Virginia Basketball vs. Stanford Game Preview, Score Prediction

Matt Newton | Jan 11, 2025

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See our game blog for Virginia vs. Stanford with score updates and live analysis here: Virginia vs. Stanford Live Updates | NCAA Men's Basketball

Coming off of a disappointing loss at Cal on Wednesday night, Virginia will look to get things back on track and conclude its West Coast trip with a win when the Cavaliers take on Stanford on Saturday afternoon in Palo Alto, California.

Read on for a full preview of Virginia vs. Stanford, including game details and notes, an opponent scouting report, what to watch for, and a score prediction for Saturday's matchup.

Virginia vs. Stanford Game Details

Who: Virginia Cavaliers (8-7, 1-3 ACC) at Stanford Cardinal (10-5, 2-2 ACC)

When: Saturday, January 11th at 4pm ET

Where: Maples Pavilion (7,233) in Palo Alto, CA

How to watch: ESPNU

How to listen: SiriusXM 388, SXM App 978 | Virginia Sports Radio Network | Cardinal Sports Network

All-time series: Stanford leads 7-1

Last meeting: Stanford defeated Virginia 81-60 on November 18th, 2010 in Palo Alto.

Virginia vs. Stanford Game Notes

• Stanford leads Virginia 7-1 in the all-time series that dates back to 1991.
• UVA's lone win against the Cardinal came in the 1992-1993 season at University Hall, where the Cavaliers prevailed 72-48.
• Stanford has a six-game winning streak in the series against Virginia and is 4-0 against UVA in Palo Alto.
• Virginia and Virginia Tech are the first ACC teams to make the trip out west to take on Cal and Stanford this season. The Hokies lost to the Cardinal on Wednesday and will face the Golden Bears on Saturday, while UVA fell to Cal on Wednesday and will take on Stanford on Saturday.
• Virginia is 1-5 away from Charlottesville this season and 0-3 in true road games, including a 75-61 loss at California on Wednesday night.

Scouting Report: Stanford

2023-2024: 14-18, 8-12 Pac-12 (9th)
2024-2025: 10-5, 2-2 ACC

Stanford is in its first season under new head coach Kyle Smith, who spent the last five years at Washington State, where he went 94-71 overall, including a 25-10 record, a second-place finish in the Pac-12, and an NCAA Tournament appearance and win in 2023-2024. The Cardinal won their first six games, but were untested until suffering a pair of seven-point losses to Grand Canyon and Cal Poly. Stanford bounced back with three-straight wins, which included an 89-81 win over Cal in the first ACC matchup for both programs, but then suffered three-consecutive losses to Oregon, Clemson and Pittsburgh before getting back in the win column with a 70-59 victory over Virginia Tech this past Wednesday.

Stanford is led by one of the best centers in the country in 7'1" senior Maxime Raynaud, who is ninth in the nation in scoring, leads the ACC in scoring and rebounding, and leads the nation in double-doubles with 12. A native of Paris, France, Raynaud is the ultimate matchup problem, averaging 20.7 points and 11.6 rebounds per game and also shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc. To say the UVA front court is going to have its hands full with Raynaud is putting it mildly.

Starring alongside Raynaud are a pair of double-digit scoring guard transfers in Jaylen Blakes and Oziyah Sellers. A 6'2" guard and Duke transfer, Blakes is averaging 14.8 points per game and is also the team's offensive facilitator, dishing out 5.3 assists per game. Sellers transferred to Stanford from USC and the 6'5" guard is averaging 14.1 points per game and shooting 39.7% from three as the team's best three-point shooter.

Rounding out the starting five are 6'6" guard Ryan Agarwal (7.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and 6'8" forward Chism Okpara (6.0 ppg), a transfer from Harvard. Four players are averaging double-digit minutes off the bench for the Cardinal, but the most notable is 6'1" guard Benny Gealer, who averages 6.6 points per game and gives Stanford another quality perimeter shooter, converting on 35.8% of his attempts from beyond the arc.

What to Watch For in Virginia vs. Stanford

Can Virginia contain Maxime Raynaud?
On Wednesday night against Cal, the Cavaliers faced one of the best scorers in the country in Andrej Stojakovic, who was held to four points in the first half before erupting for 19 points in the second half. Now, Virginia faces another of college basketball's most prolific scorers, only this time it'll be the UVA front court that will be put to the test by Maxime Raynaud. The Cavaliers haven't quite figured out how to get the most out of their front court on either end of the floor, but particularly on defense, where Jacob Cofie and Blake Buchanan have frequently gotten themselves in foul trouble. We'll see if Ron Sanchez gives Anthony Robinson an early chance to defend Raynaud if Cofie and Buchanan are struggling.

How do the Cavaliers respond after Cal?
Wednesday night's loss might have been the nail in the coffin for Virginia's already dwindling NCAA Tournament hopes. Nothing short of an NC State-esque run to the ACC Tournament title will allow the Hoos to go dancing in March, but that doesn't mean UVA can't make something of this season. How Ron Sanchez and the Cavaliers respond on Saturday against Stanford will indicate a lot about where the morale of this team is at this point.

Does Cole Kastner get in the game?
Former UVA lacrosse All-American defenseman Cole Kastner is now a member of the Stanford men's basketball team. He has played just one minute this entire season, so it's very unlikely he'll see the court. But if it's a blowout in either direction, keep an eye out for No. 9 on Stanford, a former national champion on the lacrosse field at Virginia.

Virginia vs. Stanford Prediction

Stanford is a better team than Cal, who pulled away from UVA in the second half with ease on Wednesday night. But Virginia is capable of beating Stanford on Saturday. It will take the kind of complete 40-minute performance that has largely eluded the Cavaliers this season, but this is a winnable game.

Score prediction: Virginia 67, Stanford 64

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Five Takeaways From Virginia Basketball's 75-61 Loss to Cal

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