Aug. 30, 2011
STANFORD, Calif.- Only four days of practice remain before Stanford embarks on its 11-day trip to Spain, which includes games to be played against world-class competition in cities such as Alicante, Barcelona and Madrid.
Highlighting the tour are games against Real Madrid, which has won a record 30 Spanish League championships and eight Euroleague Championships, and powerhouse FC Barcelona Regal, which defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in an exhibition game last October. Making the contest even more memorable, FC Barcelona Regal will be playing its first-ever game against a college team.
Stanford's opponents for the Spain trip are members of the ACB League (or Liga ACB, The Asociacion de Clubs de Baloncesto), which is considered to be the top professional league in Europe and recognized by many as the best in the world after the NBA.
The Cardinal returned to campus last week and has been practicing since last Thursday.
Listen to what a few of the guys had to say about the upcoming trip:
The Cardinal will depart from San Francisco early in the morning on Saturday, Sept. 3, and arrive in Madrid at approximately 7 a.m. local time the following day. After a brief midweek stay in Alicante, the final five days of the tour will be spent in Barcelona before returning home on Wednesday, Sept. 14.
The NCAA allows teams to travel overseas once every four years. Stanford most previously toured Italy in 2007, while visiting Australia and New Zealand back in 2001.
Here is a quick look at Stanford's current game schedule during the trip:
| Monday, Sept. 5 | Estudiantes (ACB) in Madrid - scrimmage |
| Tuesday, Sept. 6 | Real Madrid (ACB) in Madrid |
| Wednesday, Sept. 7 | CB Murcia (promoted to ACB) in Totana |
| Thursday, Sept. 8 | Meridiano Alicante (ACB) in Alicante |
| Saturday, Sept. 10 | Assignia Manresa (ACB) in Barcelona |
| Sunday, Sept. 11 | Regal Barcelona (ACB) in Barcelona |