SETTING THE SCENE
Stanford will play its second game in three days at Maples Pavilion on Wednesday, Nov. 17, hosting Valparaiso at 5:30 p.m. on Pac-12 Network.
THE OPENING TIP
• Stanford went 14-13 (10-10 Pac-12) last season, including three victories over eventual Sweet 16 teams and two over Elite Eight programs. The team is off to a 2-1 start this season.
• Harrison Ingram leads the team with 18.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while Jaiden Delaire is also averaging double figures with 13.0 per night. Seven players are scoring at least five points a night.
• Delaire was named last season’s Pac-12’s Most Improved Player of the Year after more than doubling his sophomore scoring mark to 13.4 points per game in conference action. He reached double-figure scoring in 15 of the last 19 games in 2020-21.
• The Cardinal has scheduled a challenging non-conference slate led by defending national champion Baylor, beginning a home-and-home series, and a trip to Honolulu for the Diamond Head Classic. Stanford will play three teams this season in the AP preseason top-eight, four in the top-13 and eight that were either in the top-25 or received votes.
• Stanford’s defense was once again one of the best in the Pac-12, as well as nationally, a year ago. After finishing 7th in 2019-20 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency, the Cardinal finished 28th last year. The Cardinal allowed just 50 points in its opener against Tarleton State.
THAT’S HIGH PRAISE
It took no time at all for Harrison Ingram to earn accolades from the Pac-12, as he was named the conference Freshman of the Week for the opening salvo to the college basketball season. Ingram averaged 17.5 points per game over two outings over Tarleton State and Santa Clara, and the five-star recruit has scored at least 16 points in each of his three games this season. Ingram’s 17.5 point-per-game scoring average led all freshmen in the Pac-12 in week one, and was 12th nationally among true freshmen.
WELCOME HOME
Valparaiso head coach Matt Lottich is no stranger to Maples Pavilion, appearing in 113 games as a player for the Cardinal from 2000-04. Lottich averaged 11.3 and 12.3 points per game, respectively, over his final two seasons on the Farm, and was part of the team’s 30-win campaign as a senior. Lottich’s senior season included a buzzer-beating win to lead a comeback effort at Washington State.
Lottich ranks 11th all-time in made 3-pointers at Stanford, and eighth in made triples during a single season (79, 2002-03). He was an honorable mention All-Pac-10 honoree in 2004.