蜜柚直播

Who: No. 14 蜜柚直播 (15-4, 5-1) at Stanford (11-8, 5-1)

Where: Maples Pavilion, Stanford, Calif.

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

Watch: Ch. 13

Listen: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM

Follow: @TheWildcaster on Twitter / TheWildcaster on Facebook

The series:

蜜柚直播 has owned Stanford in the Sean Miller era, and has actually won 15 straight games dating back to a 101-87 win at McKale Center in 2008-09, when Russ Pennell coached the Wildcats on an interim basis. The Wildcats鈥� last two games at Maples haven鈥檛 been close, either: They won 71-57 in 2015-16 while holding Stanford to just 30.6 percent shooting, and 91-52 last season, when Chance Comanche had 13 points and 10 rebounds off the bench and four UA starters scored in double figures to record UA鈥檚 biggest victory margin ever against Stanford. UA leads the all-time series 63-29.

Picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 and contend for an NCAA Tournament berth, the Cardinal are finally living up to expectations. Stanford has won five straight games to tie 蜜柚直播 for first place in the Pac-12, including a sweep in Washington last weekend and an 86-77 win over ASU on Wednesday. One big reason: Stanford has guard Dorian Pickens and forward KZ Okpala back after they missed most of the nonconference season, and it has size and experience up front in Michael Humphrey and league MVP candidate Reid Travis.

Off the bench inside, the Cardinal has 7-footer Josh Sharma, who went 7 for 7 from the field and collected four rebounds and two blocks against ASU. Travis averages 20.0 points and 7.5 rebounds, behind only 蜜柚直播鈥檚 Deandre Ayton (20.2) among Pac-12 scoring leaders.

In the backcourt, former Washington signee Daejon Davis has brought a much-needed dose of speed and scoring ability to the point, while Pickens is a versatile shooter on the wing. Freshmen Okpala and Oscar da Silva also bring athleticism and confidence to the frontcourt.

In conference games, Stanford has been efficient from 3-point (36.5) and two-point (54.7) range, but is hitting only 59.7 percent of its free throws. The Cardinal plays mostly man-to-man defense but is expected to throw multiple defenders at Ayton.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e not a real deep team so I鈥檓 sure one of the things they鈥檙e worried about is foul trouble. All coaches worry about that. Their strength really lies in their top six players. Doubling the post, mixing in zone, and rotating (players against Ayton) 鈥� I鈥檓 sure they鈥檒l do all those things.鈥�

鈥� UA coach Sean Miller

Five-star recruits out of high school don鈥檛 normally stick around too long in college, but when they do this is what can happen: Travis has become a Pac-12 MVP candidate while collecting six double-doubles already.

He鈥檚 equally comfortable around the basket or driving the ball, picking up an average eight trips to the free-throw line every game.

The Wildcats鈥� freshman 7-footer tends to make a lot of defenders look, well, mortal. But Stanford has the kind of experience, skill and size inside that could make this matchup a little more interesting at least.

After Ayton picked up a technical foul during a post-dunk celebration Wednesday at Cal, UA coach Sean Miller expressed sympathy for him 鈥� and, to an extent, the officials.

鈥淵ou know, it鈥檚 hard with a player like him because he鈥檚 so physically imposing and I don鈥檛 think you realize how much contact he takes,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淗e certainly gives his fair share out there but people bounce off him. If that鈥檚 a lesser person physically, it would look almost like, 鈥榃ow, that鈥檚 a hard foul.鈥� But it鈥檚 difficult for the officials because you can ref 60 games, 70 games, and there鈥檚 only one of him out there.

鈥淚 do think that our conference is adjusting to Deandre and by the way he鈥檚 very composed. Very seldom loses it. I think he got called a foul for taunting. He growled at the guy or something. You鈥檇 rather him growl and tell him not to growl than be passive, right? I don鈥檛 think he meant any harm.鈥�

Even with two days between games this weekend, the Wildcats didn鈥檛 have a whole lot of free time.

What was scheduled to be a mostly off day Thursday turned out to include a practice at Maples Pavilion, and tentative dinner plans for a local steakhouse were shelved, with the team eating dinner instead in its Palo Alto hotel and holding academic 鈥渟tudy table鈥� sessions.

On Friday, the Wildcats woke up, watched film and practiced at Maples in the morning, then broke for lunch and returned to watch more film and more study tables in the afternoon.

鈥淭hey have their own fun,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淲e have a pretty focused group.鈥�

Born in Germany, with a Brazilian father, Stanford forward Oscar da Silva says he speaks six different languages: German, Portuguese, English, French, Spanish and Latin.

Latin helped him learn other languages, da Silva said, though he admitted he can鈥檛 actually speak it that well.

鈥淥K, I guess (I know) five and a half,鈥� da Silva said. 鈥淚 took four languages in high school. The German school system kind of encourages that, at least the school that I went to. And my dad is from Brazil, so I spoke two languages already.鈥�

What that means is da Silva can avoid technical fouls from refs who have no idea what he鈥檚 saying. Da Silva said his frustrations on the court often come out in German or sometimes Serbian, since 鈥渨e have a bunch of Serbian players back home.鈥�

That means UA鈥檚 Dusan Ristic could get an earful he might not expect Saturday.

鈥淚鈥檒l talk some trash (to Ristic) maybe,鈥� da Silva said, smiling.

7

Stanford wins in 8 games since senior guard Dorian Pickens has been healthy. (It was 4-7 without him.)

13.3

蜜柚直播鈥檚 average victory margin during its 15-game winning streak over Stanford, including a 12.4-point margin at Maples Pavilion.

136

Spots in RPI Stanford has moved up since Jan. 2 (from 214 to 78)