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Johnny Dawkins has done a solid job at Stanford, where he has steadily built a top-flight program.
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Last year he was said to be on the hot seat, but a hot Sweet Sixteen run in the NCAA Tournament, featuring brilliantly adaptive coaching by Dawkins, took care of that.
Friday's tour de force against UNLV won't hurt either.
Chasson Randle was 6-10 from three point range and not to be outdone, Anthony Brown was 4-5.
The Cardinal shot 70% from three point range, which should be a school record. That's spectacular.
Stefan Nastic is a rarity, a senior center, who shot nearly 90% over Stanford's last seven games last season. He was 3-13 against Vegas. At 6-11 and 245, he's another big body for Duke's sensational Jahlil Okafor to contend with.
Dawkins also gets Rosco Allen back; the sophomore forward sat out last year with a stress fracture.
Dawkins also likes freshman forward Reid Travis for his energy.
What Stanford lacks is a point guard, but Brown and Randle seem to be doing okay.
Against Vegas, the Cardinal went pretty deep: three subs got at least 10 minutes while two more got nine and seven.
Playing against your mentor is not always easy. Mike Brey pulled off an upset last season, but if you'll recall, Coach K was grieving over the loss of his brother and later said that he just wasn't all there.
Who can blame him for that?
Brey also said this, and it's a great line: "Mike likes to eat his young."
Stanford is capable of an upset, but it'll have to be earned.