ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 19 Power Rankings
By Trevor Booth
11. Stanford Cardinal (15-15, 8-10 Pac-12) LW: 9
The past six weeks have not treated the Cardinal kindly. To close conference play, Stanford lost five of six and has virtually no momentum heading into the Pac-12 Tournament.
Their latest losing efforts came against Washington and Cal. The Washington loss is unsurprising and the Cal loss is confounding. But that is just the way Stanford’s second half has gone.
With KZ Okpala (All-Pac-12 First Team) leading the charge, however, they have a chance to make noise in Las Vegas. A player like Okpala not only encourages confidence, but also sparks a legitimate shot to win any game.
He is averaging 17 points, nearly six boards and two assists. His most complete skillset lies on the defensive end, where he has excelled in both of his seasons at Stanford.
Two other Cardinal standouts are Daejon Davis and Josh Sharma. Davis is the team’s second-leading scorer (11.8) and assists leader (4.6); his ability to run the point takes pressure off of Okpala and enables Stanford’s offense.
Sharma’s athletic prowess and ability inside will be key against UCLA’s Moses Brown. This could be a key point of emphasis for Stanford if they plan on progressing in the tourney.
Stanford is facing off against UCLA in round one, a team that has gone through more ups and downs than any other in the conference. One constant for the Bruins has been their inconsistency, something Stanford will have to bring to the forefront if they hope to advance to Thursday.