SETTING THE SCENE
Looking for a weekend split, Stanford closes its first ACC road trip to the East Coast on Saturday, Jan. 4 at Pittsburgh. The 3:30 p.m. PT tip will be broadcast on ESPN2.
THE STARTING FIVE
• The Cardinal is off to a 9-4 start (1-1 ACC) with wins over Denver, Cal State Fullerton, Northern Arizona, UC Davis, Norfolk State, Santa Clara, Utah Valley, Merrimack and Cal.
• Stanford’s roster holds an exciting mix of returning players, transfers and freshmen, led by one of the premier centers in the country, Maxime Raynaud. The Pac-12 Most Improved Player last season, Raynaud is 10th nationally in scoring at 20.8 points per game and third in rebounding with 11.9 per night. He leads the ACC in scoring and rebounding, and his 11 double-doubles this season pace the nation - no other player in the country has more than nine.
• Three players are averaging double figures, paced by Raynaud but also including Jaylen Blakes (15.2) and Oziyah Sellers (14.2). Both players are posting a career best by a comfortable margin.
• Stanford opened ACC action with an 89-81 victory Dec. 7 on the road over California. The triumph was the first for Stanford at Haas since 2021 and its third straight overall in the series. Stanford continued its three-game ACC start on the road with a defeat at Clemson, 85-61, on Jan. 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.
PITT STOP
Stanford travels to Pittsburgh for the first time in program history and the fourth meeting overall. The series dates back more than 90 years to 1931-32, with Stanford winning at home, 22-11. The last matchup came in 2013 at the Legends Classic in Brooklyn (L, 88-67). Stanford is starting conference play with three consecutive road games for the first time since opening the 1982-83 Pac-10 season with three on the road.
LAST TIME OUT
On the East Coast for the first time in ACC action, Stanford fell to Clemson, 85-71, at Littlejohn Coliseum. Oziyah Sellers led the Cardinal with 20 points on 7-for-9 shooting, marking his third 20-point outing of the season. Maxime Raynaud scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, giving the senior his nation-leading 11th double-double of the season. Jaylen Blakes added 13 points and five dimes.