Stanford (11-10, 4-5 Pac-12) at Oregon State (14-7, 6-3 Pac-12) | Thursday • 7:00 p.m.
Gill Coliseum • Corvallis, Ore.
Television: Pac-12 Networks | Radio: Stanford Cardinal Sports Network
Game Notes: Stanford | Live Stats: OSUBeavers.com
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STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford travels North to Corvallis to face Oregon State Thursday night at Gill Coliseum. The Cardinal has won three straight and five of its last six games against the Beavers. Stanford, which did not travel to the Oregon schools last season due to scheduling, has won its last two in Corvallis.
OKPALA NAMED FINALIST FOR JULIUS ERVING AWARD
Sophomore KZ Okpala has been named a finalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 10 finalists on Wednesday. The sophomore ranks third in the Pac-12 in scoring (18.1 ppg), fifth in three-point field goal percentage (.410), and 14th in rebounding (6.1 rpg). In conference play, the forward is second in scoring, averaging 20.4 ppg. Okpala scored a career-high 30 points in Sunday's win at California.
BREAKING DOWN OKPALA'S PERFORMANCES
• One of 10 individuals in the nation to average 21.0 ppg or better in their last six games.
• 12 20-point games this season is tied for the most in the Pac-12 and is eight more than last year
• Career-high 30 points at California is one of seven 30-point games in conference play this year
• Averaging 19.9 ppg in his last 11 games, after averaging 15.8 ppg in the first nine contests.
• Of the 16 performances of 29+ points in the Pac-12, only Okpala has achieved the feat three times
OKPALA'S IMPACT AS A SOPHOMORE
Sophomore KZ Okpala leads Stanford in scoring (18.1 ppg) and rebounding (6.1 rpg) in 33.0 mpg through 20 games he has played in this season (missed Washington State game with an injury). In 23 games as a freshman, he averaged 10.0 ppg in 28.5 mpg.
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 have more than two years of playing experience. Through 21 games, first and second-year players have accounted for 83% of Stanford's scoring (1,271 of 1,537) and 80% of Stanford's rebounding (586 of 736).
Stanford's starting lineup in seven games has been made up of freshmen and sophomores. In five games, sophomores Daejon Davis, KZ Okpala and Oscar da Silva have started alongside freshmen Cormac Ryan and Bryce Wills. Three freshmen - Ryan, Wills, Delaire - started at UCLA. The Cardinal is one of only four teams in Division I that have started all freshmen and sophomores this season, joining East Carolina, Incarnate Word and Mount St. Mary's.
AGAINST OREGON STATE
Oregon State leads the all-time series, 75-71. Stanford has won the last three games and five of the last six overall. The Cardinal has won the last two matchups in Corvallis. With Stanford not playing at Oregon State last season due to Pac-12 scheduling, only senior Josh Sharma and junior Marcus Sheffield have played at Gill Coliseum previously. Both have played twice previously in Corvallis. No player on the current Stanford roster has lost to the Beavers in Corvallis.
CARDINAL PLAYERS AGAINST OREGON STATE
Seven active Stanford players have faced Oregon State previously. Only senior Josh Sharma and junior Marcus Sheffield have played in more than one game against Oregon State.
LAST GAME AGAINST THE BEAVERS
Reid Travis scored 21 of his 24 points in the first half and grabbed six of his nine rebounds in the second, helping Stanford beat Oregon State 80-71 at Maples Pavilion on Feb. 1, 2018. Dorian Pickens added 15 and Daejon Davis added 12 points and seven assists. Drew Eubanks scored 19 points to lead the Beavers. Tres Tinkle added 18 and both Stephen Thompson Jr. and Ethan Thompson scored 10. Eubanks converted a 3-point play in the final eight minutes to pull Oregon State within six points at 64-58 but that was as close as the Beavers got.
SHARMA ON TARGET
Senior Josh Sharma leads the Pac-12 in field goal percentage, shooting 66.4 percent from the field (71-of-107). In conference play, he leads the Pac-12 in FG percentage by more than 12 percent, shooting 75.6 percent (31-of-41).
