Jerod Haase has put in work since taking over the Stanford team some 18 months ago, instilling values, bringing in fresh faces, and scheduling tough matchups. But through a year and a half, one thing he hadn’t done was knock off a ranked opponent. That changed Wednesday night, as the Cardinal led nearly wire-to-wire to defeat the 16th ranked team in America.
Through six games, the Cardinal have shocked everyone en route to a 5-1 start, good for a share of first place with Arizona. Stanford proved it is no longer just an upstart squad, but a team to be taken for real.
Wooden Award semifinalist Tra Holder was held scoreless by Kezie Okpala and others through the first frame. With the help of a hot start from Dorian Pickens and 2 of Reid Travis’ 3 three point field goals, the Cardinal took a two point lead to the half.
Right out of the gates in the second half, Stanford clamped down defensively. The lead swelled to 15 as the Cardinal executed well and Daejon Davis racked up a good portion of his 8 assists.
Like every team in this conference, Arizona State did not roll over when getting down; they proceeded to cut the lead to just two points late in the game. However, Arizona State’s full court press in the waning minutes was Swiss cheese, and Stanford converted enough easy hoops and free throws to ultimately secure a 9 point victory.
Oscar da Silva and Josh Sharma combined to go 11-11 from the field off the bench, grab 11 boards, and block 3 shots. They each scored 14 points. Sharma provided a spark as Stanford stretched the lead to 15 in the second half, playing tough defense and converting dunk after dunk. Oscar da Silva struggled early with foul trouble, but his defense and steady play were key to weather the late ASU run.
It was another day at the office for Reid Travis, with his 18 points and 10 rebounds. Pickens chipped in 19, and Davis had 13, 8 assists, and 3 steals. Romello White led the way for ASU with 19. Kodi Justice scored 14 before leaving late in the game with injury. Shannon Evans put in an inefficient 13, while Tra Holder scored 9 on 3-14 shooting. Holder’s rough night is a testament to the defense of Okpala et al.
Stanford will face Arizona on Saturday, where the outright conference lead will be on the line. Arizona’s Rawle Alkins is day-to-day with a sore foot.
Comments
This team appears to have turned a corner
Impressive win. Let’s hope everybody stays healthy.
By Jeff Tarnungus on 01.18.18 12:47am
Pac-12 officials are totally corrupt
That has to be one of the most blatant attempts by P12 officials of trying to gift a win to a ranked team. The charge called on Okpala was mind blowing. Pickens drove into the lane and got body checkd by a moving ASU defender and no call. That Mickens guy totally travels at the top of the key before he shoots the three and none of the officials blow the whistle. The crowd even called it out.
I fully expect the officials to try and make sure UA wins on Saturday.
Basketball officiating is the horrible at all levels. There has to be some systemic problem in the way officials are taught.
By Blackjoy on 01.18.18 1:09am
I didn't see the game
so I can’t comment. It would be very disturbing if the officials actually had marching orders to favor a particular team.
By Jeff Tarnungus on 01.18.18 3:28pm
Doesn't work like that.
Officials aren’t given direct orders to do stuff, other than how they are supposed to interpret rules. However, in the NBA, it was related by several refs that if they fouled out the franchise players, they would not get assigned to ref the playoffs.
But it’s already obvious what refs are expected to do: help their league make money. Refs who consistently make calls that cause the highly ranked teams to lose games, will find themselves out of a job or having their games cut. I have no doubt that refs are also conditioned to make calls favorable to the home team as it most likely results in less complaints by AD’s and coaches….and fans.
I can tell you unequivocally that back when Stanford had been ranked #1 in the polls, I saw the refs give us all kinds of calls we never got prior or since. I think they’ve also done studies that show that refs have a psychological predisposition to make calls favorable to the higher ranked teams by virtue of the fallacy that the higher ranked team is better/does not need to foul as much.
Women’s officiating is even worse than the men’s. Some of the calls are beyond any rationale explanation. It really makes me believe that there situation/circumstances where the ref calls the foul or will not call the foul, regardless of what he or she sees. Kind of like a bird that has started its pecking motion can’t stop it once it’s been triggered.
By Blackjoy on 01.18.18 4:20pm
Got it
Let’s just hope the game on Saturday isn’t marred by any such antics by the officials.
By Jeff Tarnungus on 01.19.18 12:35am
I'm dangerously close to believing in this team
Props to Haase and the players for this impressive start.
By worldblee on 01.19.18 5:28pm
Let's see what they can do this evening against the Wildcats.
This could be further confirmation of a strengthening team or a reality check.
By Jeff Tarnungus on 01.20.18 12:33pm