SAN FRANCISCO – Stanford has been picked ninth in the Pac-12 Conference men's basketball preseason poll, as voted on by the media who cover the league.
Stanford, picked fifth by the media in last season's preseason poll, finished third in the conference in 2017-18 with an 11-7 record for its best conference finish and most league wins in a decade.
Pac-12 Preseason Media Poll
| Place | Team (first-place votes) | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Oregon (16) | 288 |
| 2. | UCLA (6) | 264 |
| 3. | Washington (2) | 249 |
| 4. | Arizona (1) | 205 |
| 5. | USC | 203 |
| 6. | Arizona State | 165 |
| 7. | Colorado | 161 |
| 8. | Utah | 122 |
| 9. | Stanford | 109 |
| 10. | Oregon State | 102 |
| 11. | California | 45 |
| 12. | Washington State | 37 |
The Cardinal returns two starters and nine letterwinners overall from last season's squad that won 19 games overall and reached the postseason for the first time in three years. Headlining the group are sophomores Daejon Davis and KZ Okpala.
Davis, who started all 33 games he played in, was named to the five-member All-Pac-12 Freshman Team last season after averaging 10.7 points and 4.8 assists. He broke Brevin Knight's freshman assist record with 160 last season.
Okpala, who started 21 of the 23 games he played in, averaged 10.0 ppg last year. The forward poured in a career-best 23 points against UCLA in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Cardinal fans will get their first look at the 2018-19 squad on Tuesday, Oct. 30, as Stanford hosts Sonoma State in an exhibition contest at 7 p.m. at Maples Pavilion.