Stanford's Freshmen Duo Shine In Victory Over Idaho

Stanford got great performances out of both of their young freshman in what was the first time they had both played together all season

After two weeks off due to finals, Stanford took the court against Idaho on Sunday, and picked up where they left off the last time we see them against San Diego.

The Cardinal ended up winning by a score of 82-64, and while they had four players in double figures it was the two youngsters that shined the brightest. With Spencer Jones not in the lineup, it was Andrej Stojakovic getting the start in his place. The former five-star put up a game-high 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and hitting 3-of-6 threes. 

The Sunday game also marked the debut of fellow freshman Kanaan Carlyle who had yet to suit up for a game this season. The shifty Carlyle who came from the inaugural Overtime Elite class scored 11 points off the bench, on 3-of-5 shooting and also going 2-of-4 from three in 23 minutes of play. 

The win pushes Stanford to 5-4 on the year, and will serve as a great tuneup game before they take on San Diego State on Thursday ahead of Pac-12 play. 

As for Stojakovic's showing, he looked as confident as he has all season-long and maybe hitting his next gear at the perfect time as Stanford will need all hands on deck to do well in Pac-12-play. When it comes to Carlyle, he adds a different element that this team was missing, which is a guard who can and will consistently look to create for himself while having the ability to feed others.

Cardinal Carlyle 🚀#GoStanford x @kanaancarlyle15 pic.twitter.com/kyhtM6iCtT

— Stanford Men's Basketball (@StanfordMBB) December 18, 2023

San Diego State will be a great test for Stanford who did well against other top programs like Arkansas and Michigan, but ended up losing both games by a small margin after leading.