STANFORD, Calif. - The 2015-16 Stanford men's basketball schedule features 17 regular-season home games, 11 contests against NCAA Tournament opponents from last season and the program’s fourth visit in three years to Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Highlighting the challenging nonconference slate are home games against SMU, DePaul and Texas and the start of a home-and-home series against Saint Mary’s that will begin in Moraga.
The Cardinal will also compete in the NIT Season Tip-Off, which is shifting from Madison Square Garden to Barclays Center. Stanford, making its seventh trip overall to New York since 2011, opens against Villanova and squares off against the winner of Arkansas/Georgia Tech the following day.
Stanford (24-13, 9-9 Pac-12) concluded its 100th season by capturing its second NIT championship in four years and third overall in school history. Qualifying for its fourth straight postseason appearance, the Cardinal narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament but bounced back by winning its final five games. Despite several injuries to key players throughout the season, Stanford finished ranked No. 34 in the RPI.
One of four Pac-12 programs to have appeared in four consecutive postseasons, Stanford is coming off its fourth 20-win campaign in seven seasons under Anne and Tony Joseph Director of Men's Basketball Johnny Dawkins.
Tip times for all games will be announced in early September. While the sequence of the Pac-12 schedule has been released, it should be noted that exact dates, times and order of opponents are tentative and likely to change due to television agreements.
Nov. 13 (Fri.) vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay
Nov. 15 (Sun.) vs. Charleston Southern
Both games are part of the NIT Season Tip-Off, a preseason tournament that will send campus hosts Stanford, Arkansas, Georgia Tech and Villanova to Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., two weeks later. Both of these teams participated in the NIT last season and will be facing Stanford for the first time. Stanford’s 101st season gets underway against the Phoenix, coming off a 24-9 campaign but looking to replace two-time Horizon League Player of the Year Keifer Sykes. The Bucs, who also play road games at Arkansas, Florida State and Wichita State, finished 19-12 overall and claimed a share of the Big South regular season title.
Nov. 19 (Thu.) vs. SMU
SMU is a projected preseason top-25 opponent, after a 27-7 campaign in which the Mustangs captured regular season and tournament titles in the American Athletic Conference. SMU reached last year’s NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed, falling 60-59 to UCLA in its first appearance since 1993. The Mustangs spent nine weeks in the top-25 last season and finished the year ranked No. 18 in the AP poll. Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown, the only head coach to win both an NCAA title and NBA championship, enters his fourth season.
Nov. 22 (Sun.) at Saint Mary’s
Saint Mary’s wrapped up last year at 21-10 overall and 13-5 in the WCC. The Gaels have become an annual conference contender and postseason fixture under head coach Randy Bennett, compiling five NCAA Tournament appearances and four NIT berths. Saint Mary’s was eliminated from last year’s NIT by Vanderbilt, which Stanford defeated two rounds later to punch its ticket to New York. Stanford and Saint Mary’s will square off for the first time since a 76-58 Cardinal victory back on Dec. 14, 2002. It’s the Cardinal’s first visit to Moraga since Dec. 27, 1988.
Nov. 26 (Thu.) vs. Villanova
Nov. 27 (Fri.) vs. Arkansas or Georgia Tech
Only the Brooklyn Nets might be more familiar with the Barclays Center than Stanford, which has visited the arena three times over the last two years. Now the Cardinal is back for the NIT Season Tip-off, drawing Villanova in the opener. The Wildcats finished 33-3 overall last year, earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament after locking up both the BIG EAST regular season and tournament titles. The Cardinal will be playing on Thanksgiving Day for the third time in six seasons and first since facing Missouri in the 2012 Battle 4 Atlantis. Stanford’s opponent the following day would be either Arkansas or Georgia Tech. The Razorbacks finished 27-9 on the way to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015 while the Yellow Jackets posted a 12-19 record last season but return 10 letterwinners and add three transfers with immediate eligibility.
Dec. 12 (Sat.) vs. Dartmouth
Dec. 15 (Tue.) vs. DePaul
Stanford will play all six of its December games at home, representing the first time since November 2006 that the Cardinal will enjoy a month-long stay on The Farm. Following its extended break from final exams, Stanford hosts Dartmouth, which finished 14-15 last season and qualified for its first postseason appearance in 56 years. Stanford welcomes DePaul three days later, with the Blue Demons – who return 11 letterwinners and three starters – becoming the first BIG EAST opponent to visit Maples Pavilion since Butler in 2011. DePaul, which upset Stanford 87-72 last year on its home court, is led by first-year head coach Dave Leitao, who begins his second stint with the Blue Demons.
Dec. 19 (Sat.) vs. Texas
Another projected top-25 foe, Texas finished 20-14 overall last season and qualified for the NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed, falling 56-48 to Butler in its opener. It’s a return game of a home-and-home series, as Stanford won 74-71 last December in Austin when the Longhorns were ranked No. 9 in both polls. Texas is making its first visit to Maples Pavilion since 1962 and the Longhorns will be the first Big 12 team to visit The Farm since Oklahoma State in 2009. Texas is led by first-year head coach Shaka Smart, who guided VCU to five NCAA Tournament appearances and the 2011 NCAA Final Four thanks to his trademark “Havoc” style of play featuring full-court pressure defense and transition offense.
Dec. 21 (Mon.) vs. Sacramento State
Dec. 27 (Sun.) vs. TBD
Sacramento State is coming off a record-setting season, finishing 21-12 overall while its 13 conference wins in Big Sky play were the most in school history. The Hornets welcome back 10 letterwinners and three starters. Stanford has won all four meetings in the series, with the last matchup resulting in an 84-58 home win on Nov. 27, 2007. Following the holiday break, the Cardinal is looking to secure an opponent for another home game on Dec. 27. Later in the week, Stanford opens Pac-12 play against Utah.
Dec. 30-Jan. 2: vs. Colorado, vs. Utah
Jan. 6-10: at Oregon State, at Oregon
Jan. 13-16: vs. California
Jan. 20-24: vs. Arizona, vs. Arizona State
Jan. 27-31: at Utah, at Colorado
Feb. 3-6: at California
Feb. 10-14: vs. Oregon State, vs. Oregon
Feb. 17-21: at Washington State, at Washington
Feb. 24-28: vs. USC, vs. UCLA
March 2-6: at Arizona State, at Arizona
The final Pac-12 schedule will be announced next month. In this year’s rotation, the Washington schools will not visit Maples Pavilion while Stanford will miss a trip to Southern California. It’s the first time Stanford will not play at USC since the 1956-57 campaign. The Cardinal will also be missing a trip to Westwood for the first time since the 1955-56 season. Stanford is one of four Pac-12 teams to have appeared in four consecutive postseasons. Arizona earned three straight NCAA berths after reaching the 2012 NIT. Colorado played in the NCAA Tournament for three consecutive seasons before taking part in the 2015 CBI. Oregon reached the NCAA Tournament three years in a row after playing in the 2012 NIT.
March 9-12 (Wed.-Sat.) Pac-12 Tournament
Las Vegas is once again the destination for the Pac-12 Tournament, which gets underway March 9 with first-round contests. This will be the fourth go-around at the MGM Grand since the conference’s final event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in 2012. Stanford reached the quarterfinals of last year’s event, defeating Washington 71-69 thanks to a three-pointer from Chasson Randle with 2.4 seconds left. The Cardinal then fell 80-56 to Utah one night later.