Three days after avoiding its first five-game losing streak since the end of the 1992-93 season, the Stanford men's basketball team closes out its home schedule tonight with a nonconference game against Seattle. Seattle who? Seattle U.
One of seven independents, the Redhawks are 11-17 in their second season since returning to the Division I level. Seattle has wins against Oregon State and Virginia, and has won three of its last five, including a 73-54 trouncing of Cal-State Bakersfield on Saturday. Still, Stanford should win this game (KenPom projects a 76-60 W) , and if the Cardinal plays like it did against Oregon, it won't be close.
Familiar Face
The Redhawks are coached by Cameron Dollar. The former UCLA guard spent seven seasons on Lorenzo Romar's staff at Washington before taking the head coaching position at Seattle in 2009. Dollar, who was recruited to UCLA by Romar when the Huskies head coach was an assistant with the Bruins, won a national title in Seattle's Kingdome in 1995. He hopes to bring a national title to Seattle U. in 10 to 14 years. As Dollar told Seattle Times columnist Jerry Brewer:
"When we make it and I write a book, I'm going to call it, 'Pushing The Pebble Up The Hill, Baby! This is a long process."
Scouting Report
The Redhawks are led by junior forward Aaron Broussard, who averages 14.7 points and 8 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Sterling Carter averages 13.6 points per game, and Alex Jones and Cervante Burrell both average double figures. Seattle averages more points per game than Stanford, but shoots less than 40% from the field. If Seattle is to pull upset, it could take another ridiculous performance like the one they got from Chad Rasmussen against Bakersfield. The junior guard, who had scored in double figures only one time all season, came off the bench to score 24 points on 8-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc.
Seattle's Legacy
Stanford is 2-0 all-time against Seattle. The schools' last meeting was in December 1985 and the Cardinal cruised, 105-54. Seattle, which was in the NAIA at the time, wasn't always such a pushover. The Chieftains, as the Redhawks were formerly known, made 11 NCAA tournament appearances in 17 seasons during the 1950s and 60s. In 1952, Seattle upset the Harlem Globetrotters at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. In 1958, the Chieftains advanced to the NCAA championship game, where they lost to Kentucky. That team was led by future NBA Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor, who averaged 31.1 points and 19.8 rebounds per game during his collegiate career.
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