SETTING THE SCENE
Looking to end January on a high note, Stanford men’s basketball travels to Los Angeles for a pair of games against ranked opponents, starting with No. 15/15 USC on Thursday, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. on FS1.
THE OPENING TIP
• Stanford is 11-6 (4-3 Pac-12) overall, with conference wins over Oregon, USC, Washington State & Arizona State. Harrison Ingram leads the team with 11.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, while Jaiden Delaire is close behind at 11.1 points per night. Michael O’Connell paces the squad with 3.9 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 one of two Pac-12 programs to meet that standard, joining Washington State.
• Stanford is 8-1 at home this season, with five of the wins coming in double-digit fashion. The Cardinal remained unbeaten in November home games since 2018 (12-0), and got off to a 7-0 start at home for the second time in three seasons. The Cardinal is 3-1 in home Pac-12 games after beating Oregon Dec. 12 with a buzzer beater from Jaiden Delaire, upsetting No. 5 USC Jan. 11 and outlasting Arizona State Jan. 22.
• The Cardinal has outrebounded its opponent in 15 of 17 games this season, posting a plus-8.2 margin on the glass, which is 13th-best nationally. Stanford ranks in the top-20 nationally in offensive rebound (19th, 35.3%) and defensive rebound percentage (13th, 77.5%) per KenPom.
• Building its resume, Stanford is the only program in the Pac-12 with at least three quadrant one wins. Two of those wins came this month, as Stanford bested USC at home and Washington State in Pullman.
LOOKING FOR A SWEEP
Stanford is looking for its first regular season sweep of USC since 2014-15, not including seasons the teams faced off only once. The Cardinal upset the then-No. 5 Trojans on Jan. 11 at Maples Pavilion, led by 21 points apiece from Harrison Ingram and Spencer Jones. With the victory, Stanford earned its first win over a top five opponent since Jan. 28, 2007 when it beat UCLA (75-68). A win on Thursday would tie the all-time series at 129 apiece - a series that dates back to the 1916-17 campaign.