Stanford men’s basketball beats Cal in ACC tournament, knocked out by Louisville in following game
Stanford men’s basketball (20-13, 11-9 ACC) beat Cal (14-19, 6-14 ACC) Wednesday evening in a game that was neck and neck from the start. The 78-73 win advanced the Cardinal to the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament, and it marks the first time Stanford has won five consecutive times against the Golden Bears since they won six straight rivalry games between March 2003 and January 2006.
Prior to tipoff, senior forward Maxime Raynaud was awarded the Skip Prosser ACC scholar-athlete of the year for his accomplishments in and outside the classroom and court. Averaging 20.2 points and 10.9 rebounds, making him thirteenth nationally in scoring and fifth in rebounds, he is second in scoring and the top rebounder within the ACC. Raynaud leads the nation in double-doubles with 23.
He is Stanford men’s basketball fifth straight conference scholar-athlete of the year, with the previous four being scholar-athletes in the Pac-12, following Oscar da Silva (2021), Sam Beskind (2022), James Keefe (2023) and Brandon Angel (2024). Raynaud was also named to the all-ACC first team.
While Cal sophomore Andrej Stojakovic scored a career-high 37 points in the game, it was not enough to carry the Golden Bears to a victory. Raynaud and graduate student guard Jaylen Blakes led the charge offensively for the Cardinal. Raynaud finished the night with 23 points and eight rebounds, while Blakes added 21 points, six assists, and three steals.
The biggest shot of the night, however, came from junior guard Benny Gealer, who had a relatively quiet scoring night with just six points. With 1:28 left in the game, Gealer sunk a three-pointer to break a 68-68 tie as Stanford preserved the lead for the remainder of the game. Getting a win in their inaugural conference tournament was a big accomplishment for Stanford.
“I think we surpassed expectations,” said Blakes following the win against Cal. “Coach Smith talked to us before that we were projected 17 out of 18 [in ACC]. We weren’t even supposed to be here. For us to be here, with the talent we have, I think we’re doing a great job. We have young talent that you guys haven’t even seen yet. And I think that more is to come.”
The win propelled them to a quarterfinal matchup against No. 13 Louisville (26-6, 18-2 ACC) on Thursday.
In a tense game that ended in heartbreak, the Cardinal fell 75-73 at the buzzer. Stanford battled back from an eight point deficit with under two minutes in regulation, tying the score at 73 apiece after a pair of made free throws from junior forward Chisom Okpara. Louisville, however, capitalized on a last-second offensive rebound and put back shot as the final buzzer went off, denying Stanford a spot in the ACC semifinals.
“That was obviously a heartbreaking loss for us, but when you give your best you can never be that disappointed,” said head coach Kyle Smith.
Raynaud was once again one of Stanford’s top scorers with 17 points. Junior guard Oziyah Sellers, however, carried the offense with 22 points. Redshirt sophomore guard Ryan Agarwal provided a much-needed balanced performance, recording 11 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Though the loss was disappointing, as Stanford blew a 15-point second half lead, they may not be done playing basketball this season. With a 20-13 overall record, Stanford men’s basketball will most likely not be participating in March Madness, but the program will likely earn a top spot in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). A tournament berth would keep the season alive and offer a valuable experience for the team’s underclassmen.
“No matter how many games or what tournament we are playing in next, if we got another game we are going to come back and give it our all,” said Sellers. “We’re going to do the same thing we do every night: come out and compete.”
The post Stanford men’s basketball beats Cal in ACC tournament, knocked out by Louisville in following game appeared first on The Stanford Daily.