Stanford Cardinal
Pac-12 (18-14, 9-9)
Stanford went 9-9 in Pac-12 play during the regular season, but their resume lacks the big win. The only quality non-conference wins of note were against Northern Iowa and Denver. In conference play there were not many opportunities for that big win either, but they lost at Arizona. However, they did beat rival Cal twice and beat Oregon. On the other end of the spectrum, the Cardinal do not have any really bad losses either and this is a squad that has the potential to beat anybody on any given day.
Big Wins: 12/02 Denver (71-58), 2/09 at Arizona State (62-59), 3/06 at California (83-70)
Bad Losses: 1/03 at USC (69-71), 2/14 USC (64-65), 2/23 at Oregon (66-77)
Coach: Johnny Dawkins (5 seasons at Stanford)
Why They Can Surprise:
The Cardinal are a well balanced team that have scorers inside and out. Yet, it may be the play of Aaron Bright that propels Stanford into a deep tournament run. The senior point guard is not putting up huge numbers this year, but he has done a superb job of keeping the turnovers down. Chasson Randle will join Bright in the backcourt. Randle is a much more consistent shooter than Bright and will also use his strength and speed to finish around the basket. The frontcourt may be even better with Dwight Powell and Josh Huestis leading the way. Powell is a great athlete for a 6-9, 225 pound forward. He can knock down open jumpers with ease, hit the glass hard and even pass very effectively out of the double team. Huestis can stretch out the defense more than Powell. But he is also a great rebounder, averaging over nine per game.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Stanford shoots relatively well from beyond the arc, but their overall shooting percentage is pretty bad. For a team that has interior scoring threats like Powell and Huestis, they should be much more efficient. This team can hit the glass effectively and will usually win the turnover battle, but in order to make a serious run, they must be more efficient offensively. Those big guys cannot afford to miss easy buckets in the paint and any help they can get from Bright and Randle could be huge.
Probable Starters:
Aaron Bright, Junior, Guard, 9.4 ppg, 3.5 apg
Chasson Randle, Sophomore, Guard, 14.0 ppg, 2.7 apg
Josh Huestis, Junior, Forward, 10.7 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 2.1 bpg
Andy Brown, Senior, Forward, 6.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Dwight Powell, Junior, Forward, 15.4 ppg, 8.2 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Rosco Allen, Freshman, Forward, 3.4 pg, 2.3 rpg
John Gage, Junior, Center, 5.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg
Gabriel Harris, Senior, Guard, 2.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.9 (90th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.1 (162, 8)
Field-Goal Percentage: 41.7 (254, 12)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.4 (162, 9)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.6 (121, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.2 (98, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.1 (39, 3)
Rebound Margin: 1.9 (124, 8)
Assists Per Game: 12.1 (227, 10)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.7 (51, 2)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
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
*all team stats through 3/10
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
