The 2026-27 season marks Stanford basketball’s third season of play in the ACC, and one with optimism as the Cardinal look to recover from a disappointing finish to last season.

The Cardinal commenced last season with an impressive 14-4 start, including a victory against No. 14 ranked ACC opponent North Carolina. However, this was followed by a five-game losing streak and difficult play against ACC opponents, leading to a 20-13 record overall and 9-9 in ACC play. Stanford entered the ACC tournament as the No. 10 seed before falling to Pittsburgh in the first round.

Despite the early exit, fans got to witness future first-round pick Ebuka Okorie’s record-breaking season, shattering Todd Lichti’s 40-year old single-season freshman scoring record and setting the ACC freshman record for the most 30-point games in a season. Okorie’s three level scoring and ball handling led the Cardinal throughout the exciting 2025-26 season.

The offseason saw the departure of Okorie and several crucial players, including Chisom Okpara, Jaylen Thompson, Oskar Giltay, Jeremy Dent-Smith and Ryan Agarwal. With their absence, the Cardinal lost key finishing and shooting skills that benefited them last season. 

These losses add to existing issues on both ends of the floor. Stanford ranked near the bottom of the ACC in both field goal percentage and opponent field goal percentage. Rebounding was another weak spot, as the Cardinal finished among the bottom three teams in the conference in total rebounds. Ball security was an issue as well, with Stanford ranking near the bottom of the ACC in both assists and assist-to-turnover ratio. One bright spot was Stanford’s defense, ranking top-four in the ACC in steals.

Head coach Kyle Smith has managed to reload the roster through the transfer portal and a promising recruiting class. With the arrival of Aziz Olajuwon, Julius Price, Elias Obenyah, Drew Anderson, Isaiah Rogers, Christian Bliss, Austin Maurer and Nick Townsend, the Cardinal have filled their void of backcourt depth and frontcourt size, bringing in a mix of four-star recruits and experienced transfers to replace what left.

Aziz Olajuwon, a four-star wing and son of NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, headlines the group, choosing Stanford over his father’s alma mater, the University of Houston. Four-star point guard Isaiah Rogers, praised for his playmaking and prolific scoring, has received comparisons to Trae Young. Elias Obenyah brings versatility to defense and passing. Julius Price rounds out the freshman guard trio as a three-level scorer known for his flawless shooting. Up front, Austin Maurer, Drew Anderson and Nick Townsend provide the Cardinal with a strong, defensive-minded frontcourt presence, directly addressing last season’s rebounding struggles while adding further levels of experience.

The Cardinal players returning for the 2026-27 campaign that received consistent playing time last year are senior center Aidan Cammann and junior forward Donavin Young. Cammann and Young both provided depth and defensive contributions, with Young ranking second on the team in blocked shots and Cammann averaging a steal a game. 

With a mix of returning depth, proven transfers and one of the top recruiting classes in the country, Stanford enters the season with more roster balance that will hopefully benefit their chances of a return to the NCAA tournament for the first time in over a decade.

Stanford opens the regular season on Nov. 2 against Eastern Washington at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal face off against Oakland and Rice at home before heading over to Las Vegas to face UNLV, who inched out a one-point victory against the Cardinal last season. Stanford will continue non-conference play throughout November and December before facing off against ACC opponent Notre Dame, who held the Cardinal to 40 points in a win last year. Following this, the Cardinal will welcome Louisville, Virginia and Florida State to Maples Pavilion, before facing off against the blue-bloods Duke and UNC on the road.

The Cardinal will round out conference play throughout January and February, hosting Cal at Maples on March 6 to end their season.

There are a lot of expectations placed on this team to replicate the success Kyle Smith has built in his first two seasons, while finally breaking through in the NCAA tournament. This upcoming season brings hope because there is reason to believe that Smith has managed to assemble the pieces necessary to address past team weaknesses while developing up-and-coming talent.