SETTING THE SCENE
After its Thursday bout with USC was postponed, Stanford men’s basketball continues the week in Santa Cruz against UCLA on Saturday at Kaiser Permanente Arena. The 2 p.m. contest will be televised on Fox.
THE OPENING TIP
• Stanford is off to an 8-5 start (4-3 Pac-12), with league wins over Arizona, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State. Stanford is 4-0 this season in Santa Cruz, including a 3-0 mark in conference play.
• The Cardinal’s second-straight scheduled meeting with USC has been postponed. The first was scheduled for Dec. 13 in Los Angeles, but was postponed to Feb. 2. Yesterday’s clash was delayed, as was the first, due to Covid-19 related issues in the Trojans program.
• Through 13 games, Stanford ranks 12th nationally in defensive efficiency (per KenPom, as of Jan. 22) while posting the 26th-best field goal defense in the country (39.1%). Stanford ranked seventh nationally in defensive efficiency a year ago, while boasting the nation’s 16th-ranked scoring defense.
• Stanford is the only power conference program yet to play at its home facility this season. The Cardinal’s only “home” games have been played in Santa Cruz. The Cardinal is also one of two power conference teams to boast multiple road wins in non-conference play, joining Oklahoma State.
• Oscar da Silva is stating his case as the Pac-12’s top player through seven games, averaging 20.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per night in conference play.
• The Cardinal snapped a 15-year drought in Pauley Pavilion a year ago, besting the Bruins by 15 points. Stanford, which has won two of the last three in the series, was led by 24 points from Tyrell Terry, now of the Dallas Mavericks.
“HOME” COURT ADVANTAGE
Stanford is one of four Pac-12 teams without a blemish on its home record, despite the Cardinal’s home games being played in Santa Cruz to this point. UCLA, Oregon and Colorado join Stanford without a defeat on their home floor.