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Stanford's Season Ends to Kent State--What's Next For the Program?

Jason Burke

Mar 13, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Cole Sherman (4) on defense against Stanford Cardinal guard Jaylen Blakes (21) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Mar 13, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Cole Sherman (4) on defense against Stanford Cardinal guard Jaylen Blakes (21) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
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The first season for Stanford men's basketball under Kyle Smith, as well as in the ACC, is officially in the books. On Sunday night, the Cardinal lost a heartbreaker in the second round of the NIT to Kent State, 77-75.

While the season is over, the Cardinal still managed to go 21-14 overall, which is the program's highest win total since the 2014-15 team went 24-13. This year's team also matched a program record with 17 wins at Maples Pavilion.

The only player in the entire country to average 20+ points and 10+ rebounds per game this season, Maxime Raynaud, added his final double-double to his total for the year, going for 22 and 10 while adding four blocks.

With this being Raynaud's final year at Stanford, his focus will now shift to the NBA Draft, where he is currently projected as an early second-round pick.

As for the game on Sunday, Stanford's slow start really hurt them as they were down 12 after 12. They ended up going on an 11-0 run led by Jaylen Blakes' seven, but Kent State would go on a run of their own and took a 43-34 lead into the break.

Blakes ended up leading Cardinal scorers with 23 on 6-of-10 shooting that included 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and 9-of-13 from the free throw line. He added four rebounds and five assists in a game-high 39 minutes of action.

While Stanford had their dynamic duo working well in this one with Raynaud and Blakes, the Golden Flashes had Jalen Sullinger absolutely go off for a career-high 34 points, which included 7-of-10 from three. He shot 11-of-22 overall, including 5-of-5 from the line. He added eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals.

Kent State needed all seven of those three pointers, given the ultimate margin of victory.

Stanford was able to grab a lead in the second half, 46-45, but the Golden Flashes went on yet another run and led by as many as 11 with just over six minutes to play. The Cardinal trimmed that lead to a one possession contest on two separate occasions, but they ended up running out of time in this one.

With both Raynaud and Blakes set to graduate and move forward in their own journeys, the men's basketball program is going to be looking for new leaders to step up and take the reins.

One option for that role next season could be Oziyah Sellers, who will be heading into his senior season. He finished with 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists in this one and thrived all year while receiving more playing time than he'd previously had at USC.

Expect the Cardinal and coach Smith to be active in the transfer portal for the 2025-26 campaign, because the program doesn't necessarily have a polished college basketball star ready to take over the kind of production that Raynaud provided on a nightly basis.

That said, they will have Latvian commit Kristers Skrinda on the roster, and he will surely receive a good bit of playing time. He'll also be a freshman, which means it could take a year or two to start realizing his potential at this level.

The transfer portal is the most likely way for Stanford to keep building upon the success that the team had in Smith's first season.

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Jason Burke
JASON BURKE

Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.

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