Stanford Basketball: 2019-20 takeaways from loss to Kansas Jayhawks

2. Stanford offense struggled against the long, quick defense

The athleticism of the Kansas frontline threw Stanford out of sync.  Azubuike and McCormack challenged every inside attempt and the shots would not fall for the Cardinal, especially early in the game.

This does not bode well going up against the Oregons and Washingtons in Pac-12 play.  The Ducks’ frontline of 6’8 C.J. Walker, 6’7 Shakur Juiston, and 6’11 N’Faly Dante are very athletic and aggressive.  Stanford forward, da Silva, led the Cardinal with eight turnovers against the Jayhawks and is really their only offensive post presence.

It will be interesting to see how Stanford’s offense matches up against the Huskies’ 2-3 zone.  Their athletic frontline is each 6’9 and consists of Jaden McDaniels, Hameir Wright, and Isaiah Stewart.  They are ranked #37 in opponents’ efficiency #21 in field goal percentage against.

To combat these defenses, Stanford needs to develop its outside game while teams collapse on da Silva in the paint.  The Cardinal three-point game focuses on quality shots rather than the number of shots.

Stanford is ranked #20 in three-point percentage at 38.7.  However, the Cardinal are ranked at #209 in the percentage of total points coming from behind the arc.  When the Jayhawks shut down the inside game early, the Cardinal was forced to fire up contested threes as the shot clock was about to expire.  Stanford finished shooting only 6 for 20 from beyond the arc.