Cardinal Stave off Hurricanes 88-51, on a Chilly Late Night on the Farm

Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) drives the ball against the Miami Hurricanes Lynn Kidd center (1) at Haas Pavilion in Palo Alto on Wed Jan 22, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Bay Area weather was calm and cool , as the Stanford Cardinal (13-6, 5-3 ACC) reduced the Miami Hurricanes (4-15, 0-8 ACC) to a Category 1,(88-51) inside the cozy confines of Maples Pavilion.

Miami actually got the party started, by scoring the first point of the conference contest. Senior forward Brandon Johnson converted one of two free throws, giving them their only lead. Stanford went on an avalanche of a run (7-0), then proceeded to double that push minutes later.

Stanford got the lead up to as high as 23 points in the initial half. However, the Hurricanes did produce some heavy winds, as they slightly cut into the large deficit, trailing by 13 late in the half. Junior guard Oziyah Sellers hit a three with less than a minute until recess.

The Cardinal held a 16-point lead at halftime, 37-21. Balanced scoring for the Cardinal, as only one player eclipsed the ten-point plateau. Sellers reached 10 points on his last basket of the half. Maxime Raynaud added nine points and snagged eight rebounds.

Senior center Lynn Kidd led the Canes with eight points and five rebounds. Miami seemed to feel they were still in the game at the midway point.

Miami opened the second half as if they were going to make a comeback. They made an immediate 5-0 run, putting themselves within 11 points of the Cardinal lead..Senior guard Matthew Cleveland made those points on a three-pointer and layup.

Raynaud decided that he was going to end the Hurricane comeback, and went on a personal run of his own. as he added 19 points to his first half tally and snatched four more rebounds to his total.

As the final half of the game progressed, Stanford ballooned the gap to a whopping 39 points with less than five minutes of regulation time on the clock.Miami did score nine more points in the the second half, than in the first, but unfortunately for them, the home team added 14 to their already 16-point advantage.

After 40 minutes of action, the Cardinal kept their perfect home conference record (3-0) intact, winning by 37 points, 88-51. Technically,they are undefeated in the entire Bay Area, as they won an ACC road game in Berkeley, at the beginning of conference play.

Stanford presented five players with at least ten points in the game. Raynaud led the way with another double-double, offering 28 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Both Jaylen Blakes and Chisom Okpara contributed 12 points and two assists each, but JB also stole the ball thrice. The aforementioned Sellers remained at ten points of production, while Ryan Agarwal scored 11 points and captured five carrums.

Miami had two players with double-digit scoring. Matthew Cleveland put up a team-leading 23 points, while Lynn Kidd chipped in ten points and seven rebounds for the South Florida visitors.

Stanford will next be in action Saturday, January 25, hosting Florida State at 4:00 PM PT, on the ACC Network. Miami heads across the Bay to Berkeley on the same date to face California at 5:30 PM PT, on ESPNU.

Blakes’ Big Shot Gives Stanford 72-71 Win, Their First Ever Over North Carolina

By Morris Phillips

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.–When you’re new in town, you need a guy that knows the lay, the ins, and outs. When that guy turns out to be the guy, you’ve got something special.

Jaylen Blakes was that guy, and Stanford, that team to successfully navigate the Dean E. Smith Center Saturday afternoon and escape with a 72-71 win that materialized with less than two seconds remaining. Blakes’ full court rush in the final seconds concluded with a pull-up, and short jumper gave Stanford their first-ever win over the Tar Heels after 13 losses.

“We took our foot off the gas a little bit. Our attention to detail wasn’t there, and that allowed Stanford to get into a rhythm and make their run,” UNC guard RJ Davis said.

“Little things lead to big things happening. And I felt like those little mistakes led to big things happening today in result of a loss,” coach Hubert Davis concluded.

For the always front running Tar Heels contingent, the loss wasn’t easy to explain. It wasn’t easy to take either. North Carolina’s six losses coming in were to contending teams. Stanford’s not that, but they could be if they compete as intently as they did against UNC.  Clearly, the Heels didn’t play poorly, but they were made to pay for their late mistakes.

For Stanford, Blakes was the main guy. A transfer from Duke, who played 83 games for the Blue Devils, but sparingly with just 60 total field goals made, has found his stride at Stanford. Against UNC, Blakes scored as many as 20 points for just the third time in his career, all three this season. The senior guard with a Duke degree led the Cardinal from the opening tip, being animated and solely responsible, the logical leadup to his game-winning shot. His celebration after the play that stunned 21,500 spectators was theatre as well.

“I was just talking to myself a little bit, but I happened to look at the crowd,” Blakes said. “I was overjoyed.”

Maxime Raynaud and three other starters were also full of belief. All five starters played at least 34 minutes and took all but one of the visitors’ shot attempts. Raynaud led all scorers with 25 points, but he was inefficient, and another missed shot–he missed 16–could have reversed the outcome.

