SETTING THE SCENE
After sweeping the regular season series with USC on Thursday, Stanford finishes its Los Angeles swing on Saturday, Jan. 29 against No. 7/8 UCLA. The 6:30 p.m. bout will air on Pac-12 Network.
THE OPENING TIP
• Stanford is 12-6 (5-3 Pac-12) overall, with conference wins over Oregon, USC (twice), Washington State & Arizona State. Harrison Ingram leads the team with 11.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while Jaiden Delaire is close behind at 11.2 points per night. Michael O’Connell paces the squad with 3.9 assists per night.
• The Cardinal earned its fourth quadrant one win on Jan. 27 vs. USC, and is one of 14 teams nationally to meet that threshold. Stanford is the only Pac-12 team with four wins in the top tier.
• 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 16 of 18 games this season, posting a plus-7.9 margin on the glass, which is 16th-best nationally. Stanford ranks in the top-25 nationally in offensive rebound (22nd, 35.3%) and defensive rebound percentage (15th, 77.4%) per KenPom.
• Stanford swept the regular season series with USC for the first time since 2014-15 (in seasons with a home and home), and can sweep the Los Angeles road trip for the first time since 2004-05.
BRUIN BATTLE
Stanford has won the last two meetings with UCLA, with Saturday’s matchup also an opportunity to face a fourth top-10 opponent this season. Two years ago, the Cardinal posted a 15-point win in Pauley while last year Oscar da Silva ’21 scored at the buzzer in Santa Cruz to propel Stanford to a win in overtime. Stanford has won the last three regular season meetings. Spencer Jones averages 13.5 points per game in his career against UCLA, while Jaiden Delaire had 19 in last year’s contest in Santa Cruz.