Stanford Cardinal
Pac-12 (21-11, 10-8)
Stanford has had quite the battle this season. They scrapped and clawed their way to the middle of the Pac-12 in what has been an up-and-down year. Johnny Dawkins is in his fourth year as head coach, and he is putting his stamp on the program. He has done a great job recruiting to a school that is academically difficult to recruit to. This season he has the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year on his squad in Chasson Randle. It is a fairly young team, with a nice mixture of veterans that have kept this team afloat. How much damage they can do in the postseason remains to be seen.
Big Wins: 11/15 Colorado State (64-52), 12/4 North Carolina State (76-72), 3/4 California (75-70)
Bad Losses: 12/22 Butler (66-71), 1/19 at Washington State (69-81), 2/25 at Utah (57-58)
Coach: Johnny Dawkins (4 years at Stanford)
Why They Can Surprise:
Stanford can make things happen if their bench can take them to heights they have not recently been accustomed to. Dawkins has 10 players that average over 12 minutes per game. Not all of those bodies produce, but at least it gives the starters time to rest. If one of those reserves can catch fire, then it will boost Stanford’s chances of a run. The Cardinal is also a very good rebounding team. They are top 50 in the country in rebounds per game, which helps them limit second chances for their opponents. The key for Stanford is to hold opponents under 70 points. In all but three of their losses, the opponents scored 70 points or more.
Why They Can Disappoint:
This team is average offensively, and they do not do a great job of spreading the ball around. They average only 12.4 assists per game. They turn the ball over a lot, which also takes away chances to accumulate points. Also, when the game is on the line, this team will need to make its free throws. So far this year, the Cardinal has shown that it has trouble doing that. They only shoot 65.4 percent from the line. In close games, that can make or break a team. Though Chasson Randle is going to be a great player, he is only a freshman. Stanford could use a leader on the floor to calm things down and provide a spark when the going gets tough.
Probable Starters:
Chasson Randle, Freshman, Guard, 13.8 ppg, 2.1 apg
Jarrett Mann, Senior, Guard, 3.5 ppg, 1.6 apg
Anthony Brown, Sophomore, Guard-Forward, 7.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg
Andrew Zimmerman, Senior, Forward, 4.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg
Josh Owens, Senior, Forward-Center, 11.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Aaron Bright, Sophomore, Guard, 10.9 ppg, 3.6 apg
John Gage, Sophomore, Forward-Center, 4.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Josh Huestis, Sophomore, Forward, 5.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.1 bpg
Dwight Powell, Sophomore, Forward, 7.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg
Jack Trotter, Senior, Center, 2.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.0 (120th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 62.4 (59, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.1 (136, 10)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.6 (99, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.7 (109, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.6 (68, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 65.4 (280, 10)
Rebound Margin: 5.7 (25, 1)
Assists Per Game: 12.4 (203, 8)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.1 (229, 11)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Stanford 2009 CBI First Round win over Boise State
Stanford 2009 CBI Second Round win over Wichita State
Stanford 2009 CBI Semifinal loss to Oregon State
Stanford 2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Cornell
Stanford 2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Marquette
Stanford 2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Texas
Stanford 2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Louisville
Stanford 2006 NIT Opening Round win over Virginia
Stanford 2006 NIT First Round loss to Missouri State
Stanford 2005 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Mississippi State
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
