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

3. Freshmen need to mature

The Cardinal have been relying heavily on two freshmen.   Point guard Terry and forward Jones were scoring 15.6 ppg and 10.3 ppg, respectively.

Against the Jayhawks, Kansas held Terry to 10 points on 4 for 13 shooting (1 for 6 beyond the arc) and his early turnovers dug Stanford a big hole.  He looked rattled with his threes missing the rim.  However, he was able to settle down late in the first half as the Cardinal battled back.

Jones only scored six points, shooting 2 for 6 from three-point land.  The 6’7 forward did not take a shot from inside the arc and only came away with two rebounds in 33 minutes of play.  Jones is a Kansas native which could attribute to some nervousness.

However, he is only averaging 7.0 ppg over their last four games after lighting it up earlier in the season.  To his defense, Jones is playing well when the other team has the ball and leads the team in blocked shots.

The pair needs to be ready and focused as the season ramps up into conference play.   Pac-12 crowds on the road will be relentless.  Coach Jerod Haase is counting on them to carry a good part of the load.  They need to be primed.

Although Stanford was only ranked tenth in the preseason Pac-12 poll, the Cardinal are bringing hope back to The Farm.  Stanford will be competitive in the Pac-12 this season, enough to maybe become a bubble team.