Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast Daniel Dullum: Could be more for Cardinal as they eye the NITs

The Stanford Cardinal battled hard but fell short to the Arizona Wildcats at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas on Thu Mar 10, 2022 at the Pac 12 Tournament (photo by Stanford Athletics)

1) Stanford went down battling against powerhouse Arizona 84-80 in the Pac-12 tournament.

2) The Cardinal came out with hot shooting overall, strong 3-point shooting,

3) Spencer Jones had one of his best games of the season, with 28 points.

4) The Cardinal didn’t fold in the second half, battling to the final possession.

5) Does Stanford still have a chance for the postseason?

Daniel does the Stanford Cardinal podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Arizona holds off challenge from Cardinal 84-80

By Daniel Dullum
Thursday, March 10, 2022

The Arizona Wildcats Christian Koloko is jubilant over the success of the Wildcats in their win over the Stanford Cardinal at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas on Thu Mar 10, 2022 at the Pac 12 Tournament (AP News photo)

Stanford gave top-seed Arizona all it could handle in Thursday’s quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament in Las Vegas. The No. 2-ranked Wildcats held off an inspired Cardinal team to win 84-80.

Christian Koloko topped the U of A scoring with 24 points to go with nine rebounds and four assists, followed by Bennedict Mathurin with 20 points and seven rebounds, as the Wildcats (29-3) struggled with Stanford for the second time this season before prevailing, Azuolas Tubelis added seven rebounds and five assists, and point guard Kerr Kriisa had 10 points and five assists before leaving with an injury in the final minute.

The nine-seed Cardinal opened the tournament with a last-second win over Arizona State on Wednesday and opened Thursday’s game with a barrage of 3-pointers, going 11 for 20 behind the arc while shooting 54 percent against the league’s top defense.

Spencer Jones bagged a game-high 28 points – 13 in the first half – followed by Harrison Ingram with 16. Jones was 12 of 18 overall from the field, including 4 of 7 3-pointers. Ingram and Michael O’Connell (11 points) each had four assists.

Arizona led 49-37 at halftime and outscored the Cardinal 44-43 in the final 20 minutes. The Cardinal were 6 of 8 behind the arc in the first half and never allowed the Wildcats to build a big lead.

Down the stretch, Arizona took an 82-77 lead on a Koloko dunk, but the Cardinal (16-16) responded with a 3-pointer by Ingram, cutting Stanford’s deficit to 82-80 with 13 seconds remaining, The Cardinal fouled Pelle Larsson, who made a pair of free throws with 8.5 seconds to play, accounting for the final score.

The Wildcats will face Colorado in the semifinals, while Stanford awaits a possible postseason invite to a tournament other than the Big Dance.

Last-second shot by Keefe helps Cardinal stun ASU 71-70 in Pac-12 tourney

Stanford’s James Keefe (22) shoots a game-winning shot against the Arizona State Sun Devils at the Pac 12 Tournament in Las Vegas on Wed Mar 9, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Wednesday, March 9, 2022

The good news for Stanford: It gets to continue in the Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament in Las Vegas. The bad news: The Cardinal get to play top seed and No. 2-ranked Arizona in the quarterfinal round.

Stanford stopped a late-season nosedive on Wednesday when James Keefe converted a short jumper as time expired, providing the Cardinal with a stunning 71-70 opening round win over favored Arizona State.

Going into the tournament, Stanford (16-15) had lost five straight and seven of its last eight games in the regular season. The Sun Devils (14-17) came into the tournament on a roll, having won four straight and seven of their last eight.

Keefe’s shot, which bounced around the rim and backboard as time elapsed, capped a 16-1 run that erased a 14-point Cardinal deficit. The Sun Devils were up 50-33 at 13:35 of the second half before a 13-3 Stanford run pulled them to within seven at 7:47.

Two more 3-pointers and a dunk by Kimani Lawrence put the Devils back up by 14 with three minutes remaining.

Spencer Jones sank a 3-pointer that pulled the Cardinal to within 70-69 with 37 seconds to play. Stanford chose not to foul, and after Harrison Ingram got the rebound off a miss by ASU’s Jalen Graham with nine seconds remaining, he headed up court but had the ball stripped in the lane.

Keefe picked up the loose ball about ten feet away from the basket and hoisted a desperation floater with a half-second showing on the clock that found the mark.

Jones made six 3s while scoring a career-high 26 points for Stanford. Keefe finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while making seven of eight from the field. Brandon Angel added 15 points.

ASU lost to Stanford for the first time this season despite tying the Pac-12 tournament record of 15 3-pointers, set by Stanford against Arizona State in an overtime game in 2013. The Sun Devils were also 11 of 33 on 2-point field goals and three of seven at the free throw line.

DJ Horne led the Sun Devils with 21 points, including five treys. Marreon Jackson had 14 points, including three 3s, and Jay Heath made four 3-pointers for 12 points.

As the tournament’s top seed, Arizona drew a first-round bye and will tip off with the Cardinal Thursday at 12 noon PST.

