Publication Date: Friday, February 13, 2004
MEN'S BASKETBALL
A bear of a test is up next
A bear of a test is up next
(February 13, 2004) Unbeaten Stanford risks 20-0 record Saturday at Cal
by Rick Eymer
Every week brings a new sound of alarm that this will be the week the second-ranked Stanford men's basketball team will finally lose and fall off its unbeaten perch.
And every week, the Cardinal (11-0 in the Pac-10, 20-0 overall) have found a way to answer their Chicken Little's.
Stanford takes on its next challenge on Saturday when it visits Berkeley for a take-no-prisoners Pac-10 game against California (7-4, 11-9), which finds itself in second place in the conference. Tipoff is 7 p.m. (Fox Sports Net).
Can Stanford lose to the Bears? Sure. Stanford hasn't won in Berkeley since the 2000-01 season. Cal routed the Cardinal, 72-59, the last time the teams got together in the unfriendly confines of Haas Pavilion. The year before Stanford lost by 14 in Berkeley.
But stick all the individual pieces together, and something happens. The Cardinal get mileage from every position. Defensively, this may be the best team Mike Montgomery has ever coached.
Offensively, no one averages more than 12.8 points a game but that doesn't seem to matter. Junior forward Josh Childress is a superstar willing to play within the team concept and makes it work. He could easily try to take over a game but he likes to share the limelight.
"I don't know what a star really is, but we have very good players," said Montgomery. "We've had a variety of people step up, and they have confidence in each other."
Chris Hernandez and Matt Lottich are two of the top guards in the Pac-10. There's no question Hernandez runs the offense, but both he and Lottich get four or five assists each every game.
Arizona coach Lute Olson paid Hernandez one of the highest compliments after watching him help Stanford beat his Wildcats twice this season.
"He's a winner and gets the best of out everybody he plays with," said Olson. "He's the kind of guy we all look for. I'm not sure there's a better point guard leader in this conference than Chris. I've said all along he's the most valuable player on the team."
Stanford will still be without the injured Justin Davis, but sophomore Matt Haryasz will probably return against the Bears. That only adds to the depth and talent in the post position where Nick Robinson and Rob Little have been effective.
"They're pretty strong up the middle," said Cal coach Ben Braun. "You have to show up and play against Stanford. They test you and push you to the limit."
Haryasz averages 8.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and is the team leader in blocks with 31, fourth in the Pac-10.
Still, it's California vs. Stanford.
"Who knows what Cal has in store for us?" asked Little.
Indeed. The Bears are playing well of late, with home wins over Arizona and Arizona State last week in their back pockets giving them plenty of confidence and attitude. It's a long way from their season-opening loss to Cal Poly.
Sophomore guard Richard Midgley and freshman forward Leon Powe are all-conference type players. Powe is probably headed for the professional ranks and likely won't need four years in college to get there.
"Powe is clearly one of the more dominant big guys in the league," said Montgomery.
Powe leads Cal with 15.7 points and 9.9 rebounds a game, and three other starters, including Midgley, average in double figures. The Bears may like to go to Powe and Midgley but they have weapons elsewhere.
Stanford has won 12 of the past 14 games against California, though those two losses have come the past two years in Berkeley.
The Cardinal has won its games by a margin of 14.5 points per game, tops in the Pac-10, and outrebounded its opponents in 18 of the 20 games.
Women's basketball
Stanford will be looking to get back on track in the Pac-10 when it hosts California on Saturday at 2 p.m.
After losing consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 24-March 1, 2001, No. 11 Stanford (10-3, 17-5) returns to the comfort of Maple Pavilion, where the Cardinal have not lost a conference game in nearly three years.
Stanford owns an all-time record of 329-75 (.814) at Maples Pavilion, including a 15-1 mark last season and an 11-1 record this year. The Cardinal has won 42 of its last 45 home games.
E-mail a friend a link to this story. | 
