A quick recap of my thoughts at Stanford’s clinical demolition of Delaware:
First: Wow, Delaware is awful! (This was before the game had even started–they hit around 4 shots in warm-ups, no kidding.)
Next: Hmm, Stanford is actually pretty good this year.
Later in the night: No, they’re really good!
Finally: How in the world are they not ranked?!
Time to Rank Stanford Men’s Basketball
Stanford currently unofficially occupies the 26th rank, the brink of relevance for a revitalized program and a reminder of its prevailing anonymity. Last year, the Cardinal’s surprise run to the Sweet 16, topped by their toppling of a talented Kansas team, thrust them into the national spotlight. What happened next, however, is the ultimate dampening for any aspiring underdog: they lost to another underdog, Dayton, a team who many thought they would beat.
An underdog losing to a top ranked team? OK, we’ll say, it was a good run, they put up a good fight, and they’ll be back stronger next year. But an underdog losing to another underdog? Well, then their wins were flukes!
The loss to Dayton, coupled with the loss of two starters to the NBA draft–Dwight Powell and Josh Huestis–thrust Stanford out of the national spotlight and back into anonymity, just one of the teams some people notice are “also receiving votes” at the bottom of the daily rankings.
But, as the few hundred people who stuck around to watch the whole Delaware demolition already know, this year’s Stanford team is really good. So good, in fact, that they’re already heavy contenders for the Pac-12 title, poised to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament, and deeper, more talented, and just as unheralded as last year’s team.
Center Stefan Nastic, a bruising inside role player last season, has emerged as the Cardinal’s go to scorer in the paint. His physical positioning and aggressive post-ups lead opposing centers to try and match his physicality–at which point Nastic spins, pivots, and finishes with incredibly soft touch around the rim.
Reid Travis, a top recruit, pairs with Nastic to give Stanford one of the toughest frontcourts in the country. Robert Cartwright, a highly recruited guard from Southern California, sparks the team off the bench with his tenacious full-court defense, neutralizing the opposing point guard and often turning him over before he can even pass half court.
Delaware, and South Dakota previously, threw double teams at Nastic, or tried to trap him in a zone, leading to a bevy of open shots for Stanford’s shooters: Chasson Randle and Anthony Brown, top scorers from last season, and Rosco Allen, a young big man with quick handles and a smooth jumper, the future of Stanford and Pac-12 basketball.
Stanford already boasts an impressive record, their only loss was to #4 Duke, capped by their absolute demolition of Delaware this week. Stanford’s 37 point victory–a generous 37 points, by the way, as the Cardinal second unit occupied the floor for much of the game–saw them hold Delaware to 29% shooting from the floor, while dishing out 22 assists and only 6 turnovers.
It was the sort of win that should have put Stanford back on the national map, but, alas, they are still on the fringes, on the outside looking in on the glorified 25. It is us sportswriters who vote for the rankings– I have yet to receive my invitation– and perhaps Stanford’s brilliance will soon be recognized.
Until then, however, they will continue to fly under the radar.
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