Stanford Men's Basketball Bold Prediction for 2025 Campaign

Some big news was released this week for Stanford basketball fans. The Cardinal announced that they would be playing 13 non-conference games next season, as well as a preseason exhibition game a few days before the beginning of the year.

First, they announced that on October 30, they will be hosting Oregon in an exhibition game. This one will be public, meaning fans will be allowed to attend.

After what should be a thriller to begin the year, Stanford hosts some mid-major programs on The Farm. They play Portland State, Montana, Montana State, Louisiana Lafayette, and Seattle before heading down south to Palm Desert to play in the Acrisure Series. There, they will meet up with Minnesota on the Thursday, followed by either Santa Clara or Saint Louis on the Friday, depending on the outcome of the Thursday games.

To end the non-conference slate, the Cardinal host Portland and UNLV, followed by a quick road test at San Jose State, and back home for UT Arlington. Their last two feature a neutral site game against Colorado in Phoenix, followed by CSU Northridge.

Their non-conference play is pretty easy on paper, and they went 11-9 in conference play last season in their first year in the ACC. This year they'll have a little more experience that they'll be able to lean on.

They host Cal, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Pitt, and SMU in ACC play, and travel to Boston College, Cal, Florida State, Miami, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, and SMU. The dates and times for those games will be announced at a later date.

Coming off of last season, Stanford has some momentum. After a great 24-25 campaign under first year head coach Kyle Smith, they saw some stars leave for the NBA (Maxime Raynaud), graduation (Jaylen Blakes), or the transfer portal (Oziyah Sellers), but they have some of the most returning talent in the country.

Ryan Agarwal, Benny Gealer, and Chisom Okpara lead the train, and new incomers Jeremy Dent-Smith and Ebuka Okorie look to be great additions to the program. Not to mention the six freshmen from last year that are all returning for the upcoming season.

At first glance, this looks like a schedule that Stanford can do some damage with, and gives the Cardinal a chance to truly succeed this season. Of the non-conference matchups, the game that looks the most challenging appears to be Minnesota, but there still is a solid chance for a victory in that one too. In conference play, they play some tough opponents, but still should have a winning record.

We are still 65 days from Stanford basketball tipping off their 2025-2026 campaign, but here's a bold prediction: Stanford goes 22-9 overall, 10-8 in conference play, and makes the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 12 years.

Agarwal, Gealer, and Okpara could be some of the better players in the ACC, and the depth on this roster looks great. With a soft non-conference schedule and improved depth options, Stanford will truly push the Cardinal over the edge.