Cardinal close out regular season with 65-56 loss to ASU

The Arizona State Sun Devils jump for joy after nailing down a victory against the visiting Stanford Cardinal at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Sat Mar 5, 2022 (photo by Arizona State Sun Devils Athletics)

By Daniel Dullum
Saturday, March 5, 2022

For the second straight game, Stanford took a halftime lead but couldn’t sustain it, as the Cardinal fell to Arizona State 65-56 Saturday at Tempe, Ariz., in the Pac-12 men’s basketball regular season finale for both schools.

Senior Marreon Jackson netted 18 points in his final home game, as the Sun Devils (14-16 overall, 10-10 Pac-12) finished their conference schedule with four straight victories and seven wins in their final eight games.

Stanford closed out the Pac-12 slate with five consecutive losses, dropping seven of its last eight games.

Jackson was eight of 15 from the field, along with six assists, six steals and six rebounds. Jalen Graham was next for ASU with 16 points on five of six field goals, and DJ Horne added 12 points and four assists.

Spencer Jones and Brandon Angel each scored 14 points to lead the Cardinal. Jones connected on three of five behind the arc, and Angel made four three-pointers. Harrison Ingram grabbed nine of the Cardinal’s 36 rebounds to go with four assists and three steals.

Stanford (15-15 overall, 8-12 Pac-12) led 32-30 at the intermission. Alonzo Gaffney hit a jumper to tie the game to open the second half, and followed with a 3-pointer at 16:41, putting the Sun Devils up 35-32.

Jaiden Delaire responded with a 3-pointer for the Cardinal, but Graham converted a three-point play, Horne and Jackson hit baskets, and ASU had a 43-37 lead.

Brandon Angel sank a three–pointer with 6:13 to play, putting the Cardinal up 52-51, but the Sun Devils responded with a 10-0 run and didn’t look back.

Stanford and ASU will meet in the opening round of the Pac-12 tournament on Wednesday in Las Vegas.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum: Stanford good first half, lose second half to Arizona 81-69 in Tucson

Stanford forward Spencer Jones (14) drives on Arizona guard Pelle Larsson at the McKale Memorial Center in Tucson on Thu Mar 3, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Stanford podcast with Daniel:

1 Despite a gallant effort, Stanford bounced back from a horrendous game against Cal and played at least one good half against Arizona.

2 What was working for the Cardinal in the first half, and where did it go south in the second half?

3 How are Stanford’s chances to pick up a win on Saturday against Arizona State to end the regular season on a positive note?

4 What do Stanford’s chances for postseason men’s basketball look like?

5 Meanwhile, Teri Vanderveer just received Pac-12 women’s basketball coach of the year for the 17th time, as the Cardinal women are primed for an extended tournament run.

Catch Daniel for the Stanford podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Pac-12 champion No. 2 Arizona defeats Stanford 81-69

Stanford guard Michael O’Connell (5) drives on Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin at McKale Memorial Center in Tucson on Thu Mar 3, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Thursday, March 3, 2022

Fresh off clinching the Pac-12 regular season title, No. 2 Arizona returned home to McKale Center in Tucson and held off inspired Stanford 81-69 in men’s basketball Thursday.

Bennedict Mathurin led the Wildcats with 24 points, followed by Christian Koloko with 21 points and 10 rebounds, as U of A (27-3 overall, 17-2 Pac-12) remained undefeated at home in its first season under Coach Tommy Lloyd. Kerr Kriisa added seven assists and Azuolas Tubelis chipped in with 11 points.

Arizona also clinched its first conference championship in four years.

After defeating No. 16 Southern California on Tuesday in Los Angeles, Arizona came out sluggish against the Cardinal (15-14 overall, 8-11 Pac-12), shooting poorly while Stanford built a nine-point lead in the first half, eventually whittled down to a 39-37 Cardinal lead at halftime. Stanford made more baskets in the first half (12) than they did in their entire loss to California.

But the Wildcats pulled away after the intermission, outscoring the Cardinal 44-30, as Stanford’s late-season tailspin continued with its sixth loss in seven games. Mathurin had a personal 8-0 run against the Cardinal to open the second half that put U of A up 67-58.

Arizona stayed close by making 16 points off 11 Cardinal turnovers. Things didn’t go much better for Stanford in the second half, making 3 of 9 from 3-point range while finishing the game with 17 turnovers.

Spencer Jones led the Cardinal with 22 points, followed by Michael O’Connell with 16 points – all scored in the first half. Maxime Raynaud added 10 points and seven rebounds, and Harrison Ingram led the Cardinal with nine boards.

Stanford made 15 of 28 in the first 20 minutes, including 7 of 10 behind the arc.\

Stanford finishes the regular season in Tempe on Saturday, visiting Arizona State.

