The Stanford Cardinal are back and ranked No. 2 ahead of the 2020-21 basketball season. Expectations are high and with the Cardinal leading the way, the Pac-12 has been dubbed a superconference this season with hopes of placing multiple teams as top seeds in the eventual 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Head coach Tara VanDerveer is just four wins shy of history and matching the legendary Pat Summitt for all-time wins while the Cardinal themselves have been picked as preseason favorite to win the Pac-12.
Marking the first time they’ve been selected to win the conference since 2014-15, the returning core for the Cardinal are as strong as they ever have been. In fact, Haley Jones, Lexie Hull and Kiana Williams were each named to the Pac-12 All-Conference preseason team. Stanford returns 84% of their production from a season ago that saw them finish second in the Pac-12 and seventh nationally.
With a few key losses elsewhere in the conference, most notably Sabrina Ionescu from Oregon, the biggest hurdle for Stanford this year will be themselves and staying healthy.
We can expect great games and a terrific team with elite-level coaching from this Stanford team, and here’s how to watch them vs Cal Poly as they open their season.
How to watch
Where: Maples Pavilion, Stanford, California — 11:00 am
TV: Stanford Live Stream
Radio: TuneIN
Stats: Live Stats
History: Stanford is 7-1 lifetime versus Cal Poly, winning the last six games
Last Meeting: Stanford W, 83-55, November 11, 2025
Comments
What to Look For
Cal Poly has an excellent coach and a very experienced team that might have made the NCAA’s last year. An excellent all around forward and a point guard that can really shoot. But they are missing 5 players under COVID quarantine. So Stanford is simply too deep for them to make it much a game in the end. But this will still be a good opportunity to assess how far Stanford has come. In particular,
1. Is Haley Jones fully recovered? No brace in practice suggests so.
2. How will the three guards (Jones, Williams, and Hull) operate together? Not so much positioning (Kiana will be point, the other two on the wings), as much as chemistry.
3. Will Tara start two bigs or have Brink come off the bench? At some point, against taller teams, we can expect both Prechtel and Brink to be on the floor at the same time. That will present nightmares to teams trying to guard Brink on the perimeter. She is a terrific shooter.
4. Second off the bench? Anna Wilson will probably be first, particularly if anyone on Cal Poly has a hot hand. But who else has distinguished herself this shortened preseason? Hull, Jerome, Belibi?
5. How have the players improved? Needed: free throw shooting by many, Belibi, an elbow jump shot; Jerome, a consistent 3 point shot; Jump, movement to free up her shot, Prechtel, an inside jump hook. We know this will be a superb three point shooting team, and that Kiana and Jones can drive against anyone, but if they can score in other ways, this team will be very, very difficult to defend.
By SU74 on 11.24.20 4:14pm
Looking forward to seeing Stanford back in action
This is game is tomorrow, Wednesday, 11/24 for anyone like me who had to look it up to check.
By worldblee on 11.24.20 4:55pm
First Half Thoughts
1. Kiana and Haley are in full form. Haley looked much more comfortable than last year.
2. Brink has long arms, runs the floor well, but needs a lot of work on defense and rebounding.
3. The whole team needs to work on boxing out. Rebounding was very, very poor overall. Ball goes up and three or four Stanford players
mosey on into the lane, all bunched up.
4. Haley has improved her free throw form, but the team still misses way too many. Prectel in particular seems to have no feel at the line.
5. Belibi has some definite strengths (excellent hands, good defender), but she still sags off too much when screens are set up top. Seems like
she’s told to do that and I don’t understand why.
6. Tara’s offense does not seem to incorporate screens from the wings. Lots of movement, but a few good screens could free people
coming up from the baseline.
7. Jump moved up and hit a floater. If she can continue to shoot after moving, she’ll need to be on the floor more.
8. Outside defense is about the same as last year. Not gonna attempt steals, just be in their faces. Interior defense, however, needs work.
By SU74 on 11.25.20 12:00pm
Second Half Thoughts
Even with a blowout win against an over-matched opponent, you can see things:
1. Very unselfish team, literally every player.
2. The fast break is just fun to watch. Particularly as all the players know that if they hustle down and get open, they are getting the ball.
3. Watching Tara coach during a game should be obligatory for every college and pro coach. No waste of time huddling with the
assistant coaches. She instructs, teaches, every single time, even when you’re up by 70.
4. The give and go from Haley to Brink and back to Haley is almost unstoppable.
5. Emma-Nnopu showed more potential than expected. Excellent on the offensive boards.
6. Van Gytenbeck is already a better point guard than Brown. She seems faster. She understands her height limitations and doesn’t drive
into the trees in the middle and try to shoot. And she has great eye fakes.
7. Free throws as a team still a problem. With Brink, it is easily fixed. When she goes slow and takes a breath, it’s in. Rushed, not so much.
Still a lot of room to grow for this team, but a good first look.
By SU74 on 11.25.20 1:00pm