SETTING THE SCENE
Looking for its first 8-1 start since 2019-20, Stanford welcomes UNLV to Maples Pavilion on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 1 p.m. The action will air on ACC Network Extra.
THE STARTING FIVE
• Stanford is out to a 7-1 start with wins over Minnesota, Saint Louis, Portland State, Montana, Montana State, Louisiana and Portland, outscoring its opponents by an average of 11.0 points per game.
• Stanford won the Acrisure Invitational with wins over the Gophers and Billikens, with Benny Gealer's buzzer beater on Nov. 28 sending Stanford home victorious.
• Ebuka Okorie ranks 12th in the country in scoring at 21.4 points per game and second among freshmen. He joins only Duke's Cameron Boozer as freshmen nationally north of 20 points per night. Chisom Okpara is averaging 15.5 points per night, which ranks 16th 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. 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. Raynaud, Spencer Jones and Ziaire Williams have each scored 20 or more in the NBA over the past week, including career highs for Jones (28) and Raynaud (25).
SHOOTERS SHOOT
Returning home after its title at the Acrisure Invitational, Stanford defeated Portland, 94-72, on Dec. 1. Stanford had six players in double figures, marking the first time it accomplished the feat since Nov. 13, 2015 in a win over Green Bay. The Cardinal made 14 3-pointers, giving it at least 13 threes in back-to-back games for the first time since at least 2004. The 14 triples, as well as the 11 made in the first half, were the most since making a program record 19 threes, and 12 in the first half, on Feb. 10, 2024 vs. USC.