SETTING THE SCENE
Stanford continues its trip on Tobacco Road, facing North Carolina on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 11:15 a.m. PT. The contest will be broadcast on The CW.
THE STARTING FIVE
• The Cardinal is off to a 11-6 start (3-3 ACC), including conference wins over California, Virginia Tech and Virginia, and a quadrant one NET win over Santa Clara. The Cardinal is 9-1 at home this season.
• 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 20.5 points per game and fourth in rebounding with 11.5 per night. He leads the ACC in scoring and rebounding, and his 14 double-doubles this season pace the nation. No other player in the country has more than 11 and no other ACC player has more than seven.
• Three players are averaging double figures, paced by Raynaud but also including Jaylen Blakes (14.5) and Oziyah Sellers (14.3). 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 added to the conference tally with a home sweep of Virginia Tech and Virginia from Jan. 8-11.
• 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.
THE ACC'S MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Jaylen Blakes has been one of the most improved players, not just in the ACC, but in the entire country this season, ranking 16th in the ACC in scoring, sixth in assists, and fourth in steals. He is in the top-50 nationally in assists (5.2), free throws (86) and free throw attempts (108). On the season, Blakes is averaging 14.5 points, 5.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game, making him one of just nine players nationally to hit each of those benchmarks, and one of four in a major conference. The only Stanford alumni in the last 30 years to post those numbers is Brevin Knight '97 (three times, 1994-95, 95-96, 96-97). Knight holds the top four single-season steals marks in Stanford history, and Blakes is on pace to challenge for the fourth place.
Among all power conference players, Blakes ranks second in scoring growth from 2023-24 to 2024-25, improving by 12.7 points per game. Only Wisconsin's John Tonje (15.6 ppg improvement) has more, and he is one of seven that have improved by more than 10 points per game (min 14 ppg).
Blakes led Stanford to a quadrant one win on the road earlier this season, as Stanford rallied from an eight-point deficit in the final four minutes to defeat Santa Clara, 71-69. Blakes scored the game-winning basket from 18 feet with two seconds to go, fading away from the elbow and sinking a jump shot. Blakes scored eight points and dished a career-high 10 assists in the win.