SETTING THE SCENE
Stanford’s weekend at home continues on New Year’s Eve, as the Cardinal welcomes Utah on Saturday at 1 p.m. on Pac-12 Network. The matchup is the sixth in program history on record on New Year’s Eve, and the first since 2011. The Cardinal is 3-2 all-time in Dec. 31 contests.
THE OPENING TIP
• The Cardinal is 5-8 (0-2 Pac-12) to open the campaign, including home wins over Pacific (88-78), Cal Poly (80-43) and Green Bay (85-40) and neutral site wins over Florida State (70-60) and Loyola Chicago (75-62).
• Through 12 games, Spencer Jones leads the team with 12.0 points per game, and joined Stanford’s 1,000-point club on Dec. 29 with a 25-point outing against Colorado. Michael Jones also averages in double figures, ranking second on the team at 10.5 per night.
• Harrison Ingram, who was Stanford’s first Pac-12 Freshman of the Year since Casey Jacobsen in 2000, withdrew his name from the 2022 NBA Draft to return to The Farm for his sophomore campaign. He is averaging 9.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and a team-best 2.9 assists per game.
• The Cardinal returns eight of its top nine rotation players from a year ago, ranking sixth nationally in minutes continuity, per KenPom, while also bringing in the program’s first transfer in 12 years and the first graduate transfer in program history in Michael Jones (Davidson). Jones had a game to remember in the season opener, with his 31 points the most by a Stanford player in his team debut on record.
• Spencer Jones paces the program in Pac-12 play with 18.7 points per game, which ranks sixth in the league. He also ranks first with 15 made free throws and seven made threes and second with 3.0 offensive rebounds per game.
1,000 POINTS FOR JONES AGAINST COLORADO
Spencer Jones scored a season-high 25 points, but Stanford men’s basketball was tripped up by Colorado, 73-70, after a back-and-forth contest at Maples Pavilion on Thursday, Dec. 29. Jones tallied his eighth-career 20-point outing, making seven field goals, including three triples, and a perfect 8-for-8 mark from the free throw line. The senior became the program’s 50th member of the 1,000-point club, and moved into 49th on the program’s all-time scoring list. He also grabbed a team-best six rebounds to go with two steals and two blocks.