SETTING THE SCENE
Returning to Maples Pavilion for its first home action in the ACC, Stanford welcomes Virginia Tech on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 6 p.m. The contest will be broadcast on ACC Network.
THE STARTING FIVE
• The Cardinal is off to a 9-5 start (1-2 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 20.9 points per game and third in rebounding with 11.4 per night. He leads the ACC in scoring and rebounding, and his 11 double-doubles this season pace the nation. No other major conference player has more than nine and no other ACC player has more than six.
• Three players are averaging double figures, paced by Raynaud but also including Jaylen Blakes (14.6) and Oziyah Sellers (13.8). Both players are posting career best numbers 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 started with three conference games on the road for the first time since 1982-83, falling at Clemson and Pitt Jan. 1 and 4.
• 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.
PLAYING HOKIE
Stanford welcomes ACC action into Maples for the first time since joining the conference, with Virginia Tech tipping off for the maiden contest. The Cardinal has not squared off with the Hokies since 2005, falling in the Las Vegas Shootout in a low-scoring affair, 59-52. Kyle Smith is 1-0 all-time against Mike Young, with his Columbia squad beating Young's Wofford team on Nov. 24, 2015 in New York City.