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Stanford
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
The first eight games, all comfortable wins against mostly forgettable opponents, offered more mystery than an Agatha Christie tale. How good really was Stanford? But then the Cardinal beat Duke 84-83 at the Pete Newell Challenge in December and everyone knew the answer. Very, very good. Final Four good. Mike Montgomery's team won its first 20 games and was the nation's final unbeaten squad before falling to visiting UCLA 79-73 on Feb. 3. Pre-conference tournament wins included the championships of the the Puerto Rico Classic, Stanford Invitational and Cable Car Classic. Stanford opened conference play by sweeping a weekend road series against the Arizona schools. An 85-76 win over the Wildcats -- then in state of disarray as their coach (Lute Olson) tended to his dying wife -- afforded Stanford the needed confidence to go out and dominate conference play. What do you know? It did. And the Cardinal continued that dominance in Round 1 of the NCAA Tournament, putting a drubbing on UNC Greensboro. Player to Watch Oregon State coach Ritchie McKay might have said it best earlier this season: "Casey Jacobsen could average 30 points a game if wanted to. He is that good. But that's not how Stanford plays." Jacobsen is the sophomore wing whose consistent averages of 17 points, four rebounds and two assists lead a balanced attack that sees five players average at least eight points. Jacobsen shoots 45 percent from three-point range and is one of the nation's best threats off the dribble. He often advances the ball against pressure and improved all aspects of his game from a co-conference freshman of the year season in 1999-2000. The sign of a great player: He becomes somewhat of an after-thought as the season goes on, a line or two in game stories about another 20-point performance in another big win. With the Ball Some things never change: Stanford is big. Some things do: Stanford is quite athletic. The Cardinal with Jacobsen and an improved senior in Ryan Mendez penetrates better than years past. You can't sag because the guards can shoot, and you can't extend because they'll drive past you. Stanford likes to tease opponents, especially when forward Jason Collins offers a nice pick-and-roll with point guard Michael McDonald. Baskets also come with Jason and brother Jarron play a little two-man game down low, often resulting in Jason hitting short jumpers. A great press (see UCLA) will give Stanford trouble. An average one will get shred. Defending the Ball It is not last year's NCAA defensive field goal percentage record breaking team, but it's still very good. The large bodies inside make it one-shot-and-done for most teams against Stanford's tough man-to-man. If that's not enough, they've even experimented with some 2-3 zone this season. The Cardinal has sat at or near the top of Pac-10 defensive categories all season because it's talented enough to consistently mix looks from man to zone and not slip in execution. Defense begins with rebounding and Jason and Jarron Collins each rank among the league's top 10 players in the category. The emergence of freshman Teyo Johnson offers a sturdy 6-foot-6 forward who is athletic enough to guard quicker players away from the basket. Seed Analysis Exceeding the Seed Playing to Expectations Falling Short BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: .900 (1.000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding) Bracketology Report1985-2000: The Cardinal have a puzzling recent history in the tournament. Stanford's really good teams have fared poorly, its good teams have been outstanding and its average teams have been slightly above average. What does that mean for the top-ranked 2001 Cardinal? It says here that Stanford is the best team in the country and that its seeding history next year will include a national championship. Roster
 NCAA Basketball Championship Week It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |  |
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Elite Eight preview: Maryland vs. Standford (courtesy: NCAA Productions)
Stanford coach Mike Montgomery is relieved to come away with the victory (Courtesy: NCAA Productions).