Oziyah Sellers and Donavin Young provided high accuracy shooting and combined to get heralded UNC freshman Ian Jackson stopped. Jackson was 1 of 8 shooting for six points, after he had 18 or more in seven consecutive games.

Davis led UNC with 19 points. Ven-Allen Lubin added 13, and Elliot Cadeau had 12.

Stanford is 4-3 in the ACC and one of eight teams that have a winning conference record. The Cardinal has 12 scheduled games remaining, 10 of those against ACC teams with a losing conference record. They host Miami on Wednesday at Maples Pavilion.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Stanford loses control of game late to Wake Forest

Stanford Cardinal forward from left to right forward Maxime Raynaud (42), guard Jaylen Blakes (21), guard Oziyah Sellers (4) are out on the floor to battle the Wake Forest Deacon Demons at the LVJM Coliseum in Winston-Salem North Carolina on Wed Jan 15, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal opened up their second road trip in ACC competition against the Wake Forest Deacon Deamons at Lawrence Joel Veteran Memorial Coliseum with a 80-67 loss. The Cardinal now drop their record to 11-6 and are 3-3 in the ACC.

#2 Oziyah Sellers led Stanford in scoring with 16 points and Jaylen Blakes scored 15 points, seven assists. The Cardinal Maxime Raynaud and Ryan Agarwal had 14 points each. Raynaud was able to rebound 11 times and is first in the NCAA with double doubles.

#3 What a year Raynaud is having he now has 1265 in career points which moves him up on the list surpassing Don Griffin of 1969 and Anthony Goods of 2009. Raynaud tied Chris Hernandez of 2006 tying him for 29th on the all time Stanford list.

#4 The Cardinal are now 1-1 against the Deacon Demons in their second meeting in school history. The last time they met in 1997 Stanford defeated Wake Forest in their first ever meeting.

#5 Stanford now heads to UNC to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels. UNC is 12-6 and are coming off a win over the Cal Bears on Wednesday night 79-53. UNC is on a four game win streak and tip off against Stanford Sat Jan 18 at 11:15 am PST. Michael how do you see this game?

Join Michael Roberson for the Stanford Cardinal podcasts heard Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal get first ACC sweep in defeating Virginia

The Stanford Cardinal and Virginia Cavaliers battled it out under the rim all day long at Maples Pavilion as the Cardinal came away with a 88-65 win on Sat Jan 11, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Big night for the Cardinal Maxime Raynaud who chalked up his 13th double double, Raynaud is first in the NCAA Division I in double doubles.

#2 The Cardinal picked up their 11th win of the season over the visiting Virginia Cavaliers 88-65 on Saturday. The win today marks the first ACC sweep for the Cardinal as they defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies on Wednesday and got a win over the Cavaliers on Saturday.

#3 Michael, with Raynaud he knew what to do when he got the ball and wound up leading the Cardinal in scoring with 24 points he was able to grab four rebounds.

#4 Michael, talk a little about the job that Oziyah Sellers did finishing in double figures with 15 points and two rebounds and finishing second in scoring.

#5 It’s off to Wake Forest to face the Demon Deacons. The Deacons are 12-4 and on a three game losing streak. Fourth in the ACC. The Cardinal tip off with Wake Forest Wed Jan 15th for a 3:30pm PST tip off.

Join Michael Roberson for the Stanford Cardinal podcast Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal Shalantly defeated the Cavaliers 88-65; Sweeping the Commonwealth of VA. on the Farm

Stanford Cardinal forward Jaylen Thompson (24) drives on the Virginia Cavaliers forward JT Power (23) at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sat Jan 11, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (11-5, 3-2 ACC) beat the Virginia Cavaliers (8-8, 1-4 ACC) 88-65, and swept the two conference schools from the state known as the “Mother of Presidents” over a three-day period inside Maples Pavilion.

Stanford got off to a TREEmendous start to the game. They hit two three pointers before their Atlantic Coast visitors knew what happened. Freshman forward Donavin Young and junior guard Oziyah Sellers both confidently stroked consecutive Threes immediately after tip off.

Virginia was not cavalier in their attempt to compete with the Cardinal. They performed a 6-0 run and led by as much as three points. There were eight lead changes and two ties during the first 20 minutes of gameplay.

However, the Cardinal responded with another 6-0 run and led as many as 10 points by intermission, and kept the lead for good. That was the halftime margin, due to a runnin 3-pointer at the buzzer by senior guard Jaylen Blakes.

At the half, Stanford maintained a double-digit advantage, 40-30. Maxime Raynaud led both teams with 10 points and 5 rebounds, while junior guard Isaac McKneely paced the Cavs with 9 points.

