SETTING THE SCENE
Welcoming its first Pac-12 opponent to Northern California, but not to Maples Pavilion, Stanford men’s basketball hosts Arizona on Saturday, Dec. 19 at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz, California. The 4 p.m. tip-off will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.
THE OPENING TIP
• Stanford is off to a 3-2 start after a fourth-place finish in the Maui Invitational (Asheville, N.C.) and wins at NC A&T and CSUN. 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 week one 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 five games, Stanford ranks 12th nationally in defensive efficiency (as of Dec. 16) while playing the nation’s 61st-toughest schedule, per KenPom. Stanford ranked seventh nationally in defensive efficiency 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.
• Stanford is one of three power conference programs yet to play a home game so far this season, joining DePaul and South Carolina. Both the Blue Demons and Gamecocks are slated to open at home Dec. 23.
PAC-12 OPENER
The contest serves as the Pac-12 opener for both teams, which comes after both had their original opener postponed. Stanford has never begun conference play with Arizona, and looks to snap its 20-game losing skid in the series dating back to 2009. This is the sixth matchup with Arizona away from campus sites, and the second outside of the conference tournament, as the teams met in Honolulu in 1968.