SETTING THE SCENE
Playing its fourth-consecutive game in the state of North Carolina to start the season, Stanford men’s basketball will travel to Greensboro on Sunday, Dec. 6 for a 11 p.m. PT tip-off against North Carolina A&T. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN3.
THE OPENING TIP
• Stanford is off to a 1-2 start after a fourth-place finish in the Maui Invitational (Asheville, N.C.). The Cardinal defeated Alabama in the opening round, as four players finished in double figures.
• The Cardinal finished 20-12 overall and remained solidly in contention for an NCAA Tournament berth throughout a 2019-20 season shortened by the COVID-19 global outbreak.
• Boasting the nation’s No. 16-ranked scoring defense a year ago, and KenPom No. 7 defense, the Cardinal also shot its highest field goal percentage (.469) since 2003-04. Through three games, Stanford ranks sixth nationally in defensive efficiency while playing the nation’s 12th-toughest schedule, per KenPom.
• The Cardinal returns 74 percent of its scoring from a year ago, and adds to it with ESPN’s 10th-rated recruiting class in the country, led by five star small forward Ziaire Williams. All five of Stanford’s freshmen were rated four stars or higher by at least one recruiting service.
• Stanford is 11-0 all-time against historically black colleges and universities, including a 1-0 mark (76-59, 2010) all-time against North Carolina A&T.
GAME SIGNIFICANCE
The matchup on Sunday marks the first time in program history that Stanford will travel to an HBCU, and the first time in North Carolina A&T history that it will host a power five opponent. The Cardinal is 11-0 all-time against HBCUs, which is spread across nine opponents: Alcorn State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M, Howard, Maryland-Eastern Shore, NC A&T, South Carolina State and Texas Southern. This marks the second-straight season Stanford will face an HBCU, while men’s basketball is the first Stanford team to travel to an HBCU since women’s volleyball played at Howard in 2018.