Three Games to Circle on the Schedule for Stanford Women's Basketball in 2025-26

A new college basketball season is fast approaching. In just a few short weeks, Stanford women's basketball will take the floor for the first time this season in an exhibition game, where the Cardinal's revamped roster will get its first taste of action in a tune-up for the regular season.

Expected to be a very tough year for the Cardinal matchup wise, the program is hungry to bounce back and return to national prominence.

Missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in nearly 40 years last season, Stanford went all-in on bringing in new talent, signing a handful of five-star recruits in Lara Somfai, Alex Eschmeyer and Hailee Swain to go along with the current group. Once one of college basketball's most high profile programs, Stanford is determined to make some noise this season.

And this season will come with a lot of tough tests that will surely prove exactly what type of program the Cardinal are in 2025-26. With the ACC being tough and the Cardinal set to face very prominent non-conference programs, Stanford will have its work cut out for them this season. Here are three games to circle on the calendar.

vs. Tennessee (Dec. 3) - ACC/SEC Challenge

Once the most dominant program in college basketball, winning eight national titles under legendary head coach Pat Summitt, the Volunteers are always a team that is capable of making noise, having made the NCAA tournament the last five seasons.

Finishing 24-10 last season and ranked at No. 20 in the final AP/coaches polls of the year, the Volunteers were dangerous. This year, despite losing a lot of talent from last season's team, they are still expected to compete for an SEC title, with the program signing a strong recruiting class with two five-stars and bringing in 2025 Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year in Janiah Barker.

Tennessee will be good this season, and should provide a tough test for Stanford somewhat early on in their campaign.

at North Carolina (Jan. 4)

Last season saw the Tar Heels experience a major resurgence, ending the year with a 29-8 record, an appearance in the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen and a final ranking of No. 14 according to the AP Polls.

And while the Tar Heels did lose some key players, such as Alyssa Ustby and Maria Gakdeng—both All-ACC selections—they also managed to bring in some elite talent to combat the losses, signing two five-stars in Nyla Brooks and Taliyah Henderson and bringing in transfers Nyla Harris and Elina Aarnisalo.

Assuming that the Tar Heels play similarly to how they did last season, expect them to be very good once again.

vs. Notre Dame (Feb. 1)

The Cardinal face multiple good teams this season, from Cal to Duke to Miami—you name it. But Notre Dame, a program that finished ranked in the top-10 last season while making a run to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen, is back. And after coming up short of a national title last season, they figure to be playing with a massive chip on their shoulder.

Last season, a Stanford program still trying to establish its new identity struggled against a team like Notre Dame, but now that the Cardinal have more star power and a year of experience under this current regime, the hope is that this game is both a tune-up for the ACC tournament and a potential deep run in the NCAA tournament.