SETTING THE SCENE
Stanford will play its first neutral site contest of the year, and the first of four in a row, when it meets No. 17/17 Texas on Dec. 19 in the Pac-12 Coast to Coast Challenge in Las Vegas. The game will air on ABC.
THE OPENING TIP
• Stanford is 6-3 (1-1 Pac-12) to start the season, with all five non-conference wins coming in double-digit fashion. Harrison Ingram leads the team with 12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while Jaiden Delaire matches Ingram at 12.6 per night. Michael O’Connell paces the squad with 3.6 assists per outing.
• Showcasing the program’s depth and balance, 11 Cardinal players have reached double figures in a game this season. The Cardinal is the only Pac-12 program to reach 11 players in this category.
• Stanford is 6-0 at home this season, besting opponents by an average of 11.3 points per game at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal remained unbeaten in November home games since 2018 (12-0), and are off to a 6-0 start at home for the second time in three seasons. The Cardinal is 12-3 in December home games under Jerod Haase, and 8-1 over the last three-plus seasons.
• The Cardinal tallied two neutral site wins a year ago over ranked opponents (Alabama, UCLA), and will look for its first win over a ranked Texas team since Dec. 23, 2014, a 74-71 overtime triumph.
• The Cardinal has outrebounded its opponent in all nine games this season, posting a plus-9.4 margin on the glass, which is 18th-best nationally. Stanford is holding foes to 28.8 rebounds per game, and ranks 14th nationally in offensive rebound percentage (37.3%).
RANKINGS REPORT
Stanford has won four of its last 10 games against ranked opponents, including victories over Oregon, Colorado, Alabama and UCLA. The Cardinal came up short in its first attempt this season, on the road at now-top-ranked Baylor, but will face four more ranked teams, and three in the top 10, in the current AP poll this season. Stanford had two neutral ranked victories last season, and its last win over a top-10 opponent also came against the then-No. 9/9 Longhorns on Dec. 23, 2014 (74-71, ot).