Stanford (11-5, 3-2 ACC) led for more than 35 minutes on their way to a commanding home 88-65 victory over Virginia (8-8, 1-4 ACC).
Legendary coach Tony Bennett may be retired, but Virginia is still playing at a snail’s pace this season. They entered the game allowing only 62 points per game, in large part due to reducing possessions.
Today’s game was right at Virginia’s adjusted pace of 60 possessions per game. But the Cardinal executed to near perfection, scoring 1.47 points per trip in an offensive masterclass.
Stanford opened the game by making a pair of wide open three point shots on their first two possessions. Freshman forward Donavin Young received his first start of the year and made the opening triple, his third on the season in as many attempts. The Cardinal offense was executing efficiently early, but Virginia was matching shot for shot.
The Cavaliers made 5 three point attempts in a row during a four minute stretch of the first half. Kyle Smith emphasizes running teams off the three point line, and they have been good this year at reducing opponent three point attempt rates. He was displeased with the looks that sharpshooting Virginia guard Isaac McKneeley was getting.
After the under 12 timeout, Stanford clamped down. Virginia made just one three the rest of the period, and struggled to get anything going inside. Over the last 3 minutes of the half, Stanford used an 11-2 run to take a 10 point lead into the break.
Virginia had been poised to take the final shot of the half, trailing by 7 with the shot clock off. Jaylen Blakes came up with a steal as the clock dipped below four seconds, racing up the court and releasing a deep three on the dead run. The buzzer sounded as the shot hit the glass and banked in. Jaylen high-stepped his way straight into the locker room, arms stretched to the sky in pure ecstasy with teammates in tow.
The Cardinal kept their foot on the gas, scoring the first 5 of the second half and never letting the margin reach single digits during the game’s final 15 minutes. Virginia tried to mix up the defense, but could not seem to find answers.
Maxime Raynaud saw a variety of coverages, but scored almost at will and made a number of excellent skip passes that were a swing or two away from wide open shooters. His decision making and passing are so strong, and Stanford effectively uses weak-side flare screens to free up shooters in the corner.
Ryan Agarwal assumed his share of ball-handling in the period, and picked apart the defense. He used his height to see over the defense and make accurate passes, finding Aidan Cammann slipping to the rim on three consecutive possessions. Ryan recorded a career high 6 assists and continues to grow as a secondary ball-handler.
Maples Pavilion was more full than it has been all year, with a strong contingent of Virginia fans in attendance. In the waning minutes, chants of “We Want Kastner” rang through the arena. Stanford graduate transfer Cole Kastner grew up in Palo Alto before playing lacrosse at Virginia for four years, twice earning All-American honors and helping the Cavaliers win a national title.
In the final two minutes, Kyle Smith inserted Cole into the game for just the second time of the season, and the crowd went nuts as he recorded a defensive rebound. His teammates speak with great respect for Cole as a leader, a winner, and a tone-setter.
But the game’s final moments were punctuated by redshirt sophomore Jaylen Thompson. It took him just one dribble to slice across the lane and throw down a left-handed jam over two defenders.
The Stanford bench erupted, and there were at least 10 Stanford players on the court that the refs chose to ignore.
Stanford played 14 different players. Maxime Raynaud led the way with 24 points and 10 rebounds, good for his nation-leading 13th double double of the year. Oziyah Sellers scored 15 points, Jaylen Blakes added 10, and Ryan Agarwal had 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Freshmen Aidan Cammann and Donavin Young had career highs in scoring, with 9 and 8, respectively.
The Cardinal had shooting splits of 51/42/94, and had 16 assists against 6 turnovers. They outscored Virginia 40-12 in the paint, and 22-4 in points off turnovers.