Stanford vs Texas Tech

The last remaining "official" game of the Big 12 Pac 10 Hardwood Series Challenge was played last Saturday in Dallas. There were a few more "unofficial" games in the series, but Stanford just barely won and sealed the victory for the Pac-10.

Brook Lopez is back, and that's what Stanford fans have been waiting for. As it is common with the Lopez twins, they are "friends of foul", but in the second half Brook showed his offensive skillz.

Texas Tech is really the same old story, but with a twist: Bob Knight and his prized pupil (Coach Ratcase Krapola-K) have "embraced" the zone defense. What is this world coming to? Knight wants to recruit Knight players to play the "right way" (Knight way) and there's only so much Pat Knight can do to "soften" the blow. The good news for them is that the state of Texas is loaded with talent and the Knight brand still has some appeal in Big-10 states.

Stanford's biggest issue are its guards. Anthony Goods is probably the only Pac-10 level guard in their line-up. Mitch Johnson is probably a second-string point-guard type but he has been handed the keys at Stanford. The rest of the Stanford guards are also of the second-string variety, which allows teams to focus on the Lopez twins and Lawrence Hill (if/when he plays well). With Brook Lopez back, the onus is on the guards to deliver. And if the other guards can provide some offense, Mitch Johnson is not going to be a liability. If Goods and Hill can hit outside shots and the Lopez twins dominate inside, the team can even make a Final Four run with Johnson as their point guard. In an ideal scenario that is. Most likely scenario? Sweet 16? One and done?