Scouting report: No. 17 Washington at Stanford

Matchup: No. 17 Washington Huskies (12-3, 4-0) at Stanford Cardinal (9-5, 2-1)

Tip: Thursday, 7 p.m. at Maples Pavilion, Stanford, Calif.

TV, radio: Thursday's game will not be televised in the Seattle area, but can be heard on the radio on KJR 950-AM.

Coaches: Lorenzo Romar, Washington (ninth year); Johnny Dawkins, Stanford (second year).

Series: Stanford leads the all-time series 69-65, but the Huskies have won six straight games against the Cardinal. On the road last season, UW defeated the Cardinal, 78-61.

About the Huskies: The Huskies have won 11 straight Pac-10 games, dating back to last season. So far this season, the Huskies have swept USC and UCLA on the road, and Oregon and Oregon State at home. This hot start has propelled the Huskies to No. 17 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. But, after already losing starting point guard Abdul Gaddy to a season-ending knee injury, the team finds itself now facing serious off-the-court issues. The question for the Huskies will be whether they can put these distractions behind them and focus on continuing to dominate the rest of the Pac-10.

About the Cardinal: Stanford comes into the game fresh off a 67-57 loss to Arizona on Sunday, but the Cardinal defeated Cal and Arizona State to begin conference play. Stanford relies heavily on its physical style of defense, and the Cardinal have been able to establish themselves as the best defensive team in the Pac-10, holding opponents to only 60 points per contest. The Cardinal are led by junior guard Jeremy Green, who averages 15.9 points per game and can score from anywhere on the floor, and junior forward-center Josh Owens, who uses his 6-8, 230-pound frame to average 12 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. If Stanford can find a way to keep the pace of the game slow and the score in the low 70s or high 60s, the Cardinal will have a chance to cool off the streaking Huskies.

Projected starters for Washington:

G Venoy Overton6-0 185 So. Seattle, Wash. 5.7 ppg, 4.2 apg

G Isaiah Thomas 5-9 185 Jr. Tacoma, Wash. 16.0 ppg, 4.8 apg

C Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260 So. Dakar, Senegal 5.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg

F Justin Holiday 6-6 185 Sr. Chatsworth, Calif. 11.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg

F Matthew Bryan-Amaning 6-9 240 Sr. London, England 15.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg

Projected starters for Stanford:

G Jeremy Green 6-4 198 Jr. Austin, Texas 15.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg

G Jarrett Mann 6-4 190 Jr. Middletown, Del. 4.0 ppg, 3.1 apg

G Aaron Bright 5-11 175 Fr. Bellevue, Wash. 5.5 ppg, 2.6apg

C Josh Owens 6-8 230 Jr. Kennesaw, Ga. 12.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg

F Dwight Powell 6-9 227 Fr. Toronto, Ontario 8.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg

UDubSports.com pick: Stanford, 71-69.