Main Story

Stanford hosts Saint Mary’s on Wednesday in its home opener, looking to rebound from an 84-69 season-opening loss to Arizona. The young Cardinal roster faces an unusually demanding nonconference schedule, with five Power 4 opponents and five true road games.

By the Numbers
  • Stanford has won 27 straight home openers; its last season-opening loss at Maples Pavilion came in 1998.
  • The Cardinal roster has 12 players: four freshmen, four sophomores and four juniors.
  • Stanford returns 25.8% of last season’s scoring, 22.4% of its rebounds and 29.9% of its minutes.
  • Hailee Swain scored 21 points against Arizona, while Stanford tied its school record with 30 turnovers.
Yes, But

Stanford has a 5-1 all-time record against Saint Mary’s and won all four previous meetings at Maples Pavilion, but the teams have not played in more than 25 years. The Gaels won the most recent matchup in 2000.

State of Play
  • Wednesday’s game tips off at 7 p.m. and airs on ACCNX, with radio coverage on GoStanford.com, the Stanford Athletics app and Learfield’s Varsity Network.
  • Seven newcomers are on Stanford’s 2026-27 roster, including Dutch player Ilse de Vries and Spanish player Inés Sotelo Míguez, the first players from their respective countries in program history.
Bottom Line

The home opener offers Stanford a chance to reset after a turnover-heavy loss—but the Cardinal’s youth, roster turnover and challenging schedule make early growth as important as the result.