Pac-12 Basketball: Way-Too-Early Pac-12 Power Rankings
By Connor Hope
5) Stanford Cardinal
2016-2017 Record: 14-17 (6-12, T-9th Pac-12)
Head Coach: Jerod Haase, 2nd Season
Departures: Marcus Allen, Christian Sanders, Grant Verhoeven
Returning Players: Reid Travis, Dorian Pickens, Robert Cartwright, Michael Humphrey, Marcus Sheffield, Josh Sharma
Key Additions: Kodye Pugh (Redshirt Freshman), KZ Okpala, Daejon Davis
Analysis:
The Stanford Cardinal, like the Oregon State Beavers, do not lose much talent this season. While Marcus Allen is graduating, his production is more replaceable than other players on this list.
Dorian Pickens and Reid Travis both return to the Cardinal, forming one of the better duos in the Pac-12. Robert Cartwright and Michael Humphrey will also be solid pieces on a team that aims to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014.
The Cardinal not only return quite a bit of talent, they also have three highly recruited freshmen on the roster. Kodye Pugh redshirted last year after being recruited by Northwestern and Maryland. He is joined by 2017 recruits KZ Okpala and Daejon Davis, which could push Stanford into tournament bid conversations.
Jerod Haase is entering his second season at the helm, and already has a team that should be competitive in the Pac-12. Stanford may not be a favorite to make the tournament, but if the team plays to its potential, a bid is not out of the question.