No. 4 Arizona Basketball closes out Bay Area trip at Stanford

STANFORD, CA – Beginning its conference farewell tour with a convincing win over Cal, No. 4 Arizona Basketball (10-2, 1-0) concludes its Bay Area trip against Stanford (5-6, 0-1).

The Pac-12 farewell tour is off and running for No. 4 Arizona Basketball, and the Wildcats started things with a bang by earning a convincing, 19-point win over host Cal on Friday evening.

Now traveling roughly 45 miles South to conclude its Bay Area trip for the last time as a Pac-12 Conference member, the Wildcats will return to the hardwood with another in-conference matchup against Stanford.

Coming in, Arizona is once against heavily favored, and rightfully so. The Cardinal have not been a consistent team this year, and while they have some talented players, the Wildcats should win this one easily, so long as they take care of business.

Arizona should have the advantage at almost every position on the court, but again, nothing is ever guaranteed, especially when playing on the road against conference teams. And remember, the Wildcats did lose at Stanford last season.

Hopefully, the Wildcats will be ready to go in this one and will be able to start conference play with a 2-0 record for the third year in a row under head coach Tommy Lloyd.

Getting to know the details about Arizona Basketball’s opponent, the Stanford Cardinal.

Team: Stanford Cardinal

Conference: Pac-12 Conference

Current Record: 5–6 (0–1)

Head Coach: Jerod Haase. A veteran collegiate basketball coach, Haase enters his 8th season as head coach of the Stanford Cardinal, and in his tenure, he has compiled a 117–115 (59–73) record with just one, postseason appearance (NIT) in 2017-18.

Before he arrived at Stanford, Jerod was at UAB from 2012-16 where he was 80–53 (42–26) as head coach of the Blazers. Overall, he is 197–168 (101–99) as a head coach with one, NCAA Tournament appearance and two NIT appearances.

2022-23 Record: Finishing the 2022-23 season with a 14–19 (7–12) record, the Cardinal ended its year with a loss to Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament.

So with Arizona Basketball taking on Stanford, here is how you can watch and follow our Wildcats!

Arizona Basketball vs Stanford Information and Details:

Date: Sunday, December 31, 2023

Time: 2:00 P.M. MST / 1:00 P.M. PST

Television: Pac-12 Network

Location: Maples Pavilion – Stanford, CA (7,392)

Spread: TBD (Don’t forget to sign up with Caesars Sportsbook or DraftKings to enhance your overall betting experience)

Overall Series Record: 70-33 Arizona. At one time sharing a bit of a rivalry, these are two programs that have an extensive history together; however, it is one in which the Wildcats have dominated recently, winning 23 of its last 26 meetings.

Last Meeting: After losing to Stanford in Maples Pavilion last February, Arizona got the last laugh by beating Stanford in the Quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Conference Tournament in Las Vegas. Arizona won by a 95-84 final.

Arizona Basketball Game Preview:

After cruising to a convincing win over conference foe Cal on Friday evening, Arizona looks to start conference play 2-0 with yet another favorable matchup, this time taking on Stanford. 

Coming in, the Wildcats will be considered the significant favorites, and rightfully so as Stanford has not been a consistent team this season.

Beyond that, Stanford will likely reeling a bit too, especially after losing to ASU on Friday evening as the Cardinal were outscored 17-4 over the final 5:04 to lose 76-73 in heartbreaking fashion.

However, that does not mean that the Cats can take this one lightly either, after all, Arizona did lose at Sanford last season.

The Wildcats will need to bring the focus and energy from the tip, and to me, that means slowing down Stanford's top scorers which include Maxime Raynaud, Michael Jones, and Brandon Angel.

Regardless of record, Stanford is a good shooting team that shoots a collective 47.6 percent from the field, and 35.1 percent from three. While Stanford may not be the best offensive team we will see this season, the Cardinal can score some points as they are averaging 77.9 points per game as a team.

If Arizona is to win this one, they will need to execute defensively and not let Stanford get hot. Additionally, the Wildcats will need to own the boards and take care of the basketball.

The Wildcats cannot afford to let Stanford hang around and get confident, otherwise, this one will be closer than expected. Take care of business from the tip and put the Cardinal away early!

Hopefully, the Wildcats will be ready to go with an earlier tip-off time. Sunday's game against the Cardinal is set for 2:00 P.M. Tucson time with the game being broadcasted on Pac-12 Network!

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