Feb. 8, 2013

Game Notes

Stanford Cardinal (14-9, 5-5 Pac-12)
at
Arizona State Sun Devils (18-5, 7-3 Pac-12)

Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013 • 4 p.m. PT
Tempe, AZ • Wells Fargo Arena (14,141)
Series History: Stanford leads 43-30
Last Meeting: Stanford 85, Arizona State 65 (March 7, 2012 at Los Angeles, CA)
Radio: KNBR 1050 AM (PBP: John Platz)
TV: ESPNU (PBP: Dave Flemming, Analyst: Sean Farnham)

The Opening Tip
Stanford (14-9, 5-5 Pac-12) visits Arizona State (18-5, 7-3 Pac-12) on Saturday afternoon in a pivotal conference matchup. The Cardinal, seeking a road split after Wednesday's loss at No. 7/7 Arizona, is trying to climb into the upper half of the Pac-12 standings. Arizona State is gunning for a home sweep and wants to strengthen its chances for being considered a contender for the league crown.

Media Memo
Saturday's game can be heard live on KNBR 1050 AM and Stanford's official athletics website, www.gostanford.com, featuring veteran play-by-play announcer John Platz, who is 11-5 since the 2005-06 campaign when flying solo. The game will be televised on ESPNU, as Dave Flemming (play-by-play) and Sean Farnham (analyst) call the action.

Scouting Arizona State
Arizona State (18-5, 7-3 Pac-12) has won four of its last five overall and is 14-2 at home ... The Sun Devils are coming off a 66-62 victory over California on Thursday night. Evan Gordon scored 23 points, pacing an Arizona State offense that shot 46.3 percent ... Arizona State was picked 11th in the Pac-12 preseason media poll. However, the Sun Devils look nothing like the team that finished 10-21 and 6-12 in league play last year ... Arizona State's 46.5 percent mark from the field leads the conference. The Sun Devils are averaging 73.3 points per game but shoot a league-worst 62.5 percent from the foul line ... Be sure to watch: Jahii Carson (18.0 ppg, 46.2 percent FG, 119 assists), Carrick Felix (14.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 52.0 percent FG) and Jordan Bachynski (9.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 92 blocks).

Stanford All-Time vs. Arizona State
Stanford holds a 43-30 edge over Arizona State in the all-time series, which originated back in 1957. The Cardinal has held the upper hand in this matchup, winning six of the last 10 and 24 of the last 30 contests overall dating back to 1998. Stanford has won five straight in the series, including a 68-44 home victory in last year's regular season and an 85-66 triumph in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals one month later.

Notable Career Totals Against Arizona State
After scoring 14 points in his debut against Arizona State, Chasson Randle erupted for 30 points (27 of which came in a record-setting first half) in the rematch one month later at the Pac-12 Tournament. In two games against the Sun Devils, Randle was 13-22 (59.0 percent) from the field with eight three-pointers. In four career games, Aaron Bright is averaging 9.8 points despite shooting 13-35 (37.1 percent) from the field with 15 assists.

Josh Huestis Named Pac-12 Player of the Week
Josh Huestis was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for Jan. 28-Feb. 3, averaging 15.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks while shooting 68.8 percent overall and 77.8 percent from the foul line during a home sweep of the Oregon and Oregon State. The honor is the first for a Stanford player since Landry Fields earned the conference's weekly recognition back on Feb. 22, 2010. In the 76-52 upset of No. 10/12 Oregon, Huestis tallied 14 points (6-9 FG), 13 rebounds and three blocks in 29 minutes. In the 81-73 win over Oregon State, Huestis finished with 16 points (5-7 FG) and 13 boards while dishing out a career-high four assists.

One Year Away From Tempe
Due to the Pac-12's unbalanced schedule, Stanford missed the Arizona road trip last year. Stanford's last visit to Wells Fargo Arena was Jan. 6, 2011, when the Cardinal cruised past the Sun Devils 55-41. Three players who typically receive extended minutes did not play in that game: Chasson Randle (sophomore), Andy Brown (redshirt) and John Gage (DNP).

Takeaways From The Arizona Game
Mark Lyons scored 25 points while Solomon Hill scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half, as No. 7/7 Arizona held off Stanford 73-66 on Wednesday ... Stanford raced out to a 10-0 lead and did not trail until Arizona took a 38-37 advantage with 14:33 remaining in the second half ... Dwight Powell finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, notching his sixth double-double of the season. Powell (7-14 FG) also knocked down a career-best 10-11 from the foul line ... Josh Huestis added 10 points and 10 rebounds, tallying his fifth double-double of the year ... Huestis has produced a double-double in each of his last three games ... Aaron Bright added 16 points, knocking down three of his four three-pointers in the first half ... Bright is 9-15 (60.0 percent) from beyond the arc over his last three games ... In the first half, Stanford shot 29.6 percent while Arizona made 34.5 percent. Over the final 20 minutes, Stanford connected at 45.2 percent while Arizona shot 60.0 percent ... Dwight Powell accounted for Stanford's only steal. The Cardinal was last held without a steal on Feb. 20, 2010 at Oregon State ... Mark Lyons and Solomon Hill became the first teammates to score 20 points in a game versus Stanford since March 19, 2012, when Nic Moore (25), Tyler Brown (23) and Jackie Carmichael (21) reached the mark for Illinois State in the second round of the NIT ... The Cardinal has now made at least one three-pointer in 378 consecutive games, dating back to an 0-6 performance against Purdue in the John Wooden Tradition on Nov. 24, 2001.

