Stanford basketball releases full slate of non-conference games
Dylan Grausz | 9 Hours Ago
Feb 1, 2018; Stanford, CA, USA; Oregon State Beavers guard Stephen Thompson Jr., left, and Stanford Cardinal guard Daejon Davis pursue a loose ball during the first half of an NCAA men’s college basketball game at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
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The Kyle Smith era at Stanford is set to begin this year, and after a lot of speculation, the season start date has finally been revealed along with the rest of the 2024-25 non-conference schedule that the Stanford Cardinal will play this year, as the team’s schedule of non-ACC opponents has been finalized in recent days.
With a start date of November 4, the Cardinal will kick off the new era of Stanford basketball when they host Denver at home. As for what time tip offs are and which TV network will broadcast the games, those are still to be announced. Stanford will start with four straight home games, hosting Cal State Fullerton on November 8 followed by a November 12 home game against Northern Arizona and a November 17 game against UC Davis at Maples in the Acrisure Holiday Classic.
Stanford then rounds out its non-conference slate with an away game against Santa Clara on November 23 and an away game against Grand Canyon on November 26 in another Acrisure Classic game, with that game scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. tip, before hosting Cal Poly on November 30 and Merrimack on December 17. The team will then play against Oregon in that San Jose Tip-Off on December 21 before beginning preparations for conference play. Also scheduled is a November 20 game against Norfolk State and a December 3 home game against Utah Valley.
Faced with a tough conference slate, with Stanford having teams such as Miami, NC State and North Carolina among others, the team’s non-conference games should provide the opportunity for them to truly p themselves out and find out what type of team they are before facing some of the nation's toughest opponents.
“With our non-conference schedule, we have an opportunity to establish an identity for our program in preparation for the ACC,” coach Smith said in a statement on GoStanford.com. “We have some marquee games that will let us know where we stand with an NCAA tourney winner in Grand Canyon on a neutral site, a tough road game against local rival Santa Clara, and we finish off our non-conference against old Pac-12 rival Oregon in San Jose.”
Ending their Pac-12 tenure with a 10th place finish after going 8-12 in conference play (14-18 overall), the Cardinal will come into this year hungrier than ever, not only eager to return to the glory days but also make their presence known in a conference that is known for housing extremely competitive basketball programs. Backed by the return of several key players, the Cardinal will look to prove that they belong.
