Stanford Basketball Will be Part of the Acrisure Series in 2025

Mar 8, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ryan Agarwal (11) dribbles against Louisville Cardinals guard Chucky Hepburn (24) during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville defeated Stanford 68-48. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

In a stressful week for Stanford basketball fans, one positive has come out, getting fans excited for next season.

The Cardinal have announced that they will be back in the Acrisure Series, a tournament in Palm Desert, and a tournament that they have experience in.

Stanford was in the Acrisure Series last season, where they took on the Grand Canyon Lopes. In a heartbreaker, the Cardinal ultimately lost 78-71, losing their first game after a phenomenal 6-0 start.

Maxime Raynaud was the star for the Cardinal, finishing with 29 points and 11 rebounds. Jaylen Blakes helped with 22, 6, and 5, but overall it was not enough to get the win.

This season, Stanford is the seventh team announced to be a part of the tournament, with the six others being: California Baptist, San Diego, Nevada, Loyola Chicago, Tulsa, and Northern Iowa, announced to be a part of the series.

Looking at some of these teams, there is a mix of some great and poor competition.

Three teams that are great competition are Loyola Chicago, Northern Iowa, and Nevada. Loyola Chicago has had a great season, finishing 25-11 and 12-6 in the A10. The Ramblers are currently in the Final Four of the NIT, getting out of the San Francisco Region, which Stanford was also a part of.

Northern Iowa has been a great program this decade, and went 20-13 in 2024-25 with a third place finish in a stacked MVC. Nevada went 17-16, and finished at 8-12 in a Mountain West Conference that produced four tournament bids. Despite the down year, the Wolfpack have always had a great program, and been to numerous NCAA tournaments recently.

The three other teams have struggled in Cal Baptist, San Diego, and Tulsa. Cal Baptist finished 17-15 last season, and 9-7 in conference play, earning them a three seed in the WAC, where they ultimately fell in the semifinals.

San Diego finished 6-27, going 2-16 in the WCC and finishing last. Tulsa had a poor season as well, going 13-20, and finishing 6-12 in the AAC, which got them a 10th place spot.

Stanford is arguably the best program in the Acrisure Series, and should be able to get it done, if the right offseason moves are made.

The graduations of Maxime Raynaud and Jaylen Blakes, plus the departure of Oziyah Sellers will put Stanford in an interesting spot for 2025-26, but from what Stanford showed us this past season, there is not a program in this mix that can compete with Stanford at their best.