After playing two games in the Preseason NIT Classic over the Thanksgiving holiday, the Stanford Cardinal (3-3) return to Palo Alto with a much needed confidence boost. The 69-66 comeback win over the Arkansas Razorbacks (2-3) in Friday's consolation game snapped a streak of three losses, all by double-digit margins, including a 59-45 defeat at Barclay's Center the day before to the eighth-ranked Villanova Wildcats in the tournament semifinal.
Something finally "clicked" for the Cardinal on Friday when they found themselves trailing the Razorbacks by 17 points with only six minutes remaining in the second half.