JOSH JAMS
Of Josh Sharma's 71 field goals on the season, 34 have been dunks. He has 27 dunks in the last 16 games.
SHARMA SHINES IN LAST 10 GAMES
Over his last 10 games, Josh Sharma is averaging 9.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and is shooting 73.2 percent from the field. He averaged 6.6 ppg and 3.8 rpg in his first 11 contests of the season.
SENIOR SENDS IT AWAY
Josh Sharma owns 26 blocks on the year. He ranks eighth in the Pac-12 in blocks (1.2 bpg) overall and fourth in the conference in league action (1.4 bpg).
DAVIS DOES IT ALL
Sophomore Daejon Davis has averaged 15.5 pts., 4.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds. and 2.5 steals in the last four games. The point guard has posted a season-best 19 points in three games, against Kansas, Eastern Washington and San Francisco.
Davis is third in the Pac-12 in steals (1.7 spg) and seventh in assists (4.3 apg). He is fourth in the conference with 5.1 apg during Pac-12 action.
The sophomore has recorded at least four points, four rebounds, and four assists OR four steals in a game six times this season. Against Colorado, the point guard recorded 16 points, six assists and four rebounds. Davis has posted at least four points, four rebounds, four assists AND four steals in two games this season against UNC Wilmington and Middle Tennessee.
MOST BLOCKS IN THREE SEASONS
Stanford's 10 blocks against Utah marked its highest total in a game in three seasons. The Cardinal last reached double digits in blocks in a game on Nov. 13, 2015 against Green Bay, finishing with 12 in the contest. Stanford owns 102 blocks on the season, and ranks third in the Pac-12, averaging 4.9 bpg. The Cardinal is third in conference play as well, averaging 5.1 bpg.
CORMAC BACK
Freshman Cormac Ryan returned Sunday at California, after missing the previous four games and seven of the previous 11 with ankle injuries. He has recorded at least four three-point field goals in a game in five contests (6 vs. USC, 5 vs. Seattle, 4 vs. North Carolina, 4 vs. Florida, 4 vs. Eastern Washington), and has multiple three-point field goals in eight games. The freshman is shooting 34.8 percent from three-point range (32-of-92). Ryan's career-best six threes at USC (all in the second half) were the most threes in a game by a Stanford freshman since Chasson Randle (6) vs. Arizona State on March 7, 2012.
WILLS ONE OF NATION'S YOUNGEST PLAYERS
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. Wills is the seventh-youngest player in the nation. He has started 13 games overall, including eight of the last 10.
In Pac-12 play, Wills is averaging 8.3 ppg and 4.8 rpg in 28.7 mpg. He has played more than 27 minutes in each of Stanford's last four games. Wills averaged 3.3 ppg and 2.6 rpg in 22.2 mpg in 11 nonconference games. The freshman recorded a career-best 16 points Sunday at California.
BACK-TO-BACK TOP-20 RECRUITING CLASSES
Five true freshmen have seen action this season, including regular starters Cormac Ryan and Bryce Wills. Ryan is third on the team in scoring (9.8 ppg). Wills is averaging 8.3 ppg and 4.8 rpg during conference play. Fellow freshman Jaiden Delaire is averaging 3.9 points in 14.0 minutes of action. He has started two contests on the year. Lukas Kisunas has played in 17 games, averaging 6.6 minutes per contest. Sam Beskind made his Cardinal debut in the win over Eastern Washington. The Cardinal's class of newcomers was ranked as high as No. 20 nationally, giving the program back-to-back top-20 recruiting classes. Stanford's 2017 class of Daejon Davis, KZ Okpala, Oscar da Silva and Isaac White was ranked No. 8 nationally.
FREQUENT FLYERS
Nine of Stanford's first 14 games were played away from The Farm. The Cardinal traveled 16,787 miles during that span. Stanford has played outside the Pacific time zone in six of its 12 road games, traveling to Chapel Hill and Wilmington, North Carolina, Lawrence, Kansas and the Bahamas. Stanford spent 16 of the first 26 days of the season (Nov. 6-Dec. 2) on the road, traveling inside and outside the U.S. Stanford's nine home games so far this season is the least amount in Division I.