SETTING THE SCENE
The postseason begins on Wednesday, as Stanford faces off with Arizona State in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament. The noon tip will air on Pac-12 Network, with the winner advancing to play Arizona.
THE OPENING TIP
• Stanford is 15-15 (8-12 Pac-12), with league wins over Oregon, USC (twice), Washington State, Arizona State, Cal, Washington and Oregon State. The Cardinal earned the ninth seed in the Pac-12 Tournament.
• Spencer Jones leads the team with 11.0 points per game, while Harrison Ingram and Jaiden Delaire average 10.5 points each. Ingram paces the squad with 6.6 rebounds while Michael O’Connell dishes a team-leading 3.5 assists per night.
• Harrison Ingram was honored as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, and was an honorable mention All-Pac-12 selection alongside Spencer Jones. Jones was an honorable mention All-Defense pick.
• Stanford sees an immediate rematch with Arizona State after facing off just four days prior in Tempe. The Cardinal and Sun Devils split the season series, with Stanford winning at home on Jan. 22, 79-76.
• The Cardinal has outrebounded its opponent in 25 of 30 games, and has only been outrebounded three times, posting a plus-7.1 margin on the glass, which is 15th-best nationally. Stanford is in the top-25 nationally in offensive rebound (23rd, 34.1%) and defensive rebound percentage (12th, 77.6%) per KenPom.
VIVA LAS VEGAS
Stanford will face Arizona State for the sixth time in the Pac-12 Tournament, going 3-2 over the previous five meetings and 2-2 since the conference expanded to 12 teams. The last meeting came in the first round of the 2017 event, which Arizona State won in overtime, 98-88. The sixth-seeded Cardinal upset the No. 3 Sun Devils in 2014 to reach the semifinal, avenging another overtime loss from the 2013 event, 89-88. The Cardinal won its first two matchups with Arizona State in the tournament, coming in 2012, 85-65, and 2010, 70-61. After Washington (7), Stanford’s five matchups with Arizona State are tied for its second most with any team, alongside Arizona, California and UCLA.