Stanford hosts Merrimack before ACC grind begins

Stanford and visiting Merrimack continue final preparations for their respective conference grinds when they duel Tuesday night in Northern California.

The Cardinal (8-2) have rebounded from their only two losses with a pair of wins, including an 89-81 road effort at rival California on Saturday that began each's Atlantic Coast Conference era.

Following Tuesday, Stanford will face former Pac-12 Conference rival Oregon on a neutral court in San Jose on Saturday, then take 10 days off before jumping big-time into ACC play with a visit to Clemson on Jan. 1.

Sandwiching a little-known opponent from Massachusetts between regional rivals gives the game some letdown potential for Stanford. But Cardinal coach Kyle Smith is confident his team leader, Maxime Raynaud, won't let that happen.

"(He) has got a lot of sweat equity in the program," Smith said of his senior. "It's rare to get guys that are willing to hold their teammates accountable -- and it's OK."

Raynaud not only leads Stanford in scoring (22.1) and rebounding (11.3), but also is tied for tops in the nation with eight double-doubles. He has had one in six of the Cardinal's seven home games, including a 14-point, 17-rebound effort in the team's most recent outing on the school court, a 77-63 win over Utah Valley on Dec. 3.

Like Stanford, Merrimack (5-6) made a bit of a statement when it began play in a new conference -- the Metro Atlantic -- with wins at Canisius and Niagara earlier this month. The Warriors had played in the Northeastern Conference previously.

They ride a four-game winning streak as they embark on a two-game getaway to California, where the Warriors also will visit Saint Mary's on Thursday before returning to MAAC play.

While his school has never played Stanford in men's basketball, Merrimack coach Joe Gallo believes his guys have dealt with a player of Raynaud's stature when they went up against Rutgers star Ace Bailey earlier this season.

"We're really unique with that zone," Gallo said. "Every now and then, some really good players get bored. 'Where do I find my shot?'"

Merrimack has a star of its own in Budd Clark, who had 22 points in the loss at Rutgers. He's totaled at least 18 points in each of his last six games, twice winning MAAC player of the week honors.

--Field Level Media