St. Joseph's-Stanford Preview
March 17, 2001 GAME: No. 9 St. Joseph's (26-6) vs. No. 1 Stanford (29-2) Stanford desperately needs to end its ugly habit of second-round losses. The top-seeded Cardinal hope to avoid suffering an early knockout for the third straight year when they face No. 9 St. Joseph's in the West Regional. Like this year, Stanford was a top contender for the national championship going into the NCAA tournament each of the last two seasons. Both times, the Cardinal had their hopes dashed in the second round. Following a loss to Gonzaga in 1999, Stanford entered as the No. 1 seed in the South last year and lost to North Carolina in its second game of the tournament. "If we have that mindset that we're not going to overestimate anybody, then we can do some great things in the tournament, because we are as talented as anybody," said guard Casey Jacobsen, the only first team All-American in school history. Jacobsen and the rest of Stanford's starters did not have to work too hard in the first round, racing to an 89-60 win over UNC-Greensboro. Jason Collins scored 20 of his 25 points in the first half as the three-time Pac-10 champions opened a 23-point lead by halftime. Jacobsen added 14 points in just 28 minutes, the most by any Stanford player. "If you look at this thing in the long run, the big picture, where we're trying to go with this thing, those are the kind of things that will help you," Jacobsen said of the team's starters getting some extra rest. The last time the Cardinal got past the second round was in 1998, when they reached the Final Four for the first time since winning the national title in 1942. Stanford should have a much tougher time with St. Joseph's, back in the NCAAs for the first time since making the round of 16 in 1997. The Hawks matched the winningest season in school history with their 66-62 victory over Georgia Tech in the opening round. Marvin O'Connor scored 13 of his 21 points in the second half as St. Joseph's hung on after blowing most of an 18-point lead. "For us to win and shoot 29 percent in the second half is very significant," said Phil Martelli, the Atlantic 10 coach of the year. "That was about a group of kids who didn't want their jerseys taken away." Stanford has the advantage inside in this matchup with the Collins brothers, Jaron and Jason, who combined for 33 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in the opening round. Despite the Cardinal boasting a star guard in Jacobsen, St. Joseph's may have the edge on the outside. O'Connor finished second in the A-10 in scoring and freshman Jameer Nelson led the conference in assists and is the team's second-leading scorer. Both were among the A-10's top 3-point shooters this season. PROBABLE STARTERS: St. Joseph's - F Bill Phillips (11.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg), F Frank Wilkins (5.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg), C Damian Reed (9.2, 6.6 rpg), G Nelson (12.4 ppg, 6.4 apg), G O'Connor (21.6 ppg, 2.7 apg). Stanford - F Jarron Collins (12.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg), F Ryan Mendez (11.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg), C Jason Collins (14.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg), G Jacobsen (17.9, 2.3 rpg), G Michael McDonald (8.1 ppg, 4.9 apg). HOW THEY GOT HERE: St Joseph's - At-large bid, Atlantic 10 Conference, defeated No. 8 Georgia Tech 66-62, first round. Stanford - Automatic bid, Pac-10 champion, defeated UNC-Greensboro 89-60, first round. ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: St Joseph's - 15-19, 16 years. Stanford - 14-8, 10 years. |
