PROJECTED STARTERS
STANFORD
• G Aaron Bright (5-11, Fr.)
• G Jarrett Mann (6-4, Jr.)
• G Jeremy Green (6-4, Jr.)
• F Dwight Powell (6-9, Fr.)
• F Josh Owens (6-8, Jr.)
Arizona
• G MoMo Jones (6-0, So.)
• G Kyle Fogg (6-3, Jr.)
• F Solomon Hill (6-6, So.)
• F Jesse Perry (6-7, Jr.)
• F Derrick Williams (6-8, So.)
HOW THEY MATCH UP
• The series: Arizona leads Stanford 51-29 all-time and has won the past three games, including a 71-69 win at Maples Pavilion last season when MoMo Jones banked in a game-winner at the buzzer.
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• Stanford overview: Picked to finish ninth in the Pac-10, Stanford has beaten Cal and ASU in league play while going 7-4 against a respectable nonconference schedule. The Cardinal has been able to rebuild around wing Jeremy Green by getting strong contributions from a pair of freshman - physical big man Dwight Powell and point guard Aaron Bright - while Josh Owens has been productive after an undisclosed medical issue kept him out last season.
• Who's out: Neither team reports any expected absences.
SIDELINES
Not Green with envy
Nobody may be happier to see New York Knicks guard Landry Fields behaving like an NBA Rookie of the Year candidate than his former Stanford teammate, Jeremy Green. "Every time I see him, I can't stop smiling," Green said. "He went from me and him going to Jack in the Box every day to now he's living a lavish lifestyle and playing with Amare Stoudemire." But Green said he's not at all surprised to see it. "I tell everyone that Landry should have easily been a lottery pick," Green said. "He has great size, great skills, has a tremendous work ethic, and that's what put him over the top. Landry is a fine example of hard work paying off."
Wheels turn after talk on bus
Not all that traveling time on Arizona's long trip to Oregon last weekend was wasted. Coach Sean Miller had a chat with Derrick Williams on a bus after Williams took only six field goal attempts and only made 3 of 10 free throws at Oregon State on Sunday. "You're on a bus, going from Corvallis to Portland and it's dark, you're eating a cold turkey sandwich," Miller said, when asked to describe their discussion. "You just lost and you just have to keep plugging away, moving forward, knowing that what just happened in that game is going to happen again. We all need to recognize, including Derrick, to be assertive is so important for our team. If it was that talk that helped spark him, great. But I'd like to think it was more about returning to practice and teammates doing a great job of getting him the ball." Williams responded by scoring a career-high 31 points with a school-record 22 free throws Thursday.
Numbers game
7
Years since Stanford last swept the Arizona schools on the road
41
Points ASU scored against Stanford on Thursday, the fewest in the Sun Devils' 36-year history at Wells Fargo Arena
149
Miller's career college win total as a head coach entering today
Horne comes through as Perry struggles
Even after he bumped Jamelle Horne out of the starting lineup on Dec. 22 in favor of Jesse Perry, Miller said he never sensed a loss of confidence in his lone senior. "Jamelle's really had a good attitude," Miller said. "I don't think there's anybody on our team that wants to win more than him or play well." So on Thursday, when Perry had an off night (1 for 6 with three rebounds), Horne came through with 10 points, three rebounds, a steal and an assist in 21 minutes. "Jesse didn't have it," Miller said. "He just didn't, and that's one of the biggest strengths of our team - in many games Jesse has had it, and Jamelle hasn't. But I thought Jamelle really picked up the slack for Jesse tonight. We needed Jamelle, and he came through."
KEY PLAYERS
JEREMY GREEN Stanford
The junior wing entered the week leading the Pac-10 in three-pointers made per game (3.0) though he made only 1 of 5 against ASU (and was 2 of 10 overall from the field). That is not likely to become a trend; the only question is whether it changes today.
KYRYL NATYAZHKO Arizona
Stanford will come at Arizona with two strong inside players, so the Wildcats will likely need more from Natyazhko off the bench than they received Thursday against Cal's big men. Natyazhko was 1 for 4 with two rebounds against the Bears.
He said it
"Green is still probably the most dangerous three-point shooter in the conference. The way you neutralize him is you don't double-team because he's a capable passer. You make him exert a lot of energy. … Bright is going to really be important for their success because he can make open shots. He's very good."
UA assistant coach Book Richardson, who scouted the Cardinal