STANFORD, Calif. – For the 16th consecutive season, Stanford was ranked in USA TODAY Preseason Top 25 Coaches’ Poll, this time checking in at No. 14 in results released Thursday. It’s the 275th consecutive coaches’ poll to feature the Cardinal.
Stanford closed out 2014-15 ranked 14th in the same poll. The Cardinal finished third in the Pac-12 a season ago with a 13-5 mark, but rallied through Seattle to claim the program’s 11th Pac-12 Tournament Championship in 14 tries and earn the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Stanford, which has been to 28 consecutive tournaments, advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the eighth straight year and with a 26-10 overall record, won at least 20 games for the 14th straight season.
Stanford will face at least three members of the preseason top 25 during its nonconference schedule this season. No. 4 Tennessee visits Maples on Wednesday, Dec. 16 (6 p.m.) in a game televised on ESPNU. The Cardinal also begins its home schedule with No. 21 George Washington on Saturday, Nov. 21 (TBD) and travels to No. 11 Texas for an ESPN game on Sunday, Dec. 13 (10 a.m. PT).
A matchup with No. 8 Louisville is a possibility at the Gulf Coast Showcase on Sunday, Nov. 29 depending on how the bracket shakes out in that tournament.
The Pac-12 has three teams in the preseason poll with No. 9 Oregon State and No. 15 Arizona State joining No. 14 Stanford among the nation’s top 25.
| USA TODAY Preseason Coaches Poll | |||
| Rank | Team | 2014-15 Record | Points (First Place Votes) |
| 1. | Connecticut | 38-1 | 800 (32) |
| 2. | South Carolina | 34-3 | 757 |
| 3. | Notre Dame | 36-3 | 719 |
| 4. | Tennessee | 30-6 | 689 |
| 5. | Baylor | 33-4 | 666 |
| 6. | Maryland | 34-3 | 620 |
| 7. | Florida State | 32-5 | 542 |
| 8. | Louisville | 27-7 | 528 |
| 9. | Oregon State | 27-5 | 460 |
| 10. | Ohio State | 24-11 | 435 |
| 11. | Texas | 24-11 | 429 |
| 12. | Duke | 23-11 | 388 |
| 13. | Mississippi State | 27-7 | 385 |
| 14. | Stanford | 26-10 | 382 |
| 15. | Arizona State | 29-6 | 377 |
| 16. | Texas A&M | 23-10 | 304 |
| 17. | Kentucky | 24-10 | 303 |
| 18. | Oklahoma | 21-12 | 210 |
| 19. | South Florida | 27-8 | 183 |
| 20. | North Carolina | 26-9 | 143 |
| 21. | George Washington | 29-4 | 109 |
| 22. | DePaul | 27-8 | 106 |
| 23. | Iowa | 26-8 | 101 |
| 24. | Northwestern | 23-9 | 98 |
| 25. | Princeton | 31-1 | 84 |