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ACC Basketball: Ranking all 18 programs after additions of Stanford, Cal, and SMU

By Tristan Freeman

Feb 5, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase during the second half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase during the second half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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ACC Basketball Stanford Cardinal forward Spencer Jones Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
ACC Basketball Stanford Cardinal forward Spencer Jones Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

13. Stanford Cardinal

If this news broke several years ago, I would make a case for Stanford to be in the top half of this list. The biggest selling point that they have as an institution is the academics, which are on par with the Ivy League, while still being able to offer power conference-level athletics. And that’s why it was so important for the program to get an invite to the ACC and not go down to the Mountain West level.

Of course, there’s going to be a travel-related adjustment period for the school. I also don’t want to gloss over the recent poor stretch that the basketball program has been under both Johnny Dawkins and current head coach, Jerod Haase. The Cardinal has just one NCAA Tournament in the past 15 years and has been settling for being around .500 overall in the past eight.

Maybe things will get better if the program moves on from Haase if they don’t make the Big Dance this upcoming season. Now that the school knows they’ll be in the ACC, money/buyout may not be too big of an issue. Yet the biggest issue I have for them is the new world regarding the transfer portal.

It’s very difficult for players to get into the school for obvious reasons, which means 90% of the portal is unavailable for them. And if the Cardinal can’t keep their guys for four years, then it’s going to be very difficult to remain competitive in what will be a tougher conference. Still, the academic prestige will keep them in the mix for certain players that can help them.