Stanford (0-0) vs. Seattle (0-0) | Tuesday • 7 p.m.
Maples Pavilion • Stanford, Calif.
Tickets | Promotions
Game Notes: Stanford | Seattle
Television: Pac-12 Bay Area | Audio Stream: Stanford Cardinal Sports Network | Live Stats
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STANFORD, Calif. – In the earliest start to a season in the 104-year history of the program, the Stanford men's basketball team will open the 2018-19 campaign on Tuesday (Nov. 6) against Seattle at 7 p.m. at Maples Pavilion.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Tuesday's game will be televised on Pac-12 Bay Area (not the Pac-12 Networks national channel), as Guy Haberman and Ben Braun have the call. The Stanford Cardinal Sports Network will provide a live audio broadcast on GoStanford.com and on TuneIn, with Stanford alums John Platz and Scott Reiss on the call.
PROMOTIONS
Fans can pick up the official 2018-19 poster, as well as a "Vote Cardinal Basketball" button for Election Day. Stanford will honor and thank all military service members, as all active military, veterans and first responders will receive free admission to the game. Fans that bring a non-perishable item to the game can purchase a discounted ticket for just $8.
Our time is coming.#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/BlTxfl1U3e
— Stanford Men's Basketball (@StanfordMBB) November 2, 2018
EARLIEST START IN PROGRAM HISTORY
The Nov. 6 season opener marks the earliest start to a season in the program's 104-year history. The earliest date on the calendar the Cardinal had previously opened a season was Nov. 8, when Stanford defeated Bucknell 72-68 in its 2013-14 season opener on Nov. 8, 2013.
STANFORD IN SEASON OPENERS
The Cardinal owns an 85-18 all-time record in season openers. Stanford has won its last eight and 28 of its last 30 openers, with the only exceptions coming in 2009 at San Diego and in 2005 against UC Irvine.
CARDINAL SNAPSHOT
Stanford 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.
A constant, clutch presence down the stretch.@DaejonDavis is ready for more.#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/7k69x9MW0P
— Stanford Men's Basketball (@StanfordMBB) October 15, 2018
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.
The Cardinal also returns senior center Josh Sharma, who owns 87 career blocks, including 27 last season.
A post shared by Stanford Men's Basketball (@stanfordmbb) on Oct 17, 2018 at 1:51pm PDT
BACK-TO-BACK TOP-20 RECRUITING CLASSES
Stanford's heralded freshman class will make its debut on Tuesday. The Cardinal's class of newcomers is ranked as high as No. 20 nationally, giving the program back-to-back top-20 recruiting classes. Stanford's 2017 recruiting class of Daejon Davis, KZ Okpala, Oscar Da Silva and Isaac White was ranked as high as No. 8 nationally.
The future starts now.
— Stanford Men's Basketball (@StanfordMBB) October 12, 2018
The season starts soon: https://t.co/yzo9cHW2wE#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/x0sVtZxO2m
YOUNG SQUAD
Among the 15 players on the 2018-19 Stanford roster, 11 are in either their first or second year playing. Only senior Josh Sharma and juniors Marcus Sheffield, Trevor Stanback and Rodney Herenton enter 2018-19 with at least two seasons of playing under their belt. In last week's exhibition contest against Sonoma State, first- and second-year players accounted for 78.7 percent of the scoring (59 out of 75 points).
AGAINST SEATTLE
Stanford is 5-0 all-time against Seattle. The teams last met on the hardwood on Nov. 28, 2012 at Maples Pavilion, a 68-57 victory for the Cardinal behind a career-high 17 points from Andy Brown. Four of the five previous meetings in the all-time series have been played at home.
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
Seattle, out of the Western Athletic Conference, finished 20-14 overall last season. The Redhawks reached the semifinals of the WAC Tournament and played in the 2018 College Basketball Invitational. Junior guard Matej Kavas was Seattle's leading scorer last season, averaging 15.2 points. He also averaged 5.1 rebounds per contest. The Redhawks are coached by Jim Hayford, in his second season as the head coach of the program. Seattle was picked to finish third by the coaches and fourth by the media in the respective WAC preseason polls.
MIRACLE AT MAPLES
Tuesday's contest features the return of the author of the "Miracle at Maples" in Seattle assistant coach Nick Robinson. The guard is responsible for one of the best moments in the program's rich history. On Feb. 7, 2004, Robinson hit a 35-foot running shot at the buzzer, following a backcourt steal by Matt Lottich, to cap a six-point comeback in the final 25 seconds and give No. 2 Stanford an unlikely 80-77 win over No. 12 Arizona at Maples Pavilion. A double Stanford graduate with a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in sociology, Robinson was not only a standout player but returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons.