Stanford Men's Basketball Pulls Off Massive Win on Senior Night

Stanford men's basketball just pulled off an incredible win to end their schedule at Maples.

On Saturday afternoon, the Cardinal hosted the SMU Mustangs, with hopes that they could bounce back from a hope-draining loss on the road. On February 1, the Cardinal traveled to Dallas to face SMU, where they lost 85-61. It was more than just a loss.

Leading up to that game, Stanford had won 6 of their previous 7, looking as hot as ever in ACC play. The loss not only broke their hearts, but brought all of their hopes down the drain.

Coming into the rematch at home, Stanford had a few things on their mind when hoping to get revenge on the loss. First, it was Senior Night, and team leaders Maxime Raynaud, Jaylen Blakes, and Cole Kastner wanted to make sure that they were able to end their Cardinal careers with a victory.

Second, they wanted to get the win to inch their way closer to a 20-win season, and continue to cement Kyle Smith’s legacy in his first season as head coach of Stanford basketball.

Somehow, in a March classic, Stanford pulled off the upset, taking down the Mustangs 73-68, courtesy of a late Maxime Raynaud slam that ultimately decided the contest.

Raynaud led the team in points, once again, as he finished with 26 on Senior Night. Benny Gealer had an incredible game off the bench, putting up 17, shooting 5-of-6 from three, all late in the game. Oziyah Sellers played well too, putting up 10, and hitting clutch shots late.

Overall, it was a great team win, rounding out an incredible home stint, where the Cardinal finished 16-2. Their ability to enter the ACC, and have such an incredible start proves how well Kyle Smith has done as a coach. Their season has also shown how the players have truly embraced the role as the “new guys” and done a fantastic job.

Next week, Stanford goes on their final road trip of the season, where they take on Notre Dame and Louisville, before heading straight for Charlotte in the ACC tournament. The end of the season will be crucial for the Cardinal, and will truly dictate how good of a season Stanford will have.

With Saturday's win, Stanford is now 19-10 overall, including a 11-7 record in ACC play. That in-conference record ranks them seventh in the ACC as things stand, but they're only one game behind North Carolina, Wake Forest, and SMU, all of whom sit at 12-6 in conference games. Behind Stanford at No. 8 is Georgia Tech, who is 9-9.

As things stand, Stanford is looking at a first round bye in the ACC Tournament, which begins on Tuesday, March 11. They would need to jump up as high as No. 4 to get a second bye, or fall as low as No. 10 to have to play on the first day.