Stanford's Jeremy Dent-Smith is Stepping Up His Game

Jan 17, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Jeremy Dent-Smith (25) looks on before the game against the Duke Blue Devils at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Stanford is coming off a hectic week where the Cardinal got a program-defining win over No. 14 North Carolina on Wednesday, and then were dominated by 30 on Saturday against No. 6 Duke. While a lot went on throughout the entire week, there was one consistent factor between both games, and that was the performance of Jeremy Dent-Smith.

Dent-Smith is a transfer from Cal State Dominguez Hills, who dominated the scene at the DII level. He led the Toros to a national championship appearance, being their star and top player. He was scoring nearly 20 points per game in back-to-back seasons, and had about as much success as a DII player can have.

After the season, he stayed in the state, making the trip up north to Palo Alto to join the Stanford Cardinal.

There is no doubt that he had a tough start to the year. Coming up to the DI level, it was evident that there was a clear difference in skill level and that it would take his game some time to adjust to the next level. In his first six games, he hit just six three pointers total, with just one double digit game.

But Dent-Smith started to get settled in, putting up four double digit games in the next five. He was beginning to show that he could be an important piece for Stanford this season.

Coming into the week, Dent-Smith was putting up around six points per game. Against North Carolina he came off the bench, hitting a few threes to begin the game. As time went on, it looked like he couldn’t miss. It was the team's three point shooting that helped pull off the upset win as the Cardinal went 16-of-28 (57%) from beyond the arc. Dent-Smith was 6-of-7.

Stanford hung around in that game courtesy of Dent-Smith's shooting, and with just a minute left, he had a chance to seal the win. The Cardinal trailed by two, and were in need of a bucket. Star guard Ebuka Okorie, despite having 35 points, found Dent-Smith on the wing, who peeled off a screen and launched from deep, finding the bottom of the net.

Stanford went on to win the game, and Dent-Smith’s 20 points were a big part of that win.

On Saturday against Duke, Stanford struggled all night, scoring just 50 points as a team to the Blue Devils’ 80. But 18 of the Cardinal’s 50 came from Dent-Smith, who hit three threes and seven shots in total.

It was clear that Dent-Smith had, by far, the best week of any Stanford player. His 38 total points ranked just second to Okorie, but he had much more of a consistent and impactful week.

The senior did everything in two of the biggest games of the Cardinal's season. Threes, layups, steals, everything. His constant momentum shifts completely changed Stanford’s season in just a few days.

The Cardinal now have a couple more days off before taking on rival Cal this weekend. A win could mean another massive resumé builder, but a loss could start to derail their season. And their x-factor for the upcoming game could just be Jeremy Dent-Smith.