Cardinal get better in a hurry.

Byline: Steve Mims The Register-Guard

Stanford coach Trent Johnson listed Oregon State among the most improved teams in the country this season.

Maybe, but Johnson's own team is certainly one of the most improved teams of the month. After dropping its first three conference games for the first time since the 1984-85 season, Stanford has won four straight to move into sole possession of third place in the Pac-10 Conference.

The first-year coach and his team tuned out those who felt the program was heading into decline without longtime coach Mike Montgomery, who went to the Golden State Warriors after leading the Cardinal to a 30-2 record and a No. 1 ranking for part of last season.

"What I talked to this basketball team about was that we were playing some pretty good teams and it was going to take us a while for some of these guys to adjust to their roles, and the only thing you can control is your effort and preparation in practice," Johnson said.

The Cardinal started their turnaround with an 87-76 win at Arizona and then went on the road for wins over California, UCLA and USC. Stanford (10-7, 4-3 Pac-10) returns home tonight to face Oregon State (11-7, 3-4).

"Going into this season, anyone who looked at Stanford's roster would say that if Dan Grunfeld can replace Matt Lottich, then their starting five is as good as anyone in the conference," OSU coach Jay John said. "He's more than replaced Lottich. He has a driving game and he can get to the middle and pull up and shoot while Lottich was largely a jump shooter. So that start doesn't surprise any of us in the league that they are getting organized."

Grunfeld, a 6-foot-6 junior and son of former NBA player Ernie Grunfeld, was named Pac-10 player of the week after averaging 22.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in the wins over UCLA and USC. He ranks second in the conference in scoring at 18.6 points per game after averaging 3.4 points last year while Lottich and Pac-10 player of the year Josh Childress provided most of the offense.

"Danny can play," Johnson said. "Did we expect him to be the second-leading scorer in the league? I'm not going to sit up and say we did that. But did we expect him to have more of an impact and more of a role on this basketball team in terms of scoring? No question. I don't think you can come from a basketball background like he came from and not have good instincts and not be a good player."

Grunfeld joined a starting lineup that featured three returnees from last year, including junior point guard Chris Hernandez and senior post Rob Little.

Hernandez has battled back problems but seems to be returning to form while averaging 13.8 points and 4.1 assists per game. Little is averaging 14 points and nine rebounds during the Cardinal's current winning streak.

Like Stanford, Oregon State is feeling good about itself this week following a split against the Arizona schools. Oregon State snapped a three-game losing streak with an 88-66 win over Arizona State and then led Arizona in the second half before losing to the Wildcats, 92-83.

Even more important, John said he was feeling "great" this week after medication helped him control his recent bout of hypertension and the team seemed to rally around their ailing coach.

"It was a good week in that we got back to the things that matter and that is working as a team," John said. "Our assistant coaches did a fantastic job organizing the guys and getting everyone back to unity."

The Beavers would move into a tie for third place with a win over the Cardinal.

"I'm real impressed with their ability to score," Johnson said. "They are really, really balanced. Watching them play ASU, my goodness. ASU handled us and I thought Oregon State really handled them. Watching them play Arizona, that game could have gone either way.

`I know a lot of people talk about Arizona State probably being the most improved team in the league, but it's hard to say Oregon State is not one of the most improved teams in the league and probably one of the more improved teams in the country."