SETTING THE SCENE
Tipping off for the first time in 2026 to wrap up its three-game homestand, including its first two contests in the ACC, Stanford welcomes No. 16/13 Louisville to the Farm on Jan. 2 at 5 p.m. on ACC Network.
THE STARTING FIVE
• Stanford is out to a 11-3 start, including wins over Colorado, Minnesota and Saint Louis at neutral sites, marking its best start since 2019-20. Stanford is outscoring its foes by 8.4 points per game this year.
• Stanford won the Acrisure Invitational in Palm Desert with wins over the Gophers and Billikens, with Benny Gealer's buzzer beater on Nov. 28 sending the Cardinal home victorious.
• Ebuka Okorie ranks 11th in the country in scoring at 21.5 points per game and third among freshmen. He joins only Duke's Cameron Boozer and BYU's AJ Dybantsa as freshmen nationally north of 21 points per night. Chisom Okpara is averaging 15.2 points per night, which ranks 17th 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 since Dec. 1, including career highs for Jones (28) and Raynaud (25). He is posting 14.3 points and 9.6 rebounds as a starter with Sacramento (eight games).
TOUGH OPENER IN ACC PLAY
Opening the conference slate in a low-possession defensive battle, Stanford fell to visiting Notre Dame, 47-40, at Maples Pavilion on Tuesday, Dec. 30. Chisom Okpara led the Cardinal with 13 points while Oskar Giltay tallied double digit rebounds for the second time in his career, finishing with 11 boards. Stanford’s defense held the Irish to just 32.1 percent from the floor and 18.8 percent from beyond the arc, and it limited them to just 47 points, marking its lowest since giving up 46 to Oregon State on Jan. 19, 2023.
CARD vs. CARDS
Stanford will face Louisville for the fifth time in program history and third as members of the ACC, and it is looking for its first victory. Louisville knocked Stanford out of the 2025 ACC Tournament at the buzzer. Ryan Agarwal and Chisom Okpara lead the Stanford returners with 9.0 points per game against Louisville a year ago. Stanford will also welcome back nearly two dozen alumni for the contest.