Stanford (4-3) at No. 2 Kansas (5-0) | Saturday • Dec. 1 • 2:30 p.m. PT
Allen Field House • Lawrence, Kansas
Game Notes: Stanford | Kansas
Television: ESPN | Radio: Stanford Cardinal Sports Network
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ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Stanford plays its sixth road game in its first eight contests, when the Cardinal travels to Lawrence, Kansas, for a Saturday matchup with No. 2 Kansas at Allen Field House. Stanford's matchup with the Jayhawks marks its third nationally-ranked opponent away from Maples Pavilion in seven games this season.
FREQUENT FLYERS
In Stanford's six road contests over the first eight games, the Cardinal is traveling a total of 16,339 miles inside and outside the United States. with stops in Wilmington, North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Lawrence, Kansas and Paradise Island, Bahamas.
YOUNG SQUAD
Eleven of Stanford's 15 players are in their first or second year playing. Only senior Josh Sharma and juniors Marcus Sheffield, Trevor Stanback and Rodney Herenton entered the year with at least two seasons played. Through seven games, first and second-year players have accounted for 79.6 percent of Stanford's scoring (383 of 481) and 82.7 percent of Stanford's rebounding (210 of 254).
Stanford's starting lineup is made up of three sophomores (Daejon Davis, KZ Okpala, Oscar da Silva) and two freshmen (Cormac Ryan and Bryce Wills).
JAYHAWK GREAT LEADS THE CARDINAL INTO LAWRENCE
Stanford head coach Jerod Haase returns to Allen Fieldhouse, where he was a star player for Kansas from 1995-97. Haase earned his Bachelor of Science in business administration in 1997 and his Masters in business in 2000. After playing his freshman season at California, Haase transferred to Kansas where he helped lead the Jayhawks to three consecutive conference titles and still ranks 11th in school history in three-point field goals (156) and steals (174). Haase started 99 of 101 games at Kansas and scored 1,264 points (which now ranks 33rd all-time). While at Kansas, Haase was a candidate for the Naismith and Wooden Awards.
As a senior in 1996-97, Haase started alongside Paul Pierce, Jacque Vaughn, Scot Pollard and Raef LaFrentz as Kansas finished 34-2. He averaged 12.0 points per game despite playing with a broken wrist. As a sophomore, Haase averaged 15.0 points and was named the Big Eight Conference Newcomer of the Year and also tabbed a second-team all-conference selection.
This is Haase's second visit to Allen Field House as the head coach of the Cardinal. Nearly two years ago to the day (Dec. 3, 2016), Stanford lost an 89-74 decision to No. 4 Kansas in Lawrence.
STANFORD AGAINST TOP-FIVE TEAMS
Stanford is 5-14 against Associated Press top-five teams since the 2000-01 season. The Cardinal last defeated an AP top-five team on Jan. 28. 2007, earning a 75-68 victory over No. 3 UCLA at home. Stanford's last road win vs. an AP top-five team was Jan. 10, 2004, when No. 4 Stanford
defeated top-ranked Arizona, 82-76, in Tucson. The Cardinal's last neutral-site win vs. a top-five opponent was No. 21 Stanford's 64-58 win over top-ranked Kansas Dec. 7, 2003 in Anaheim. Saturday marks the Cardinal's first top-five opponent since an 89-75 defeat at No. 4 UCLA on Jan. 8, 2017.
AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
No. 2 Kansas is Stanford's third nationally-ranked opponent this season. Stanford is 1-15 vs. ranked foes in the AP poll in the Jerod Haase era, defeating No. 16 Arizona State (86-77) Jan. 17, 2018. Stanford's last road win over a ranked team came at No. 9 Texas (74-71 OT) Dec. 23, 2014. Jerod Haase owns a 3-23 record against ranked teams as a head coach. He played 10 ranked foes at UAB, leading the Blazers to a win over No. 9 Iowa State (60-59) in the NCAA Tournament on March 19, 2015, and a victory over No. 16 North Carolina (63-59) in Birmingham, on Dec. 1, 2013.
AGAINST KANSAS
Saturday is the 14th all-time meeting between Stanford and Kansas. The Jayhawks lead the all-time series, 10-3, however, the Cardinal has won two of the last four. In the most recent meeting, Kansas defeated Stanford, 75-54, on Dec. 21, 2017 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. In its last trip to Lawrence, the Cardinal fell to the Jayhawks, 89-74, on Dec. 3, 2016. Prior to that, Stanford defeated Kansas, 60-57, March 23, 2014, in St. Louis to reach the NCAA Sweet 16.
AGAINST THE BIG 12
Stanford owns a 14-19 all-time record against current members of the Big XII Conference. The Cardinal has played Kansas (13) the most of any current team in the league. Stanford's last meeting with a Big XII opponent was against Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in the second round of the NIT last March.
OKPALA'S IMPACT AS A SOPHOMORE
Sophomore KZ Okpala is averaging a team-best 16.3 ppg in 31.7 mpg through seven games this season. He averaged 10.9 ppg in 31.0 mpg in his first seven games last season. The forward, who had a career-best 29 points in the season opener against Seattle, is ninth in the Pac-12 in scoring. He was voted the Pac-12 Player of the Week on Nov. 12.
RYAN ON TARGET FROM DOWNTOWN
Freshman Cormac Ryan is averaging 2.1 three-point field goals per game. He scored a team-best 12 points, all in the second half and all on three-pointers, against Florida in the Battle 4 Atlantis. The freshman has recorded at least four three-point field goals in a game in three of Stanford's seven contest (5 vs. Seattle, 4 vs. North Carolina, 4 vs. Florida).
Ryan is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.7 ppg. He is shooting 30.6 percent from three-point range (15-of-49).
DAVIS CONTRIBUTING ON BOTH ENDS
Sophomore Daejon Davis, who broke Brevin Knight's school freshman assist record with 160 last season, has started all 40 career games he has played in. The point guard is averaging 7.6 ppg this year, with 10 steals in seven games. He ranks ninth in the Pac-12 in steals (1.3 spg). The sophomore has posted at least four points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals in two games this season against UNC Wilmington and Middle Tennessee. He has posted at least four points, four rebounds and four assists in three of Stanford's seven games so far. The point guard matched his career-high rebound total with 10 boards against the Blue Raiders.
YOUNGEST PLAYER IN THE PAC-12
With a birthdate of October 13, 2000, Bryce Wills is the youngest player in the Pac-12 and one of the youngest in Division I college basketball. With most of the Division I schools reporting, Wills is the seventh-youngest player in the nation this season. He has started the last four games and is coming off a career-best 10-point performance against Portland State.
DA SILVA'S SECOND-HALF PRODUCTION
Oscar da Silva has scored 35 of his 50 points on the season in the second half. Over the last five games, 31 of his 40 points have come after halftime.
SHEFFIELD RETURNS
Redshirt junior Marcus Sheffield has returned to the lineup this season, after missing the entire 2017-18 season. He injured his leg in practice a couple days before the regular-season opener last year. Sheffield, who poured in a career-best 35 points against Arizona State on Dec. 30, 2016, averaged 6.7 ppg during his true sophomore campaign in 2016-17. Sheffield is averaging 6.0 ppg in 15.6 mpg off the bench in the first seven games of 2018-19.
KISUNAS A PRESENCE IN THE POST
After playing five minutes in the first two games (did not see action at UNCW), freshman Lukas Kisunas played 12 minutes in the second half at No. 7 North Carolina. The forward scored two points, collected four rebounds and a block in extended action against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. He scored four points in eight minutes last time out against Portland State.