Stanford's Tournament Path Officially Set

Despite not playing a single game, Sunday became one of the biggest days of the year for the Stanford Cardinal. With a low chance at making March Madness, the Cardinal were just praying they could get a spot in the first four in Dayton.

Unfortunately for Stanford, things didn’t go their way. All four first four teams were announced, with the Cardinal not among them. In addition, they weren't even included in the first four teams out. It’s an unfortunate outcome to one of the best seasons on The Farm in a decade.

To many’s shock, as the NIT bracket came out a few hours later, Stanford was still nowhere to be found. People began to wonder if the Cardinal had declined an invitation, or maybe had other plans for the postseason.

On Monday, we all found out what Stanford's path would be in the tournament, and which tournament that would be. The Cardinal will be a part of the College Basketball Crown.

What is the College Basketball Crown?

The College Basketball Crown is a tournament in just its second year. It is held in Las Vegas, on the same weekend that the Final Four is held. Last season, the Nebraska Cornhuskers took down the UCF Knights to win the title. It was a great stepping stone for the two teams, who are now competitive March Madness teams this year.

There are eight teams in this year's bracket: The Oklahoma Sooners, Colorado Buffaloes, Baylor Bears, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Stanford Cardinal, West Virginia Mountaineers, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and Creighton Blue Jays.

After a day of shock for the Cardinal, it’s a perfect sigh of relief. While the NIT has a great reputation and an interesting bracket, the College Basketball Crown is just building up its reputation, and Stanford has a chance to be part of that legacy, too. The travel is easy, the competition is good, and Stanford may even be able to make a pretty penny from it.

Stanford has had to travel all season, going as far as Massachusetts, Florida, and North Carolina multiple times. It certainly affected the Cardinal’s season, and was a tough break for them altogether. But in the College Basketball Crown, Stanford won’t have to travel far at all, going to Las Vegas for the whole tournament. Travel definitely isn’t an issue.

And neither is the competition. The tournament has tons of power conference competition, and is full of legit basketball teams that fell just short of the tournament. The interesting thing though is, Stanford could certainly win this tournament, and it wouldn't be their first tourney win of the season.

It’s overall a perfect mix of great competition while also being a tournament that the Cardinal can emerge victorious from.

Winning this tournament could also help the Cardinal financially. If Stanford were to win the crown, they would win $500,000 in NIL earnings. With a major player in Ebuka Okorie set to weigh a difficult decision when the season is over, Stanford having an extra $500,000 in extra in NIL could help sweeten the pot to keep Okorie around for another season.

Stanford begins their first round game on Tuesday, April 2, where they'll begin their hopes of getting one final trophy this season.

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