Seattle U. will play at Stanford on Tuesday

The long-term goal for Seattle University is to land in a conference.

But for now, men's basketball coach Cameron Dollar will try to benefit from being an independent any way he can.

One such occurrence comes Tuesday when the Redhawks play at Stanford at 7 p.m. at Maples Pavilion.

It's a game the Redhawks likely wouldn't be able to play if they were in a conference.

But when the Cardinal came calling last year looking for a game to fill out its schedule, the Redhawks were available.

"One of the advantages of being an independent, when people need games late, we're usually their go-to guy," Dollar said. "We have flexibility in our timing, so that's a win-win."

For Stanford, the game helps avoid it finishing the regular season with three in a row on the road and also gives it a game in a week when its only other scheduled contest is Saturday at California. It also gives Stanford a game next year at KeyArena that will serve as another homecoming for Seattle-area players Aaron Bright of Bellevue and John Gage of Vashon Island. That contest will likely be held in November or December.

For Seattle U., it's another marquee opponent — Stanford will join Virginia as two of the highlight teams on next year's home slate. The Redhawks will also travel to Stanford for a game in the 2012-13 season.

Seattle U. has already played Pac-10 foes Oregon State and Washington this season, beating the Beavers but losing to the Huskies.

"It's a great opportunity for us to play a quality opponent and at a unique time when everyone is talking about college basketball," Dollar said. "It's a good opportunity for us to compete and play and be in these situations."

The Redhawks have played well of late, winning their past two road games sandwiched around a home loss to Washington that was more competitive for about 20 minutes than most anticipated.

The Redhawks improved to 11-17 with a 73-54 win Saturday at CSU-Bakersfield. Swingman Chad Rasmussen came off the bench to hit 8 of 10 three-pointers and score 24 points to lead the Redhawks.

Stanford is 14-14 overall and 7-10 in Pac-10 play and had lost four in a row before winning at Oregon on Saturday, 88-71.

Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com.