Time To Regroup With Winning Streak Shot Down, Stanford Has To Find Some Answers

With Thursday’s loss to Arizona, the focus for Stanford can now shift from its unblemished record to what really matters - the rest of the season.

All the distracting streaks are dead. The Cardinal’s goals and aspirations are still very much alive, but there is work to be done if they are to remain so. The first order of business is a 3 p.m. game on today against Arizona State in Maples Pavilion.

Fourth-ranked Stanford (18-1, 7-1 Pac-10) must do two things against the Sun Devils (13-8, 3-5):

First, realize that Arizona played about as well as it is capable in its 93-75 victory Thursday. Coach Lute Olson admitted as much afterward. That is the easy one.

“(The Wildcats) were just on fire,” Cardinal point guard Arthur Lee said. “They weren’t missing anything, and that just happens sometimes.”

Second, realize that Stanford had weaknesses exposed that must be addressed. That one is tougher.

Much has been made of the Cardinal’s depth, but it isn’t really as deep as you might expect. Yes, the team has 11 guys averaging at least 12 minutes per game, but that is deceiving.

Stanford coach Mike Montgomery used only nine players against Arizona. Mike McDonald’s 3-minute appearance comes with an asterisk, for he entered when the result was decided and replaced an exhausted Lee, who played the game’s first 37 minutes. Reserve forward Ryan Mendez, despite his perimeter shooting skills, didn’t play at all.

Why? Because, although he has made great strides over the past year, the sophomore’s defense is suspect, particularly against quick teams. David Moseley, a defensive stalwart, was having trouble against the Wildcats’ array of guards and Mendez wouldn’t have had a chance.

The Cardinal was tired, a fact not lost on Arizona guard Miles Simon, who said the fatigue allowed Mike Bibby and Michael Dickerson (combined 52 points) to shoot from the perimeter “all day long.”

Stanford’s famed depth up front? It was made all too clear how much the Cardinal miss power forward Mark Madsen, who has been sidelined the past month with a stress fracture in his right foot.

His absence has put too much of the onus on 7-foot-1 center Tim Young. Stanford was fine against Arizona as long as Young was in the game, but when he sat down 2 minutes into the second half after collecting his fourth foul, the Wildcats took control.

Arizona immediately went on a 10-0 run for an 11-point advantage. Stanford could get no closer than eight the rest of the way.

The Cardinal’s other three big men combined for a total of 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting from the floor. Mark Seaton was overmatched, Pete Van Elswyk was helpless, and Jarron Collins simply didn’t have the experience.

For the third straight game, the bench was rendered a non-factor.

What does it all mean?

First, Stanford needs a healthy Madsen. He participated in pregame warmups against Arizona and could be back for Wednesday’s game at Cal. That is crucial, considering the Bears have size and the Cardinal are entering the toughest portion of their schedule.

Stanford follows the Cal game with a trip to No. 9 Connecticut next Saturday and a trip to Los Angeles to face USC and UCLA the following week. Madsen’s return and ability to stay healthy may be the single biggest factor for the Cardinal the rest of the way.

Second, the guards and the bench need to get more consistent. Lee and Kris Weems have a tendency to get streaky, while the bench has struggled to maintain offensive rhythm when the starters sit down.

Trying to remain perfect is no longer an issue. Stanford can focus its energies on becoming the complete team it has shown - in spurts - it can be.

“We have to prepare for (today) and the rest of the season just as if we’d won (Thursday),” Lee said. “We have to keep doing what we did to get those 18 wins.”