Stanford Cardinal
Pac-12 (21-12, 10-8)
Even though Stanford’s Pac-12 tournament run came to an end in the semifinals with an 84-59 loss to California, Stanford still reached the NCAA Tournament. This was the school’s first tournament semifinal appearance in the Pac-12 Tournament since 2010. It marks the first tournament appearance this decade for the Cardinal, who made regular appearances in the NCAA in the 2000s. In fact, Stanford missed the tournament that decade in just two years (2006 and 2009). It would not be the most successful season in terms of wins in the Johnny Dawkins era, because that honor goes to the 26-win team that won the NIT championship in 2012. Still, any time a school goes to the tournament it has to be considered a successful season.
Big Wins: 12/18 at Connecticut (53-51), 1/12 at Oregon (82-80), 2/22 UCLA (83-74)
Bad Losses: 11/26 vs Pittsburgh (67-88), 1/9 at Oregon State (72-81), 2/12 at Washington (60-64)
Coach: Johnny Dawkins (6 seasons at Stanford)
Why They Can Surprise:
The run to this successful season starts with junior Chasson Randle, who averaged close to 19 points a game and finished just behind Oregon State’s Roberto Nelson in the Pac-12 scoring race. Together with senior Dwight Powell, the Cardinal have a formidable 1-2 scoring punch. Stanford also has four scorers in the top 30 in the conference, averaging between 11 and 19 points a game. Granted, most teams have this scoring punch, but this also protects Stanford from letdowns if one player has an off night on the court. Because Stanford was one of five teams to finish in a tie for third in the Pac-12 a lot of teams (and fans) may have forgotten about the Cardinal and their chances to spoil the success of the top teams. And because the Cardinal are making their first NCAA appearance in six years, some programs may dismiss Stanford as a team likely to make a one-game exit.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Where most teams have a well-rounded game that stretches from rebounds to blocked shots, not to mention points on the board, Stanford has a couple problems that could pose a risk. Stanford’s 11.84 assists per game ranked in the bottom quarter of all Pac-12 schools, and its 5.06 steals per game was second from the bottom. This suggests a team that tends to keep the basketball to itself and a team that is not aggressive on defense. A good program goes after the ball, it always tries to force turnovers and always looks to pad stats other than offensive numbers. In no way does this suggest Stanford has a selfish team or selfish players, but the Cardinal players need to find a way to get these numbers up.
Probable Starters:
Chasson Randle, Junior, Guard, 18.7 ppg, 2.2 apg
Anthony Brown, Junior, Guard/Forward, 12.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg
Dwight Powell, Senior, Forward, 14.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.2 apg
Josh Huestis, Senior, Forward, 11.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.8 bpg
Stefan Nastic, Junior, Center, 7.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
John Gage, Senior, Forward/Center, 3.3 ppg
Robbie Lemons, Senior, Guard, 2.2 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.8 (88th in nation, 7th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.7 (135, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.1 (80, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.9 (88, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.9 (209, 7)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.3 (62, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.6 (185, 7)
Rebound Margin: 2.1 (119, 4)
Assists Per Game: 12.0 (222, 10)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.3 (72, 4)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NIT First Round win over Stephen F Austin
2013 NIT Second Round loss to Alabama
2012 NIT First Round win over Cleveland State
2012 NIT Second Round win over Illinois State
2012 NIT Quarterfinal win over Nevada
2012 NIT Semifinal win over Massachusetts
2012 NIT Final win over Minnesota
2009 CBI First Round win over Boise State
2009 CBI Second Round win over Wichita State
2009 CBI Semifinal loss to Oregon State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Cornell
2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Marquette
2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Texas
2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Louisville
2006 NIT Opening Round win over Virginia
2006 NIT First Round loss to Missouri State
2005 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Mississippi State
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
