ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 16 Power Rankings
By Trevor Booth
6. Stanford Cardinal (14-11, 7-6 Pac-12) LW: T-11
The Pac-12 has proven to be wildly unpredictable, and Stanford is no exception.
One week after trading a 23-point win and defeat with the Oregon schools, the Cardinal impressed with a home sweep of UCLA and USC. After losing its first three conference games, Stanford has risen to sixth in the standings with five wins in their last six.
Senior center Josh Sharma picked up his second Pac-12 Player of the Week honor, averaging 18 points, 10.5 rebounds and an efficient 85 percent from the field in the two victories. The 7-footer became the first Stanford player to earn the honor multiple times in a season since Landry Fields in 2009-10.
While Sharma has been excellent, the production hasn’t subsided from KZ Okpala, a potential first round pick in June’s NBA Draft. He’s reached double figures in scoring in all but one of Stanford’s Pac-12 games.
In its past six contests, the Cardinal have reintegrated a physical style, much like things were with Reid Travis and under coach Johnny Dawkins. Stanford has held a rebound margin of +5.5 (33.5 to 28.0) while forcing opportunities at the rim with 22 free throws per game.
Now at 7-6, the Cardinal can finish anywhere from second to 10th in the conference. The team is playing its best basketball, but with a seven-man rotation, the jury is still out with how far coach Jerod Haase can take them.
As three weeks remain in the regular season, Stanford has a chance to close strong with three home games following its final road trip against the Arizona schools.
– Booth