Utah. Senior Dorian Pickens is averaging 9.5 ppg in six contests, while fellow senior Michael Humphrey is averaging 8.2 ppg and 5.6 rpg.
| Players vs. Utah | Games | Minutes | Points | Rebounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorian Pickens | 6 | 157 | 57 | 23 |
| Michael Humphrey | 5 | 124 | 41 | 28 |
| Robert Cartwright | 4 | 76 | 19 | 13 (assists) |
| Josh Sharma | 4 | 38 | 3 | 4 |
| Reid Travis | 4 | 85 | 47 | 23 |
| Trevor Stanback | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
THE LAST MEETING WITH THE UTES
In a see-saw contest that saw eight ties and four lead changes, Utah used a late rally to outlast Stanford, 67-59, in Salt Lake City on March 4 of last season. Dorian Pickens led the Cardinal with 20 points, thanks in large part to a 5-of-7 performance from three-point range. He also contributed three seals on the defensive end. Marcus Allen added 11 points and five assists. A Pickens three and an Allen layup pulled Stanford within four (63-59) with 1:48 remaining and the Cardinal re-gained possession. Pickens was whistled for an offensive foul with 1:18 remaining and the Utes were awarded possession of the ball. Utah scored the final four points of the contest to escape with the 67-59 win.
LAST TIME OUT
Dorian Pickens scored 25 points, making five threes, and Stanford handed Oregon its worst loss of the Dana Altman era, beating the Ducks 96-61. KZ Okpala added 20 points and Reid Travis added 17. The 35-point victory was Stanford's largest in conference play in 16 seasons. The Cardinal defeated Washington by 45 (105-60) on Jan. 19, 2002.
PICKENS JOINS 1K CLUB
Senior Dorian Pickens, who missed 11 games with a foot injury, returned for the beginning of conference play. He is second on the team and ranks ninth in the Pac-12 in scoring during conference play at 16.4 ppg. Despite missing nearly half the season, Pickens is tied for the team lead with 36 three pointers. He has 34 in conference play to lead the Pac-12. The senior ranks 12th in school history with 164 career three pointers.
In his last eight games, Pickens is averaging a team-best 17.4 ppg, shooting 48.1 percent from beyond the arc with 26 three pointers.
In the win over Oregon last time out, Pickens became the 46th all-time and second active member of Stanford's 1,000-point club. He enters the Utah contest with 1,024 career points in 105 career games.
TRAVIS AMONG NATION'S BEST POST PLAYERS
Junior Reid Travis, a preseason All-American and candidate for several national player of the year awards, is third in the Pac-12 in scoring at 19.5 ppg. The forward ranks in the top-six in the Pac-12 in nine categories overall. He matched his career-high with 29 points in wins over USC and San Francisco this season. The junior became the 45th member of Stanford's 1,000-point club earlier this year and enters the Utah game with 1,213 points and 636 rebounds in his 87-game career so far. He ranks ninth in the Pac-12 in rebounding (7.7 rpg).
They have the look of a tournament team…
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) January 24, 2018
Reid Travis told @TheAndyKatz what it will take to get @StanfordMBB to win in March! pic.twitter.com/LU7Jy6eVpf
| Category | Conference Rank | National Rank | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Throws Attempted | 1 | 15 | 174 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 1 | 91 | 319 |
| Total Field Goals Made | 2 | 31 | 170 |
| Scoring Average | 3 | 54 | 19.5 |
| Total Points | 3 | 44 | 468 |
| Double-Doubles | 4 | 71 | 7 |
| Field Goal Percentage | 5 | 74 | 53.3 |
| Free Throws Made | 5 | 50 | 115 |
| Rebounding Average | 6 | 126 | 7.7 |
WINNING THE BATTLE IN THE PAINT
Reid Travis and Michael Humphrey have helped Stanford win the rebounding battle in 19 of 24 games, including 15 of the last 17 contests. The Cardinal is third in the Pac-12 in rebounding at 37.8 rpg. Only one opponent (USC's Chimezie Metu, 12 pts, 10 rebs.) has recorded a double-double against Stanford in the last 29 games, dating back to last season.
