Santa Clara @ Stanford preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 23, 2008 ) Stanford 77, Santa Clara 69

Two teams looking to remain unbeaten meet Saturday as Santa Clara visits Stanford, which is seeking its first 4-0 start since 2016. The Cardinal opened with an 11-point win over Montana before recording back-to-back victories over Big West opponents Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State.

Stanford was expected to struggle after losing top scorer KZ Okpala to the NBA, but freshmen Tyrell Terry and Spencer Jones have made an instant impact while combining for five starts. Terry is averaging 13 points and 4.3 assists while Jones is 10-of-20 shooting from 3-point range for the Cardinal, who cruised to an 86-58 win over Long Beach State on Tuesday. “Stanford’s freshmen are very talented,” Long Beach State coach Don Monson told reporters. “A lot of freshmen come in offensively talented, but I was impressed with Stanford defensively. For having two freshmen in the lineup, their team defense was very good.” The Cardinal has allowed an average of 58 points while limiting opponents to 39.4 percent shooting overall and 27.7 percent from beyond the arc.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

ABOUT SANTA CLARA (3-0): Off to their first 3-0 start since 2012-13, the Broncos have averaged 81.3 points in wins over UC Santa Cruz, Cal Poly and Washington State. Forward Guglielmo Caruso posted his second straight double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday’s 70-62 victory over Washington State while guard Trey Wertz added 18 points and nine boards. Wake Forest transfer DJ Mitchell scored 18 points in each of his first two games with the Broncos but was held to three points on 1-of-6 shooting against the Cougars.

ABOUT STANFORD (3-0): Sophomore forward Jaiden Delaire scored a career-high 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the win over Long Beach State while Oscar da Silva added 12 points and seven rebounds. Coach Jerod Haase's squad forced 19 turnovers and outscored the Beach in the paint by a 30-8 margin. The Cardinal is forcing 17.3 turnovers per game and boast a solid nine-man rotation led by junior guard Daejon Davis, who averaged 11.4 points last season but has scored in double figures just once in the team’s first three games.

TIP-INS

1. Stanford has won 11 of the last 12 meetings against Santa Clara and holds a 50-26 lead in the all-time series.

2. Santa Clara was picked to finish fifth in the West Coast Conference preseason poll.

3. Stanford is opening its season with six consecutive home games for the first time since 2006.

PREDICTION: Stanford 74, Santa Clara 66