The Cardinal partially duplicated the beginning of the game, as they did the second Stanza. Sellers opened the final half two with a three to put them up by 13 points. They did not hit two in a row, as they did in the first, but held on to a significant lead throughout the second 20-minute block.

Stanford increased that 13-point lead to as high as 23, but the Cavaliers continued to battle back. They actually got the deficit as low as nine points momentarily, by way of a 7-0 run. Stanford trumped that with a 10-0 run of their own.

After the Cardinal withstood their guest’s best punches, they cruised through the last minutes of the contest to a 23-point victory, 88-65. Stanford is undefeated at home in ACC play, and 3-0 in the Bay Area, including the conference opener at Berkeley against Cal.

Raynaud led all players with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Sellers contributed 15 points, while Blakes added 10 points to the Cardinal’s cause.

McKneely topped Virgina with 22 points and Jacob Cofie tallied 11 points and 5 rebounds.

The Cardinal will next be in action Wednesday, January 11, as they travel to North Carolina to take on Wake Forest at 6:30 ET on ESPNEWS. Virginia heads back to Charlottesville to host SMU on the same date at 9:00 PM ET on the ACC Network.

Cardinal Won ACC Home Opener over the Hokies 70-59; stopped losing streak on the Farm

Virginia Tech Hokies guard Rodney Brown Jr (4) takes a shot against the Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Wed Jan 8, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (10-5, 2-2 ACC) ended their 3-game losing streak, while winning their Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) home opener, 70-59, against the Virginia Tech Hokies (6-9, 1-3 ACC), on a Wednesday Evening inside Maples Pavilion.

The Cardinal overcame a 12-point deficit, and performed a 23-point turnaround during their 40-minute conference battle versus their new rival Hokies. VA Tech took the lead a little over three minutes into the game, after trailing by two twice.

Virginia Tech not only took the lead, they went on a 14-0 run, amassing their largest advantage of the contest, 12 points. They accomplished that margin midway through the first half. Stanford did chip away at the lead, and managed to get within single digits of the lead.

The Hokies managed to hold onto the lead going into recess, but felt the comeback momentum of the Cardinal. VA Tech led by five at the half, 30-25. They had one player reach double figures, while the home team had none, Senior forward Ben Burham led all players with 12 points, while Stanford’s leader was junior guard Qziyah Sellers with 9 points.

In the second half, the Cardinal made their move, with two 9-0 runs and finally taking the lead in just under five minutes into the final half. The second stanza had two ties and seven lead changes. After the 56-56 tie, Stanford put on the second 9-0 run and pretty much sealed the game.

Virginia Tech only managed to add three more points from that final tie, while the Cardinal put up 14 more tallies. Their defense was also a lot better during the second 20-minute block. VA Tech shot 50$ from 2 and 3 in the first half. Their percentages were 43% & 0% respectively in the second half. They also outrebounded their cross-country visitors 21:11 in the second stanza.

With all of those statistical advantages, VA Tech not only relinquished the lead, but essentially conceded the game. Stanford went on to win the conference contest by 11 points, 70-59.

Three Cardinal hoopers accomplished the 10+ points plateau. Senior forward Maxime Raynaud grabbed 14 rebounds and he and Sellers both led with game high 19 points. Senior guard Jaylen Blakes contributed 17 points and 6 assists to the cause.

As for the Hokies, Burnham finished with a team high 18 points, while his teammates Tobi Lowal chipped in 15 points and 5 rebounds and Mylyjael Poteat offered 12 points to his squad.

Stanford will next be in action Saturday, January 11, as they host the Virginia Cavaliers, at 1:00 PM PT on ESPNU. Virginia Tech heads across the Bay to Berkeley to take on Cal on the same date, at 3:00 PM PT on the ACC Network.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Stanford gets convincing win against Virginia Tech; Cardinal tips off against Virginia Saturday

Stanford Cardinal guard Jaylen Blakes(21) had 17 points scored against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Wed Jan 8, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Michael, the Stanford Cardinal (10-5) played a solid game Wednesday night against the Virginia Tech Hokies (6-9). Stanford started out behind the Hokies in the first half 30-25 but caught on later with a 45-29 second half.

#2 The Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud and guard Oziyah Sellers both wound up with 19 points and when you get a tandem like that your going to win some ball games.

#3 Michael, in that first half was it a matter of Stanford just getting out of the gate a little slow on offense.

#4 Jaylen Blakes provided some offense as well finishing with 17 points he was a key distributor for Stanford getting some good looks.

#5 Stanford hosts the Virginia Cavaliers who just got done playing the Cal Bears on Wednesday night. Virginia is 12th in the Atlantic Coast. The Hokies are just above .500. This game is at Maples Pavilion this Sat Jan 11 and Stanford is coming off that win against Virginia Tech how do you see this match up?

