Pac-12 Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2019-20 season

5 of 13

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 12: Oscar da Silva #13 of the Stanford Cardinal dunks against Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on November 12, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Nˆorth Carolina won 90-72 (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Cardinal . 9. team. 517. . .

2018-19 Record: 15-16 (8-10 Pac-12)

Head Coach: Jerod Haase (4th Season)

Key Returners: Daejon Davis, Oscar Da Silva, Bryce Wills, Isaac White, Jaiden DeLaire

Big Departures: KZ Okpala, Cormac Ryan, Josh Sharma

Top Newcomers: Tyrell Terry, Spencer Jones, James Keefe

The Stanford Cardinal took a huge step back last season, after the transfer of forward Reid Travis led to a 15-16 record and 8th place Pac-12 finish. This season, the roster looks to be more balanced, despite the losses of KZ Okpala and Josh Sharma.

While Okpala and Sharma were clearly the two most impactful players on the roster last year, the injuries to Daejon Davis and Cormac Ryan cannot be ignored as huge reasons for the shorthanded Cardinal’s struggles. Davis is not back in playing shape, and the transfer of Ryan was softened by Tyrell Terry’s commitment.

This season will be all about realizing potential. Can Head Coach Jerod Haase finally get Davis to play a full season at his ceiling? Will Oscar da Silva bounce back to the production he showed as a freshman? Can Lukas Kisunas, Bryce Wills and Jaiden DeLaire make the infamous “sophomore leap”? These questions will need to be answered positively for Stanford to show any sign of competitiveness in the Pac-12.

This summer gave fans an opportunity to see Stanford play in Italy, and the results were promising. However, an injured Kodye Pugh hurt an already thin frontcourt, and there is a big difference between summer exhibition games and true Pac-12 contests.

Unlike Utah, Stanford’s ceiling may not be that high, even with their promising core. However, their floor is certainly not as low and should keep them out of the Pac-12 cellar. Regardless, this will be a good season to truly test Haase’s coaching ability and determine if he has a long future in Palo Alto.

Home/Pac-12