Stanford Cardinal 2014-15 Season Grades

The Stanford Cardinal were supposed to be one of the big teams in the Pac-12 this year with their returning talent and solid recruiting class. Did they live up to the expectations?

Consolation prizes should never be coveted. Whether it’s a participation award, an honorary mention, or even winning a losers bracket of anything, there should always be a little hurt and disappointment when you fail to reach the goal you set out to accomplish.

The Season

The Stanford Cardinal started the year with big wins against UNLV and Texas before starting their conference schedule. They only got better once they were going against Pac-12 opponents as the conference did not have the same amount of firepower they had last year.

Stanford opened up conference play by winning six of their first eight games, including a win over AP Poll ranked Washington while they still had center Robert Upshaw swatting shots at a historic rate. Then it began to unravel for the Cardinal.

Whether they lost steam or became fatigued, the Cardinal began losing games, finishing their Pac-12 schedule winning only three times in their last ten matchups. Even before the Pac-12 tournament, Stanford was considered out of the NCAA Tournament picture unless they could win the conference tournament.

That would not happen as they fell to Utah in their second game of the tournament, but their early string of wins earned them a shot at pseudo-redemption in the NIT. It wasn’t the NCAA Tournament, but a chance to continue their season was enough to motivate them.

Pushed by a survivor instinct not seen all season, the Stanford Cardinal won the NIT in dramatic fashion, clipping Miami by two points in overtime to secure the title in Madison Square Garden. At this point, they will take any win they can get.

Grade: B

March 11, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Chasson Randle (5, second from right) celebrates with guard Marcus Allen (15) against the Washington Huskies after the game in the first round of the Pac-12 Conference tournament at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The Cardinal defeated the Huskies 71-69. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Players

The Stanford Cardinal were blessed with one of the best backcourts in the conference with Chasson Randle doing his thing all over the court and Anthony Brown sniping from the outside. Brown had his big moment against Texas where he scored 25 to help the Cardinal past the Longhorns, and Randle capped an impressive season by putting up 25 points against Miami.

Joining them to create an effective trifecta was center Stefan Nastic, who did his best to stepped up with Huestis and Powell gone by averaging 13.4 points and 6.5 rebounds a game. Rosco and Marcus Allen provided spot contributions for the team for the entire year adding a combined 13.7 points per game, but the rest of the squad was invisible.

Other than five-star prospect Reid Travis, who averaged 6.2 points and 5.6 rebounds, the other pieces of the recruiting class were unable to break into the lineup. Playing behind Brown and Randle, four-star freshmen Dorian Pickens and Robert Cartwright averaged a combined 3.9 points per game. Michael Humphrey got more minutes backing up Stefan Nastic, but he was only able to add 3.1 points and 2.7 rebounds to the Cardinal cause.

The young players should be able to improve upon those numbers with Randle, Brown, and Nastic gone next season, but this past year, they were unable to do anything significant.

Grade: B-

Feb 12, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Johnny Dawkins during the first half against the Utah Utes at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

The Coach

Stanford Cardinal head coach Johnny Dawkins teaches his players to play hard on defense. Sometimes that strategy works out for him, other times it leads his teams to commit a lot of fouls – 370 of them to be exact, which ranks 3^rd most in the Pac-12.

This led to 434 foul shots against the Cardinal during conference play, which was the most allowed by any team this season in the Pac-12. Judging from the middling status of their opponents field goal percentage (ranking 6^th in both field goal and three-point field goal percentage), it may be time to think about playing solid rather than playing hard.

Offensively, he utilized Randle’s ability to drive and either get a foul call or get Brown an open shot. By the end of the year, the Stanford Cardinal was 2^nd in the Pac-12 in terms of three-point field goal percentage and drew 379 fouls – leading the Pac-12 in that category.

In the seven years that Dawkins has coached the Cardinal, he has only taken them to one NCAA Tournament. Still, he was able to get his players to play at their best during a basically meaningless tournament, which may have bought him more time at Stanford.

Grade: B-

Apr 2, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Stanford Cardinal players and coaches pose with the championship trophy after defeating the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes in the championship game of the 2015 NIT college basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden. Stanford Cardinal won 66-64 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Final Grade: B-

Yes, the Stanford Cardinal won an NIT Championship, but does that mean anything in a world where the NCAA Tournament means everything? When it comes down to reality, it really doesn’t.

I’ll give them credit for playing hard and never quitting until the final whistle blows, but unless they do it at the NCAA Tournament, the Stanford Cardinal should look at that NIT title with a somber shoulder shrug.

Next: Cal Golden Bears 2014-15 Season Grades

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