STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford men’s basketball is postseason bound for the 29th time in postseason history, as it will participate in the second annual College Basketball Crown. The tournament runs April 1-5 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Quarterfinal games will take place April 1-2 at MGM Grand Garden Arena on FS1, while the semifinals on April 4 and the championship game on April 5 will be hosted at T-Mobile Arena on FOX.
Stanford will face West Virginia in the quarterfinals on Thursday, April 2 at 5 p.m. in the eight-team bracket, and with a win would take on the winner of Creighton and Rutgers in the semifinals at 1 p.m. The four teams on the opposite side of the bracket are Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota and Baylor.
“We are thrilled to receive the at large Invitation to the College Basketball Crown, as we have heard nothing but great reviews about the tournament from last year,” said Kyle Smith, the Anne and Tony Joseph Director of Men’s Basketball. “We are getting an opportunity to compete against high major programs from the Big Ten, Big-12, SEC, and Big East, and FOX Sports gives us a platform to showcase our program and phenomenal freshman, Ebuka Okorie, on the national stage.”
The Cardinal is 0-1 against West Virginia all-time, with the only meeting coming in 1959 in Los Angeles. Stanford is 1-1 against both Creighton and Rutgers all-time, while it holds a 2-0 record this season against teams in the event with victories over Minnesota and Colorado during the non-conference slate.
Stanford enters the postseason with a 20-12 overall record, including a 9-9 mark in the ACC. The Cardinal makes its second consecutive postseason appearance under Smith, who is the first coach in program history to win at least 20 games in each of his first two seasons. Stanford is also one of only five ACC programs to finish .500 or better in each of the last two seasons, along with Duke, North Carolina, Louisville and Clemson.
An All-ACC first team and All-Rookie selection, Okorie leads the Cardinal at 22.8 points per game, which ranks sixth nationally, second among freshmen and first in the ACC, while ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Benny Gealer averaged 11.1 per night and ranked second in the ACC in 3-point percentage (41.6%).
“Participating in a postseason tournament of this caliber can be a definite stepping stone in building a program. Many of last year’s teams in the Crown have found success this season, and we are hoping for the same,” continued Smith.
As the official ticketing provider of the College Basketball Crown, Vivid Seats makes it easy for fans to be there for every tipoff and every buzzer-beater. Tickets for the 2026 tournament are on sale now and available for purchase exclusively through Vivid Seats.