SETTING THE SCENE
Playing in a nationally televised game on ABC, Stanford takes a trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face No. 3/5 Duke on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. PT. The radio call can be streamed on GoStanford.com, the Varsity Network App or on Sirius XM channel 390.
THE STARTING FIVE
• The Cardinal is off to a 16-9 start (8-6 ACC), including conference wins over North Carolina, California, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Florida State, Syracuse, NC State and Miami, and quadrant one NET wins over Santa Clara and the Tar Heels. The Cardinal is 13-2 at home this season and 6-1 in ACC play.
• Stanford’s roster holds an exciting mix of returning players, transfers and freshmen, led by the premier center in the country, Maxime Raynaud. The Pac-12 Most Improved Player last season, Raynaud is 13th nationally in scoring at 19.9 points per game and third in rebounding with 11.5 per night. He leads the ACC in scoring and rebounding, and his 20 double-doubles this season pace the nation. No other player nationally has more than 17 and no major conference player has more than 14 (Johni Broome, Auburn).
• Three players are averaging double figures, paced by Raynaud but also including Jaylen Blakes (14.5) and Oziyah Sellers (14.0). Both players are posting career-best numbers by a comfortable margin.
• Blakes has showcased his clutch gene this season with game winning baskets in the closing seconds against both Santa Clara and North Carolina. Blakes made national headlines on Jan. 18 with his last-second winner against the Tar Heels, while his sister, Mikayla, a freshman at Vanderbilt, scored a game-winner of her own less than 24 hours later against Tennessee.
• 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.
33-YEAR RECORD READY TO FALL
With his 20th double-double of the season against NC State, Maxime Raynaud tied Adam Keefe (1991-92) for the Stanford single-season record. Raynaud is just the sixth major conference player to have at least 20 double-doubles in a season over the past five years, joining Zach Edey (Purdue, 2x), Oumar Ballo (Arizona), Joel Soriano (St. John's), Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky, 2x) and Armando Bacot (North Carolina).
RANKINGS REPORT
The Cardinal is looking for its first ranked win of the season, previously falling in the San Jose Tip-Off to then No. 10/10 Oregon. Duke enters the matchup at No. 3/5 in the polls, giving Stanford the chance for its third consecutive win over a top-five opponent. The Cardinal defeated a No. 4/4 ranked Arizona team in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024 at Maples Pavilion. Stanford is 3-3 in its last six meetings with AP top-five opponents, also including a 2022 victory over an undefeated and then No. 5 USC program.
CAMERON CRAZIES
The Cardinal is 2-1 all-time against Duke, with all three battles coming in neutral site events. Stanford picked up one-point wins at the 1999 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in Brooklyn and the 2000 Pete Newell Challenge in Oakland, the latter against a No. 1 ranked team after a last-second shot from Casey Jacobsen. The battle also marks a homecoming for Duke graduate Jaylen Blakes and Stanford graduate Neal Begovich, in his second season as a walk-on for the Blue Devils.