Feb. 19, 2013

Game Notes

Stanford Cardinal (15-11, 6-7 Pac-12)
at
Oregon State Beavers (13-13, 3-10 Pac-12)

Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013 • 8 p.m.
Corvallis, OR • Gill Coliseum (9,604)
Series History: Oregon State leads 73-65
Last Meeting: Stanford 81, Oregon State 73 (Feb. 3, 2013 at Stanford, CA)
Radio: KNBR 1050 AM (PBP: John Platz, Analyst: Drew Shiller)
KZSU 90.1 FM (PBP: Chris Fitzgerald)
TV: ESPNU (PBP: Tom Hart, Analyst: Darrin Horn)

The Opening Tip
Five games remain in the regular season and Stanford (15-11, 6-7 Pac-12) must finish strong in order to make a postseason push. It all begins this week, as the Cardinal travels to Oregon State (13-13, 3-10 Pac-12) for the first contest of a two-game road swing. Stanford is coming off back-to-back home losses against USC and UCLA.

Media Memo
Thursday's game can be heard live on KNBR 1050 AM and Stanford's official athletics website, www.gostanford.com, featuring the chemistry-rich duo of John Platz (play-by-play) and Drew Shiller (analyst). KZSU 90.1 FM also provides coverage. The game will be televised on ESPNU, with Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Darrin Horn (analyst) on the call.

Scouting Oregon State
Oregon State (13-13, 3-10 Pac-12), which has dropped five of its last seven games, is coming off a road split against the Washington schools ... Oregon State is averaging 73.3 points and 37.5 rebounds per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field. However, the Beavers allow a league-worst 69.6 points per game ... Five different players are averaging double figures in scoring for the Beavers ... Be sure to watch: Roberto Nelson (17.2 ppg, 45.4 percent 3FG, 68 assists), Ahmad Starks (11.8 ppg, team-best 60 three-pointers), Eric Moreland (9.3 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 55 blocks).

Stanford All-Time vs. Oregon State
Oregon State owns a 73-65 edge in the all-time series, which dates back to 1915. Stanford has won seven of the last 10 meetings and three in a row, including an 81-73 victory on Feb. 3 at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal swept last year's regular season series, winning 103-101 in quadruple-overtime on the road and 87-82 at home.

Notable Career Totals Against Oregon State
In six games, Aaron Bright is averaging 9.8 points and has made more buckets (18) and three-pointers (15) against Oregon State than any other Pac-12 team. Chasson Randle is averaging 22.6 points on 22-45 (48.8 percent) in three career meetings. Dwight Powell is averaging 9.6 points and 6.5 rebounds over six games while John Gage has scored more points (43) against the Beavers than any other conference foe.

Takeaways From The UCLA Game
Shabazz Muhammad scored a game-high 25 points while Kyle Anderson added a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds as UCLA pulled away for an 88-80 victory ... Stanford suffered its first loss when scoring at least 80 points since Feb. 24, 2011, when the Cardinal dropped an 87-80 decision at Oregon State ... UCLA shot 54.4 percent overall while making 6-12 from three-point territory and 20-26 from the foul line. Stanford shot 38.5 percent overall and was just 5-23 from beyond the arc ... Dwight Powell (22 points on 7-15 shooting) has scored at least 20 points in three of the last four games. Powell, who was 8-10 from the foul line, also grabbed eight boards ... Josh Huestis produced his fourth double-double in five games, finishing with 11 points and 12 rebounds. It was his seventh double-double of the year ... Aaron Bright scored in double figures for the seventh time this year, finishing with 19 points on 8-16 shooting (3-8 from three-point territory) while playing a season-high 36 minutes ... Stanford was swept in a conference homestand for the first time since February 2011, losing to UCLA (69-65) and USC (69-53) ... The Cardinal has now made at least one three-pointer in 381 consecutive games, dating back to an 0-6 performance against Purdue in the John Wooden Tradition on Nov. 24, 2001.

Double-Double Machines
Dwight Powell and Josh Huestis continue to pile up double-doubles on a nightly basis, with both players able to score consistently while also controlling the game defensively. Powell leads the club with eight double-doubles while Huestis has tallied seven. Stanford has received at least one double-double from either Powell or Huestis in six consecutive games. In fact, Powell and Huestis are one of six duos nationally to have notched at least seven double-doubles apiece.
NC State...Richard Howell (15), C.J. Leslie (7)
Hawai'i...Vander Joaquim (9), Christian Standhardinger (9)
Mississippi...Murphy Holloway (9), Reginald Buckner (8)
Baylor...Isaiah Austin (9), Cory Jefferson (8)
Syracuse...Michael Carter-Williams (8), C.J. Fair (8)
Stanford...Dwight Powell (8), Josh Huestis (7)

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. Powell has produced double-doubles in four of the last six games, including a 17-point, 17-rebound effort against USC last Thursday in yet another "next-level" performance. In addition to averaging a team-best 15.4 points and ranking second with 8.3 rebounds, Powell is shooting 47.6 percent overall and 78.4 percent from the foul line.

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 53 and his 2.1 swats per game rank 55th nationally. Huestis has registered 103 career blocks, good for sixth all-time in school history. Meanwhile, Huestis is averaging 10.3 points and a team-best 9.4 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.

Perimeter Shots Finally Falling In Pac-12 Play
Given the number of talented shooters on this year's squad, it was only a matter of time before the shooting percentages improved. That's especially true regarding Stanford's three-point shooting in Pac-12 games, as the Cardinal has connected on a league-best 41.4 percent. In fact, it's not even close. USC checks in second, at 36.8 percent. However, Stanford is shooting 41.5 percent overall in Pac-12 games, a mark that ranks 11th in the conference.

Cardinal Exceptional From The Charity Stripe
Stanford is converting at a 72.8 percent clip that ranks 56th 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 87.5 percent, made 29 consecutive freebies before missing the second of two attempts against Oregon on Jan. 30.

Gage Provides Boost Off The Bench
Despite missing his last nine attempts from distance, John Gage remains the Pac-12's leading three-point shooter at 33-75 (44.0 percent). Gage's numbers in conference games are even more impressive, having made 21-41 (51.2 percent). When Gage plays at least 15 minutes, he is averaging 10.0 points while making 51.9 percent overall and 56.6 percent from long range.

Brown A Key Reserve Off The Bench
Andy Brown, who appeared in just nine games last year after recovering from three ACL tears in three seasons, has seized his opportunity to make a difference. Brown is averaging 6.0 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 47.6 percent. Brown, who has started 12 games, matched a career high with 17 points in a Jan. 3 loss at USC. In addition to providing a much-needed leadership presence, Brown's hustle and basketball IQ have been welcomed assets.

12 Different Starters To Date
Of Stanford's 14 players who have appeared in a game this year, 12 have made at least one start. Andy Brown and John Gage became the latest players to crack the starting lineup when both received nods during a Jan. 5 loss at UCLA. Only Grant Verhoeven and Wade Morgan have yet to start a game. Head coach Johnny Dawkins has used nine starting lineups this year.