Busting Brackets
Fansided

NCAA Basketball: Big Ten record bids, Baylor as #1, and more weekly takeaways

By Brian Rauf

LAWRENCE, KANSAS - JANUARY 11: Jared Butler #12 and Davion Mitchell #45 of the Baylor Bears smile as Baylor defeats the Kansas Jayhawks to win the game at Allen Fieldhouse on January 11, 2020 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
LAWRENCE, KANSAS - JANUARY 11: Jared Butler #12 and Davion Mitchell #45 of the Baylor Bears smile as Baylor defeats the Kansas Jayhawks to win the game at Allen Fieldhouse on January 11, 2020 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 9
Next
TUCSON, AZ – MARCH 01: Head coach Jerod Haase of the Stanford Cardinal (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
TUCSON, AZ – MARCH 01: Head coach Jerod Haase of the Stanford Cardinal (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) /

5) So is Stanford

Stanford also isn’t an NCAA Tournament regular – 2014 is their only appearance since 2008 – but are well on their way to achieving that goal this season.

Head coach Jerod Haase’s squad has played at a high level since the start of the season, as their only losses have come in a one-point defeat to Butler and at home to No. 3 Kansas. The Cardinal’s strength of schedule isn’t great, but their win over Washington on Thursday (they also have a win over Oklahoma) is their best to date and validated them as an NCAA Tournament at-large caliber team.

Like Rutgers, Stanford has had a breakout season on the back of their defense. They rank 11th in the country in efficiency on that end of the floor and have only allowed one opponent (Kansas) to score at least 70 points against them.

However, they wouldn’t be having the success they are without the play of freshman guard Tyrell Terry and forward Oscar da Silva’s breakout season. Terry has given their backcourt the athletic presence they’ve needed, and he’s also a solid three-point shooter, making 40 percent on the season.

Da Silva has stepped up and taken over as Stanford’s go-to guy following KZ Okpala’s early departure for the NBA Draft last season and has flourished in the role, remaining extremely efficient despite the added responsibility. He ranks in the top 100 nationally in fouls drawn per 40 minutes and effective field goal percentage, while his true shooting percentage has him ranked 28th in the country.

With a solid defense and those two carrying the offense, the Cardinal have found a recipe that works for them. We likely won’t know if they can compete for a Pac-12 title until February (they don’t play Arizona, Colorado, or Oregon until then), but we do know they’re solidly in the NCAA Tournament field right now.

Harkins also has them as a No. 7 seed.

Home/NCAA Basketball News