SETTING THE SCENE
After a 5-0 homestand to open the regular season, Stanford men's basketball hits the road for the first time with a short trip to Bay Area foe Santa Clara. The 7 p.m. tip on Saturday will air on ESPN+.
THE STARTING FIVE
• The Cardinal is off to a 5-0 start with wins over Denver, Cal State Fullerton, Northern Arizona, UC Davis and Norfolk State. The first three wins each had a margin over 20 points, marking a first for the program in a three-game winning streak since 2007. Stanford is 5-0 for the first time since 2019.
• Stanford’s roster holds an exciting mix of returning players, transfers and freshmen, led by All-Pac-12 standout, and one of the best centers in the country, Maxime Raynaud.
• The Pac-12 Most Improved Player last season, Raynaud is second in the ACC in scoring at 21.0 points per game and is leading the ACC in rebounding with 12.2 per night. He ranks third nationally in rebounds per game and is the only player in the country with five double-doubles this season.
• Four players are averaging double figures, paced by Raynaud but also including Jaylen Blakes (15.6), Oziyah Sellers (13.2) and Benny Gealer (10.2). Blakes is 18th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (7.3:1).
• Kyle Smith joined the Cardinal from Washington State as the reigning Pac-12 Coach of the Year, where he led the Cougars to 25 wins and the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24. Smith brought his entire staff from Washington State to the Farm along with program icon Eric Reveno, who was at Oregon State from 2022-24 and was previously on the Cardinal bench from 1997-2006.
ACC AND NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Maxime Raynaud became the program's first to win ACC Player of the Week honors, and he added to it as a USBWA National Player of the Week on Nov. 19. Raynaud averaged 27.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game while shooting 56 percent from the floor and 55 percent from beyond the arc in wins over Northern Arizona (Nov. 12) and UC Davis (Nov. 17). He tallied a career day against the Aggies, totaling a career high 33 points to go with a season-high matching 14 rebounds. He also had 22 points and 11 rebounds against Northern Arizona.
BEAT NORFOLK STATE
Continuing its winning ways on its home court, Stanford men’s basketball defeated Norfolk State, 70-63, on Wednesday at Maples Pavilion. Maxime Raynaud tallied his fifth double-double in as many games, keeping him in the national lead in the category. The senior from Paris tallied 20 points and 10 rebounds while also contributing two steals and two blocks. Jaylen Blakes tied his career-high with 18 points, including a 10-for-12 mark at the free throw line, while Oziyah Sellers added 15 points.