Benny Gealer Shines Again in Win

Stanford is getting a big push from their senior guard

Dec 7, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Benny Gealer (5) talks with fans before the game against the UNLV Runnin' Rebels at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

On Wednesday night, Stanford met up with UT Arlington in a non-conference matchup. Without star player Ebuka Okorie, the Cardinal looked like they could end up struggling against dominant guard Raysean Seamster.

Schematically, the Mavericks were unique in the sense that they lacked substantial size, essentially playing three or even for guards at times. Nowadays, it’s called position-less basketball. And without Okorie, Stanford needed their own guards to step up and compete.

While it seemed unlikely due to matchups, the most dominant player for the Cardinal was Benny Gealer.

He played a game-high 39 minutes in the contest, and had arguably his best game of the season, matching Chisom Okpara's 17 points for the team-high.

Last season, Gealer was solid, getting hot at times which led to him taking over a handful of games. But when he wasn’t scoring, he didn’t do much offensively. And that was a key indicator of his success this season. If Gealer could consistently be good offensively, and still contribute even when he's not hot shooting, he could be a star for Stanford.

While Gealer was somewhat on Wednesday, going 4-of-11 from the field and 2-of-7 from three, that wasn’t all he excelled at. Gealer handled the ball well, controlling the entire game, and threw some crisp passes that turned into assists. This included an incredible ball to Jeremy Dent-Smith, who knocked down a three to increase the Cardinal lead.

But it wasn’t just offensively where he excelled. Defensively, he was arguably at the same level. Ever since joining Stanford, Gealer has prided himself at picking up all 94 feet, giving hell to any guard attempting to bring the ball down the floor. And not only did he achieve that against the Mavericks, but he was great in the half court defense as well.

No opposing guard was able to really get going, and a number of them seemed lost offensively. Gealer was the anchor to Stanford’s defense on Wednesday night, which allowed just 60 points against UT Arlington.

Gealer has been dominant this season, and the win against the Mavericks continues to prove how crucial he is to Stanford basketball. His shooting, passing, stealing ability, overall defense and leadership all prove his importance to the program this season.

The Cardinal have two non-conference games left before ACC play starts, taking on Colorado and CSU Northridge in massive battles the next two weekends. Gealer will have to continue to play a big part in Stanford’s success if they want to head into conference play hot.