Keys For Recent Turnaround In Pac-12 Play
Stanford faced a rare uphill climb in conference play, starting 1-3 for the first time since 2005. But the Cardinal has rebounded by winning four its last six Pac-12 contests and now stands in a five-way tie for fifth and two games out of second. So, what has worked? Among the most important keys: balanced scoring. Four players have scored in double figures in four straight games. That same type of production has occurred in only two other games this season.

Powell Continues To Pace The Cardinal
Fully healthy and contributing consistently, Dwight Powell is showcasing the type of dynamic all-around game many expected when he first arrived on The Farm. In addition to averaging a team-best 14.8 points and ranking second with 7.8 rebounds, Powell is shooting 47.0 percent overall and 79.0 percent from the foul line. A 2011 Pac-10 All-Freshman pick, Powell has notched six double-doubles while establishing career highs in every category, including points (29) and rebounds (13). Powell erupted for 18 second-half points in Wednesday's loss at Arizona, representing the sixth time this year he has scored 15 points in a half.

The Bright Lights Of ESPN
Aaron Bright has made the most of his opportunities to play on ESPN. Entering Saturday's game against Arizona State on ESPNU, Bright has posted the following totals in 17 career games shown on the ESPN family of networks: 13.3 ppg, 53.0 percent (70-132) from the field, 48.6 percent (36-74) from three-point territory and 91.0 percent (51-56) from the foul line. Bright's offensive production has increased in recent games, and he is averaging 8.7 points while ranking second on the team in assists (56) for the season.

Huestis Dominating The Paint
Josh Huestis has developed into one of the Pac-12's premier defensive performers. Huestis, who tallied 10 blocks against Seattle back on Nov. 28, leads the team in that category with 47 and his 2.1 swats per game rank 53rd nationally. Huestis has registered 97 career blocks, good for seventh all-time in school history behind Brook Lopez (2006-08) with 101. Meanwhile, Huestis is averaging 9.6 points and a team-best 9.3 boards per game, looking to become the first player to average a double-double since Curtis Borchardt (16.9 ppg, 11.4 rpg) in 2001-02.

Gage Provides Boost Off The Bench
John Gage is Stanford's top perimeter threat at 30-63 (47.6 percent) but his numbers are even more impressive in Pac-12 games, having made 18-29 (62.1 percent). Gage scored a career-high 19 points at Utah on Jan. 27 and was extremely efficient, making all four triples in just 17 minutes of court time. Gage has reached double figures in scoring seven times this year. The key for Gage has been simply staying on the floor. In games where Gage plays at least 15 minutes, he is averaging 9.9 points while shooting 38-74 (51.4 percent) overall and 27-49 (55.1 percent) from three-point territory.

Cardinal Exceptional From The Charity Stripe
Stanford is converting at a 73.9 percent clip that ranks 35th in the country. Only once in the last six years has Stanford finished the season making at least 70.0 percent or better, and that came in 2008-09 when the Cardinal was slightly over at 70.5 percent. Aaron Bright, who leads Stanford at 90.7 percent, made 29 consecutive freebies before missing the second of two attempts against Oregon on Jan. 30. Dwight Powell has enjoyed three streaks of 10+ made free throws (18, 12, 11) while Chasson Randle knocked down 15 in a row earlier this year.

Infiniti Coaches' Charity Challenge
Head coach Johnny Dawkins is proud to support the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula through his participation in Infiniti's ongoing partnership with the NABC, the NCAA and ESPN in the Infiniti Coaches' Charity Challenge. The program includes a $100,000 donation to the winning coach's designated charity. Entering this week, Dawkins was leading the West Region with 21.0 percent of the vote, while Arizona's Sean Miller was next at 18.0 percent. Fan participation will determine the winner over an eight-week period that runs until Feb. 27 on www.ESPN.com/Infiniti. Fans can vote for up to four coaches per day.

Dawkins Inks Two To Letters Of Intent For 2013-14
Joining the Cardinal are Marcus Allen (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Schuyler Rimmer (Orlando, Fla.). Allen is a 6-3, 180-pound guard from Centennial High School while Rimmer is a 6-10, 235-pound center from Boone High School.