Stanford men’s basketball hosts Oakland at Maples Pavilion on Friday, Nov. 6, in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
The Cardinal (1-0) enters the 7 p.m. Pacific time tip riding momentum from a 74-65 season-opening win over Eastern Washington on Nov. 2. That victory gave coach Kyle Smith his 300th career win as a collegiate head coach, according to Stanford’s athletics website.
Five Stanford players scored in double figures against Eastern Washington. Freshman Julius Price led the way with 17 points. Returning player Aidan Cammann added 13, while freshman Aziz Olajuwon and transfer Nick Townsend each scored 12. Freshman Isaiah Rogers chipped in 10, according to Stanford’s game recap.
Olajuwon stood out on defense. His six steals made him just the fifth Stanford player since 2005 to record six takeaways in a game, according to Stanford’s athletics site. He was the first freshman in that span to do it.
The son of Basketball Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, Aziz also delivered the decisive sequence in the opener. After Eastern Washington took a 65-64 lead with 2:45 left, Townsend hit a go-ahead layup, and Olajuwon stole the ball and scored to stretch Stanford’s lead to three, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Price then converted a turnover into a layup to help Stanford pull away.
Discussing Eastern Washington, Smith said he had expected a difficult game. “They’re really big and they’re physical and they bothered us early,” he said, according to the Chronicle.
The win extended Stanford’s streak of season-opening victories to 17 in a row.
Oakland enters Friday’s game after losing 84-68 to Michigan in its own opener, according to Michigan’s official game recap. The Golden Grizzlies were picked fourth in the Horizon League preseason poll, according to Michigan’s official preview.
Oakland head coach Greg Kampe is in his 43rd season leading the program, according to Michigan’s preview. The Grizzlies return just two players who saw action last season and added several transfers, including Belal El Shakery from New Hampshire.
Against Michigan, Oakland ran a 2-3 zone and trapped aggressively in the corners, per Maize n Brew.
Stanford is 3-0 all-time against current Horizon League teams. Smith’s roster blends returning players Cammann and Donavin Young with transfers Christian Bliss (Delaware), Austin Maurer (Seattle) and Townsend (Yale), plus a freshman class Stanford’s athletics site calls the program’s highest-rated since 2023.
Friday’s game airs on ACC Network Extra at 7 p.m. Pacific time, with radio available on YouTube, SiriusXM and GoStanford.com.
