ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 2 Power Rankings
By Trevor Booth
8. Stanford Cardinal
After cruising in its first two games against Seattle and UNC Wilmington, Stanford went crashing into its first roadblock of the year.
Against North Carolina, the Cardinal were outmatched by a bigger, more talented Tar Heels team. But what really doomed Stanford was a slow start.
The Cardinal started an icy cold 1-for-12 from the field, which ultimately propelled UNC to a 52-26 halftime lead.
After a disappointing first half, the latter 20 minutes were promising for Cardinal fans. Stanford outscored UNC 46-38 in the second half behind consistent shooting and better playmaking decision.
One of the main factors after halftime was KZ Okpala. The sophomore made six of his 13 field goal attempts and led the Cardinal in scoring with 16 points.
Without Reid Travis, who transferred to Kentucky, Okpala’s role could evolve into somewhat of a primary scorer for Stanford. He has been that in each of the Cardinal’s first three matchups, averaging 22.7 points per game, good for third in the Pac-12 in scoring.
Looking ahead, the schedule gets tougher. Next week, the Cardinal head to the Caribbean to participate in the 2018 Battle 4 Atlantis. There, they will face Wisconsin, either Florida or Oklahoma and another opponent that has not yet been decided.
Once back on the mainland, Stanford will prepare for a road test against No. 2 Kansas. It’s never easy to win in Lawrence, especially against this year’s squad that returns so much talent.
Ultimately, this brutal non-conference slate will likely prepare the Cardinal well come conference play.
– Field