So many things make this particular bunch impressive, but none more so than those up front. It is more athletic and intelligent than years past, this Stanford front line that has opposing coaches running for Advil. They just keep running guys off the bench and it's tough to counter. They're so strong. They have the ability to just manhandle teams at both ends.
Big bodies are nice, but games often come down to matchups at guard.
This is where Stanford, surprising to some, could set itself apart over the next month. The countless snapshots of Casey Jacobsen are vivid this season. The freshman shooting guard leads Stanford in scoring at 14.4 and offers a threat not evident in recent times. Jacobsen is versatile with a capital V, a player who is as dangerous off the dribble as he is spotting up. Dion Cross and Kris Weems were deadly running off screens in their Stanford days, but neither could attack the basket and draw defenders like Jacobsen.