Cal holds Cardinal to season-low point total, winning 53-39

Jordan Shepherd led the Cal Bears with 21 points against the Stanford Cardinal at Haas Pavilion Sat Feb 26, 2022 (image from Cal Bears Athletics)

By Daniel Dullum
Saturday, February 26, 2022

California earned a split on the season series between the Bay Area rivals, winning 53-39 over visiting Stanford Saturday in Pac-12 men’s basketball at Haas Pavilion

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Stanford (15-13 overall, 8-10 Pac-12) has lost three straight games, and six of its last eight. The 38 points was the Cardinal’s lowest point total of the season; Stanford scored 48 points in a Nov. 20 loss to Baylor and 43 in a Jan. 29 loss to UCLA.

Spencer Jones was the Cardinal’s top scorer with 10 points, followed by Jaiden Delaire with seven points and Harrison Ingram with six. Maxime Raynaud, Brandon Angel and Max Murrell each grabbed five of Stanford’s 34 rebounds, six fewer than Cal (12-17 overall, 5-13 Pac-12).

Jordan Shepard paced the Bears with 21 points, as Stanford held Cal to 18 points in the second half, and the Bears’ 53 points was their third-lowest total of the season.

Stanford didn’t help itself by missing 16 of its first 17 field goal attempts to start the game, eventually trailing by 23 at halftime. On the night, the Cardinal hit 12 of 51 field goal attempts for 24 percent, including 4 of 18 on 3-pointers.

The Cardinal were held to 14 points in the paint, five second-chance points and two points off turnovers.

The Cardinal wrap up their regular season on the road, visiting No. 2-ranked Arizona Thursday in Tucson, and heading to Tempe to face Arizona State next Saturday.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum: Cardinal close out regular season with Cal in Berkeley on Saturday night

Stanford forward James Keefe (22) puts the defensive pressure on Colorado forward Evan Battey (21) at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sat Feb 19, 2022. The Cardinal travel to UC Berkeley to face the Cal Bears on Sat Feb 26, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal (15-12) have lost five of their last seven games and lost their last game by a landslide last Saturday 70-53 at home against the Colorado Buffaloes (18-9).

#2 For the Buffaloes Evan Battey led with 15 points to help win their fifth consecutive game.

#3  Battey was followed by Nique Clifford with 14 points and seven rebounds. Keeshawn Bartelemy, Jabari Walker and K.J. Simpson each added 10 points for Colorado.

#4 Jaiden Delaire led the Cardinal scoring on Senior Night, netting 12 points on 5 of 7 field goals, including 1 of 2 from 3-point range.

#5 The Cardinal head to Haas Pavilion for their Big Game match up with the Cal Bears (11-17) the Bears who had lost ten straight games then won at Oregon and Oregon State then dropped games to the Buffaloes and the Utah Utes will to close the regular season with the Cardinal this Saturday night at Cal for a 5:30 tip.

Join Daniel for coverage during the Pac 12 Tournament at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Colorado wins fifth straight, routing Cardinal 70-53

Stanford guard Michael O’Connell (5) and forward James Keefe, right,  try to put some defense on Colorado forward Evan Battey (21) at Maples Pavillion on Sat Feb 19, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Saturday, February 19, 2022

Stanford closed out the home portion of its 2021-22 men’s basketball schedule with a 70-53 Pac-12 loss at the hands of Colorado Saturday at Maples Pavilion.

Evan Battey paced the Buffaloes’ balanced attack in their fifth consecutive win with 15 points, followed by Nique Clifford with 14 points and seven rebounds. Keeshawn Bartelemy, Jabari Walker and K.J. Simpson each added 10 points for Colorado (18-9 overall, 10-7).

Jaiden Delaire led the Cardinal scoring on Senior Night, netting 12 points on 5 of 7 field goals, including 1 of 2 from 3-point range. Spencer Jones and Maxime Raynaud scored eight points each, and James Keefe grabbed nine rebounds.

Once again, Stanford (15-12 overall, 8-9 Pac-12) had trouble shooting at home, making 21 of 54 from the field (39 percent), including 5 of 20 behind the arc and 6 of 11 at the free throw line.

Colorado, meanwhile, made 52 percent on its field goals, going 24 for 46, making 6 of 13 3-pointers and making 16 of 23 free throws.

The Cardinal jumped to an early 12-3 lead in the first half, but CU responded with a run to surge ahead by three with 7:30 left in the half, Stanford led 31-29 at halftime, but the Buffs outscored the Cardinal 41-22 in the second half.

Along with Delaire, Lukas Kisunas, Sam Beskind, Daniel Begovich and Keenan Fitzmorris all played their final home game on Senior Night for the Cardinal.

Stanford’s next game is next Saturday in Berkeley against California, with a 5:30 tip-off.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum: Cardinal looking to rebound from loss to Utes play in Colorado Saturday

Utah guard Both Gach (2) snuffs Stanford forward Brandon Angel (23) at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Thu Feb 17, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Daniel:

#1 How disappointing is Stanford’s loss to lowly Utah on Thursday night?

#2 What went wrong for the Cardinal in the second half?

#3 The game with Utah was a game of runs, and the Utes had the last one when it counted.

#4 Will this loss keep Stanford out of the Big Dance?

#5 Can the Cardinal bounce back against Colorado?

Daniel does the Cardinal podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com