SETTING THE SCENE
Returning home from a split on the road in Los Angeles, Stanford men’s basketball opens a four-game homestand on Tuesday, Feb. 1 against rival California. The action tips off at 7 p.m. on Pac-12 Network
THE OPENING TIP
• Stanford is 12-7 (5-4 Pac-12) overall, with conference wins over Oregon, USC (twice), Washington State & Arizona State. Harrison Ingram leads the team with 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while Jaiden Delaire is close behind at 11.0 points per night. Michael O’Connell paces the squad with 3.8 assists per night.
• The Cardinal earned its fourth quadrant one win on Jan. 27 vs. USC, and is one of 16 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 17 of 19 games this season, posting a plus-7.6 margin on the glass, which is 15th-best nationally. Stanford ranks in the top-25 nationally in offensive rebound (25th, 35.4%) and defensive rebound percentage (13th, 77.5%) per KenPom.
• Stanford swept the regular season series with USC for the first time since 2014-15, with the Trojans ranked as a top-15 team in both meetings.
BASKETBALL’S BIG GAME
After health and safety protocols pushed back the original date, Stanford will finally face Cal in the first rivalry matchup on Tuesday. Stanford won each of the regular season meetings a year ago, while the Bears clipped the Cardinal in the Pac-12 Tournament. Jaiden Delaire leads all returners with 12.7 points per game in last year’s series, while Michael O’Connell was in double figures in each of the last two meetings. Stanford has won each of the last two games at Maples Pavilion.