2014-15 Pac-12 Conference Preview: #3 Stanford Cardinal

2013 Season Results: 23-13 overall, 10-8 conference record. 5^th place in the Pac-12, 59-84 semifinal loss vs. UCLA in Pac-12 tournament, 72-82 Sweet Sixteen loss vs. Dayton in NCAA Tournament

Key Losses: Dwight Powell (Graduated), Josh Huestis (Graduated)

Key Returns: Chasson Randle, Anthony Brown, Stefan Nastic

2014 Recruiting Class (ESPN No. 15 in the nation): PF Reid Travis (5-Star, ESPN 100 No. 27), PF Michael Humphrey (4-Star, ESPN 100 No. 65), SG Dorian Pickens (4-Star), PG Robert Cartwright (4-star)

Much like building a good wall, a good basketball team built one brick at a time. Since Trent Johnson left Stanford and head coach Johnny Dawkins took over in 2008-09, there have been a lot of bricks on the court. However, those bricks eventually built a basketball program that will challenge for the Pac-12 conference crown.

For the first time since 2007-08, the Stanford Cardinal qualified for the NCAA tournament last season. Not only did they qualify, they made a run to the Sweet Sixteen only to run into America’s sweetheart college team of the year in the Dayton Flyers. Though they lost their leading rebounders, Stanford reloaded enough and is looking like a team that will build on their successful 2013-14 season and make an even deeper run into the NCAA tournament.

More from Pac-12

For the Cardinal, it all starts with returning seniors Chasson Randle and Anthony Brown. Randle has been a constant threat for the Cardinal since he stepped on campus in 2011, averaging 13.8 and 13.6 his first two seasons. Last year, he exploded into a full on star, finishing second in the Pac-12 with 18.8 points per game.

Anthony Brown comes back as the Cardinal’s leading returning rebounder and three-point specialist. Brown’s rebounding skills will be needed with last years leading rebounders Dwight Powell and Josh Huestis gone and the Cardinal needing to make up for the 43.1% of total rebounds they combined to grab last season. Fortunately for Brown, he will have plenty of help getting those rebounds.

Though the Cardinal did lose Powell and Huestis, they reloaded their forward position with one of the better recruiting classes in the country. Their five-star recruit Reid Travis is a man-child with a 6’8, 241 pounds frame and boy, does he use it. When watching any of the highlight mixtapes, there is one thing that is conclusive about Reid: he is strong.

Travis isn’t the smoothest offensive player, but he gets the job by going bowling ball in the paint, knocking defenders back constantly to get easy looks at the basket or he can spot up from the perimeter and hurt teams from the outside. He brings a Tyler Hansborough-like aggressiveness and hustle that will impact games consistently and will help the Cardinal get extra possessions.

Joining him in the effort to sustain the Cardinal’s rebounding production is fellow 2014 recruit Michael Humphrey. Finishing as the No. 1 player in Arizona according to ESPN, Humphrey also brings heralded defensive rebounding skills and the ability to step out and hit perimeter jump shots. Both he and Travis will be sufficient enough to make up for the losses of Powell and Huestis even with their collective lack of polish.

Live Feed

Best College Football Prop Bets for Stanford vs. USC in Week 2 /

Betsided

ACC considering unique solution to travel issues with Stanford, CalFanSided

Stanford vs. USC Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 2Betsided

College Football Top 25 Picks Against the Spread for Week 2Betsided

Who is playing college football tonight, Sept. 1?FanSided

What ACC expansion means for remaining Pac-12 schools without a homeFanSided

Though they will have a good blend of young talent and veteran experience in their starting rotation, there is not a lot of depth after that. From the looks of the current roster, the most likely starting line up will be Randle and 4-star 2014 recruit Dorian Pickens at the guard positions, Brown shifting over to small forward, Travis starting at the power forward spot, and Stefan Nastic anchoring the center position. That leaves Michael Chandler coming off the bench for the forwards…and no one else notable after that for the rest of the roster.

The sophomore brothers of Marcus and Malcolm Allen are the next productive returners from last year’s team and they combined for 2.5 points per game in 13.3 minutes. Depth is not a new problem for the Cardinal. Last season, the starting five accounted 87.2% of Stanford’s total scoring and it looks as though that may be the case this year as well.

Fortunately for Stanford, head coach Johnny Dawkins recruited such similar players for 2014 that they will have enough talent to reach the top third of the Pac-12. Unfortunately for Stanford, he didn’t recruit enough talent to win the Pac-12. With youngsters like Pickens, Reid, and Humphrey logging heavy minutes in their first season, there should be a lot of concern as to if they can handle a longer season than they were accustomed to at the high school level. However, with good coaching and upper-class leadership, they will be able to perform at a high level.

With Reid Travis and Humphrey basically replacing Powell and Huestis and Randle coming back to bring his consistent scoring touch, the Cardinal are in a great position to repeat their run to the Sweet Sixteen. Winning the Pac-12 is questionable because of their lack of depth, but their starters are tough enough to win a lot of games and even advance to the latter stages of the NCAA tournament.

Projected finish: 3^rd Place

Home/Pac-12