The No. 17 Texas Longhorns travel west to face off against the Stanford Cardinal in the inaugural Pac 12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge held in Las Vegas.
Texas is looking to maintain its top-25 status while Stanford is looking for their first top-25 win since last season.
In what is sure to be an all-around thriller, the Cardinal will look to upset the Longhorns in front of a national audience. Exciting matchups and two teams having impressive seasons will for sure captivate fans no matter the loyalties.
For Texas (7-2), they’re looking for its biggest win of the season after falling to both Gonzaga and Seton Hall, with the seven victories coming against vastly inferior foes. The Longhorns started out the season in the top 5 of the polls but have yet to prove that was warranted. The hope is that the return of Vanderbilt transfer forward Dylan Disu, the Big 12 program will make some national noise.
Stanford (6-3, 1-1) has been up and down all season, coming off a home win over a struggling Oregon squad but also needing overtime to get past Dartmouth of the Ivy League. The Cardinal, led by key underclassmen, have shown their inconsistent play so far this season and if they don’t start playing better, will end up once again on the wrong side of the bubble.
The history
These teams have faced each other four times, with Texas leading 3-1. The last time they faced off, in 2015, was at Stanford where the Longhorns defeated the Cardinal in a 75-73 nail-biter. In 2014, Stanford defeated Texas in Austin in a 74-71 overtime thriller.
Matchup to watch
Texas is led by forwards Timothy Allen and Tre Mitchell. Stanford is led by forwards Jaiden Delaire and Harrison Ingram.
The main matchup to look out for is Allen and Ingram.
Allen is averaging a team-high 13.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2 assists. Ingram is averaging 12.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists.
Both teams have high-level scorers and the ability to spread the floor. This game will be a matter of who can get the most second chance opportunities. When you have Allen and Ingram, who are leading their respective teams in rebounds per game, crashing the boards and winning the rebound game will be critical in who comes out victorious.