Stanford Cardinal 2013-14: 23-13 (10-8 Pac-12); lost to Dayton 82-72 in Sweet 16
In-conference offense: 1.06 points per possession (4th)
In-conference defense: 1.03 points per possession (5th) There's never a bad time to reach the Sweet 16, but the Stanford Cardinal got there at the perfect moment for coach Johnny Dawkins. Dawkins entered his sixth year on the Farm squarely on the proverbial hot seat, having been unable to deliver a trip to the NCAA tournament. The numbers said Dawkins' 2012-13 team, which had the second-best efficiency differential among teams in Pac-12 play, was good enough to go dancing with better fortune in close games. That's largely what transpired. Last season, the Cardinal were actually less effective against conference opponents on a per-possession basis (efficiency differential dropped from 0.05 to 0.03), but their record improved from 9-9 to 10-8, making Stanford part of a massive five-team logjam tied for third in the Pac-12. Two wins in the conference tournament and a nonconference victory at eventual national champion Connecticut were enough to earn the Cardinal their first trip to the NCAA tournament since Trent Johnson's 2007-08 team. Projected starting lineupStanford made the most of the opportunity, knocking off seventh-seeded New Mexico in the round of 64 before pulling a shocking upset over No. 2 seed Kansas two days later. Playing in St. Louis, the Cardinal used a variety of defenses to help hold future No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins to four points on 1-of-6 shooting in his final collegiate game. As a team, the Jayhawks shot just 33 percent in Stanford's 60-57 win. While the Cardinal's run was ended by fellow double-digit seed Dayton a game short of the regional final, it still made a statement -- one Stanford now hopes to build on.
|
