SETTING THE SCENE
Stanford will compete for a trophy on Friday, Nov. 28 as it takes on Saint Louis in the Acrisure Invitational championship game. The 4 p.m. tip will air on TruTV.
THE STARTING FIVE
• Stanford is out to a 5-1 start with wins over Minnesota, Portland State, Montana, Montana State, and Louisiana, outscoring its opponents by an average of 10.8 points per game.
• Ebuka Okorie ranks fourth in the country in scoring at 24.0 points per game and first among freshmen. Chisom Okpara is averaging 15.2 points per night, which ranks 20th in the ACC.
• The Cardinal posted a successful first season under the leadership of Kyle Smith, winning the program’s most games since 2014-15 (21) and matching a program record for wins on its home court (17). 2025-26 marks the program’s second year in the ACC, after Stanford finished seventh in its maiden season.
• Kyle Smith enters his second season on the Farm. The 2024 Pac-12 Coach of the Year led Stanford to 21 wins in its first ACC campaign, the program’s most since 2014-15. He is also the second head coach in program history to win 20 or more games in his first season, while his seven-win improvement from the previous season matched a program record for a first-year head coach. The Cardinal was postseason bound for the first time since 2018, appearing in the NIT.
• Maxime Raynaud graduated from Stanford in 2025 after posting one of the top seasons in program history, and the All-American was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in June.
ACRISURE INVITATIONAL
Stanford has a chance to win its first MTE title since the 2007 Basketball Travelers Classic, while Stanford was also undefeated at the 2021 Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii before the championship game was canceled due to COVID. The Cardinal is 2-0 all-time against Saint Louis, but the programs have not met in 52 years. The Cardinal reached the championship game with a 72-68 win over Minnesota. Ebuka Okorie led Stanford with 25 points, while Benny Gealer had 14 and Chisom Okpara 11. Stanford scored 18 second-chance points including 17 offensive rebounds that led to 22 more shots for the Cardinal.