Stanford (11-6) (NET: 84)
1-3 (Q1), 0-1 (Q2), 3-1 (Q3), 7-1 (Q4)
Realistically, Stanford making a run at the NCAA Tournament would be an incredible story with a new head coach in a new conference, though this isn’t exactly a reality. The Cardinal have a lot of work to do to even get into the conversation; they’re the furthest outside among the current teams with a realistic shot at the field of 68. They do have a Quad 1 road win at Santa Clara that was part of a 6-0 start to the season.
That’s the bright spot and there’s unfortunately a lot wrong with this resume. Right after that win over Santa Clara, the Cardinal had back-to-back stinkers, getting a Quad 3 loss in Palm Springs against Grand Canyon before falling at home as heavy favorites to Cal Poly. That Quad 4 loss ruins their chances for an at-large bid, especially without a ton of success counterbalancing it. At least their other losses have been against stronger foes, even this week’s Quad 2 loss at Wake Forest.
Stanford almost has to pull the upset at North Carolina this weekend to get on the national radar. Barring that, they do have three more Quad 1 opportunities though those are all on the road as well. The Cardinal are making strides as a program already but don’t have a pulse unless they pull a couple of upsets in the coming weeks while avoiding another Cal Poly incident.