Looking to improve to a perfect 5-0 in its best start to the season since 2016, Stanford men’s basketball (4-0, 0-0 Pac-12) will face the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (0-4, 0-0 MEAC) Tuesday in Maples Pavilion. A quick turnaround, the Cardinal will also take on William and Mary on Thursday.
The games are the fifth and sixth straight home games for the Cardinal and the last to be played in Maples before the team travels to Kansas City, Missouri, for the Hall of Fame Classic. Perhaps a promising sign for Stanford, all four of the Hawks’ losses have been on the road, though Tuesday will be the team’s first visit to the Farm.
In its most recent victory — an 82-64 victory against Santa Clara on Saturday — Stanford relied on big offensive numbers from freshman guard Tyrell Terry and junior forward Oscar da Silva. The pair posted 21 and 18 points against the Broncos, respectively, and currently lead the Cardinal in scoring.
Terry heads into Tuesday’s matchup averaging 15 points per game, just behind da Silva’s 16.3. He became the first Cardinal player to score in double figures over his first four games since Josh Childress’ four-game stretch in 2001.
As a team, Stanford has averaged almost 78 points per game, while holding its opponents to 59.5. Developing a menacing defense has been a focus of the team in the offseason and the beginning of the 2019-20 season, according to head coach Jerod Haase.
“It’s a level of toughness,” Haase said of the team’s defensive identity. “It’s an attitude of competing every possession … fighting for every loose ball and every defensive rebound.”
Defensive performance will be especially critical when Stanford takes on William and Mary on Thursday. A team also with an unblemished 4-0 record, the Tribe has been posting an average of nearly 77 points per game with a shooting percentage of just over 50%.
Both of Stanford’s contests this week will tip off at 7 p.m. PST at Maples Pavilion, with action against the Hawks taking place Tuesday and the matchup against the Tribe following on Thursday.
Contact Savanna Stewart at savnstew ‘at’ stanford.edu.