GAME NOTES: A pair of participants in the 2014 NCAA Tournament square off on Friday night, as the Wofford Terriers challenge the Stanford Cardinal in non- conference action at Maples Pavilion as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

Someone flicked a switch at Stanford at the end of last season. The Cardinal, who were far from a sure thing for the NCAA Tournament entering the month of March, pulled out a 61-60 win over Utah in the final game of the regular season and followed that with two victories in the Pac-12 Tournament. That was enough to earn a No. 10 seed in the Big Dance. However, the Cardinal made some noise beyond that, upsetting New Mexico and Kansas to reach the Sweet 16. In all, they finished with 23 wins and 13 losses, marking the third time they have logged 20 wins under Johnny Dawkins, who likely kept his job because of the late surge.

Wofford may not have won a game in the NCAA Tournament, but the Terriers also played well down the stretch last season. They were a surprising champion of the Southern Conference Tournament, besting Western Carolina, 56-53, in the title game. They were unceremoniously pushed out of the NCAA Tournament by second-seeded Michigan (57-40), but still wound up with a 20-13 record. It was their third 20-win season in the last five years.

While both of these teams were in the field of 68 last season, they share very few similarities beyond that as this is the first meeting between them.

Normally a frontcourt-heavy team, Stanford will have to adjust to having the focus be on the backcourt. The team is lucky enough to have a stellar guard to anchor the squad in Chasson Randle. Last season, Randle erupted for 18.8 ppg, ranking third in the Pac-12. It was a big step up from his previous effort, when he averaged 13.6 ppg on just 39.9 percent shooting during the 2012-13 season. Unfortunately, Randle will not be aided by forwards Dwight Powell (14 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.1 apg) and Josh Huestis (11.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.9 bpg), who have both moved on to the NBA after being crucial contributors last season. Stefan Nastic (7.4 ppg, 2.8 bpg) could step in and be a solid replacement up front. He tallied at least 10 points in five of the last seven games last season, including each of the team's three NCAA Tournament contests.

Wofford is loaded with talent, as all five starters from last season are back on campus. The Terriers were not an overly impressive offensive team in 2013-14, scoring only 66.8 ppg, but they made up for it on defense by ranking 22nd nationally in points against (62.2 ppg). Karl Cochran (15.7 ppg, 5 rpg, 3 apg) is the club's top scoring option, but he is much more than that, as he is also the leader in assists and steals, as well as being a strong rebounder. Spencer Collins (12.5 ppg) and Lee Skinner (11.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg) provide additional scoring punch, while Eric Garcia (7.3 ppg) and C.J. Neumann (4.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg) will man their usual posts in the starting lineup.

Randle is an early contender for Pac-12 Player of the Year. Assuming he does not regress to his 2012-13 form, he will continue to light up opponents all season and that starts on Friday, even against a normally solid defensive Wofford squad.