SETTING THE SCENE
After opening the 2020-21 campaign with a 12-day venture to North Carolina, Stanford men’s basketball travels to Cal State Northridge on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN3
THE OPENING TIP
• Stanford is off to a 2-2 start after a fourth-place finish in the Maui Invitational (Asheville, N.C.) and a win at NC A&T. The Cardinal defeated Alabama in the opening round of the tournament, 82-64, as four players finished in double figures. The win over Alabama is the only Pac-12 win to this point over a ranked opponent, as the Crimson Tide was slotted at No. 25 in the USA Today coaches’ poll.
• 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.
• Through four games, Stanford ranks fourth nationally in defensive efficiency while playing the nation’s 31st-toughest schedule, per KenPom. Stanford ranked seventh nationally in the category a year ago, while boasting the nation’s 16th-ranked scoring defense.
• 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.
• The contest with the Matadors was slated to be Stanford’s second in Los Angeles, but its Pac-12 opener with USC was postponed. Stanford will now open Pac-12 play Dec. 19 in Santa Cruz against Arizona.
• Stanford is 5-0 all-time against CSUN, including a 96-69 win in Jerod Haase’s second game at the helm in 2016, and his first at Maples Pavilion.
EXTENDED ROAD TRIP
Stanford is set to play its fifth straight game away from home to start the season, doing so for the first time since the 1996-97 campaign. The 96-97 team ended up going to the Sweet 16. As of Dec. 15, Stanford’s road trip has lasted 18 days, as the team temporarily relocated out of Santa Clara County until Dec. 21.