The men’s basketball team is banking on the fact that its latest big-man acquisitions, 7-foot twins Brook and Robin Lopez, will intimidate the largest of their opponents. But have the twins had the same effect off the court on their more diminutive classmates?

“People might say something [about my height] the first time they see me, but they get used to it pretty quickly,” Robin said. “We start talking, and they forget about it. It becomes normal to them.”

Billed as the next chapter in Stanford’s storied history of big men, the approachable brothers have acted more like gentle giants off the court, taking part in their dorms’ scavenger hunts and getting involved in other activities like the Campus Movie Festival, a one-week competition in which Robin participated.

Still, comparisons to Stanford players of years past are inevitable. To Tim Young and Mark Madsen in the early 90’s, and, of course, to another set of towering twins, Jason and Jarron Collins, who arrived on The Farm in 1997.

Head coach Trent Johnson, who also helped to recruit the Collins brothers, said that it was too early to make direct comparisons — though he has also said that he believes the Lopez twins have more potential than their counterparts.

“People like to compare between the [two sets of] twins, but they’re extremely young,” Johnson said.

Those comparisons are hard to avoid, however. Both sets were McDonald’s All-Americans, both are roughly 7 feet tall (Jarron was “only” 6-foot-11). And Brook, like Jason, will begin his career on the bench due to an injury.

Johnson is careful to temper his expectations about the twins’ immediate impact, but one difference is clear. Jarron and Jason had a couple of years to get settled, coming to a team that returned four starters and Mark Madsen. They mostly watched as the Cardinal won their first 18 games and swept into the Final Four.

Brook and Robin, on the other hand, will be expected to make an immediate impact on a young team that failed to make the NCAA tournament last year and lost its four top scorers, including three all-league selections. The only two scholarship seniors, Fred Washington and Carlton Weatherby, hoisted a combined 16 shots last year. Junior big men Taj Finger (6-foot-8) and Peter Prowitt (6-foot-10) have struggled with injuries throughout the preseason.

Robin will find himself in the starting lineup in the team’s game against Siena tomorrow, but it may be a while before Cardinal fans get to see the twins on the court together. A ruptured disk in his back has kept Brook out of play since July 18, and he had surgery on it in late September. He may be back as early as December, but back injuries can be fickle. Johnson hasn’t set a timetable on his return, though Brook feels optimistic, saying that he has started sprinting and jumping off both feet.

“He thinks he could play today,” Johnson said. “He thought he could have played a week ago. But we have to be smart and have his welfare in our best interest.”

Until then, Robin will have to carry the weight of the twins’ big expectations by himself. Johnson cautioned against hoping for too much, but did say that Robin would have to be a post presence on the offensive end.

“It’s real easy to get caught up in his size, and say that he should average 15 points and 10 rebounds per game,” Johnson said. “But that’s not the case. The bottom line is, he just left high school. There’s an adjustment period there.

“If it happened overnight, he wouldn’t be here.”

Robin is considered to be a true back-to-the-basket center whose strengths lie in defense, rebounding and shot-blocking.

“Robin gives us a real presence,” sophomore guard Mitch Johnson said. “He’s relentless. He plays hard, and he doesn’t take plays off. He makes up for any mistakes he makes by playing hard.”

Brook, meanwhile, is considered to have the more polished offensive game — a fact that he disputes, in brotherly spirit.

“People have been saying that I’m better on offense, but I think Robin has shown that he’s just as good,” Brook said. Robin made all three of his shots in the Cardinal’s first exhibition game against British Columbia on Tuesday, but fouled out in only 11 minutes, showing that he still has a way to go before he gets accustomed to NCAA play and referees.

Brook admits to some favoritism, saying that he was excited by his brother’s play in a closed scrimmage against Nevada last weekend.

“He is my brother, but I thought he did really well,” Brook said. “It was really exciting. The whole team was into it, from the first guy to the last guy on the bench.” He added, “That was me.”

Stanford fans will be especially excited when Brook finds his way onto the court. Until then, Robin will get used to playing without his brother. And those expectations will just have to wait.