Join Michael Roberson for the Stanford Cardinal podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal MBB podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal couldn’t keep up in second half against Clemson in 85-71 loss

Clemson Tigers guard Jake Heidbreder (3) takes a jump shot against Stanford Cardinal guard Oziyah Sellers (4) at LittleJohn Coliseum at Clemson on Wed Jan 1, 2025 (Clemson Tigers photo)

On Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 The Clemson Tigers Chase Hunter scored 22 points, Chauncy Wiggins scored 17 points his most for the season as the Tigers gave no space to the Stanford Cardinal in the second half of the game for a 85-71 win.

#2 Hunter was hard to defend for the Cardinal and just shutting him down a bit could have made a huge difference as the Cardinal were beaten by 14 points and Hunter had 22 points.

#3 The game was all tied at 52-52 with 14:37 left in the ball game when the Tigers turned the tables going on a 10-0 run which pretty much put Stanford behind the eight ball.

#4 What hurt the Cardinal were the turnovers as Stanford allowed 16 turnovers which converted into 25 points.

#5 Up next for the Cardinal the Pittsburgh Panthers next Sat Jan 4 for a 3:30pm PST tip in Pittsburgh. The Panthers are fourth in the Atlantic Coast at 11-2 and have won four in a row. The Panthers could be a hand full for the Cardinal this Saturday?

Michael Roberson does the Stanford Cardinal podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal MBB podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal-Tiger game could be a well fought game on New Years

Maxime Raynaud (42) forward for the Stanford Cardinal defends against the Oregon Ducks guard Jackson Shelstad (3) at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Dec 21, 2024 (Stanford Cardinal MBB X photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal (9-3) are having a good years so far despite running into a brick wall called the Oregon Ducks (11-1) last Sat Dec 21 at SAP Center in San Jose losing to the Ducks 76-61.

#2 The Ducks got scoring help from Kwame Evans Jr led with 13 points and guard Jackson Shelstad with ten points.

#3 The Cardinal really relied on Maxime Raynaud topped out in scoring for Stanford with 20 points but Maxime couldn’t do it all as the Cardinal fell short against a very talented Ducks team.

#4 One of the halves that made a difference was the first half as Stanford scored only 19 points to Ore’s 36 points.

#5 Stanford gets ready for the Clemson Tigers in their next game on New Years Day Jan 1st LittleJohn Coliseum at Clemson. The Tigers are 10-3 and are 7-1 at home. The Cardinal are 9-3 and are 2-0 on the road. This could very well be a tight, physical well fought game?

Join Michael Roberson does the Stanford Cardinal podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal Swarmed by the Ducks 76-61, inside the Shark Tank (San Jose Tip Off)

Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) drives on the Oregon Ducks forward Supreme Cook (left) in first half action at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Dec 21, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (9-3, 1-0 ACC) were bombarded by the Flying Oregon Ducks (11-1, 1-1 Big 10) 76-61, in the Capital City of the Silicon Valley.

Stanford went scoreless for nearly four minutes to start the game. During that time frame, Oregon had a 4-0 run for their points production.

When the drought finally ended (16:10), it was on a Maxime Raynaud Trey, he added a dunk later, to go on his own personal 5-0 run and give his team their first lead, 5-4. There were six lead changes in the first 20-minute stanza.

The Ducks performed an 8-0 run, as well as a 9-0 one. They led by as many as 17 points before intermission, At the midway point of the game, Oregon led by that same margin, 36-19. Stanford shot a putrid 24% from the field, and worse (18%) from beyond the arc.

Neither team had a player with double-digit scoring; however, Raynaud led the Card with nine points and seven rebounds, while senior center Nate Bittle topped the Ducks with seven points and five rebounds.

Stanford shot considerably better from both perspectives in the second half. However, their deficit was as large as 26 points, despite outscoring the Ducks 42-40. That was assisted by a 10-0 run late in the game, but not close enough to tie, and there were no lead changes during minutes 20:01 – 40:00.

At the final whistle of game one of the San Jose Tip-Off, Oregon defeated the Santa Clara County based Stanford Cardinal by 15 points in the county’s capital city. Final score inside SAP Center, Oregon 76, Stanford 61.

The Cardinal presented two players who reached the 10+ points plateau. Raynaud led all players with 20 points and he also grabbed 13 rebounds, garnering another double-double for the senior forward. Junior guard Benny Gealer added 10 points to the Cardinal total.

The Ducks also produced two players with the aforementioned tally. Sophomore forward Kwame Evans Jr, (13) and sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad (10), while their leader at the half, Bittle, was close, with 9 points and 9 rebounds. Ex-Cardinal Brandon Angel offered a modest 7 points against his former university.

Stanford will next be in action on New Year’s Day in South Carolina, to take on new ACC foe Clemson Tigers at 4:00 PM EST on the ACC Network. The Ducks fly North back to Eugene Sunday, December 29 to host Weber State at 2:00 PM PT on B!G+.