DAVIS DIRECTING THE OFFENSE
Freshman Daejon Davis has started all 22 games he has played in. He averaged 15.0 points, 6.0 assists and 5.4 rebounds during Stanford's recent five-game winning streak. In his last 10 games, Davis is averaging 12.7 points and 5.9 assists per game in guiding Stanford to a 7-3 record in that stretch.
Highlighting his play during conference action is the 50-foot heave to win the game at the buzzer against USC. The freshman registered career-highs in points (23) and assists (10) against UCLA on Jan 27. He has totaled 45 points and 17 assists in the two games against the Bruins this season. Davis has posted two double-doubles this season with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win at Washington and the 23-point, 10-assist performance at UCLA.
A new career-high 23 points from @DaejonDavis last night.#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/jRLOTeatqH
— Stanford Men's Basketball (@StanfordMBB) January 29, 2018
POST PRESENCE
Stanford's starting post players, Reid Travis and Michael Humphrey, have combined to average 30.4 points and 15.4 rebounds per game. The duo is third in the conference among starting post players in combined scoring and second in combined rebounding. Stanford and Arizona represent the only starting post duo to rank in the top-three in both categories. Travis is third in the Pac-12 in scoring at 19.5 ppg and tied with Humphrey for fifth in rebounding at 7.7 rpg. Humphrey is averaging 10.9 ppg.
| School | Players | Combined Scoring | Combined Rebounding |
|---|---|---|---|
| USC | Boatwright/Metu | 31.1 | 14.0 |
| Arizona | Ayton/Ristic | 31.0 | 17.4 |
| Stanford | Travis/Humphrey | 30.4 | 15.4 |
| Oregon State | Tinkle/Eubanks | 30.5 | 13.5 |
| California | Lee/Sueing | 26.7 | 13.5 |
| Washington State | Franks/Bernstine | 25.0 | 14.3 |
| UCLA | Welsh/Hands | 23.8 | 14.5 |
| Utah | Collette/Rawson | 23.7 | 11.1 |
| Oregon | Brown/White | 21.6 | 10.1 |
| Colorado | King/Bey | 20.1 | 13.1 |
| Washington | Timmins/Dickerson | 19.4 | 13.6 |
| Arizona State | White/Mitchell | 17.8 | 14.3 |
YOUTH MOVEMENT
One of the top recruiting classes in school history has played a big role in its first season on The Farm. Each of the Cardinal's four freshmen have started at least one game and three - Daejon Davis, Oscar da Silva and Isaac White - started together in six games. At least two freshmen have started in 22 of Stanford's 24 contests. At least one freshman has started in all 24 games.
All four average more than 21 minutes per game. Davis leads the Cardinal in assists (4.9 apg), White is tied for the team lead in three pointers (36) and da Silva leads the Cardinal in blocks (24). KZ Okpala, who made his collegiate debut 12 games ago, is averaging 9.9 ppg in 28.51 mpg.
In the win over Arizona State, Stanford's final 16 points were scored by freshmen. In the victory at Washington State, Stanford's four freshmen scored the first 23 points of the second half during the Cardinal's 21-3 run to erase its deficit en route to the road win.
| Name | G-S | Minutes | Points | Rebounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daejon Davis | 22-22 | 29.9 | 10.4 | 4.9 (assists) |
| Oscar da Silva | 24-11 | 26.0 | 6.1 | 5.2 |
| KZ Okpala | 12-10 | 28.5 | 9.9 | 3.2 |
| Isaac White | 23-9 | 21.2 | 7.4 | 1.6 |
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 with an average of 7.9 rpg. The forward ranks fourth in the conference in defensive rebounds per game (6.1 drpg). He posted a career-high 18 rebounds against Pacific on Nov. 12. The senior, who is averaging 11.1 ppg, has four double-doubles this year.
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.