Stanford Men's Basketball

Stanford men's basketball has a longer history than most fans realize. The Cardinal won the NCAA tournament in 1942, when the event was only a few years old. Around the turn of this century it made 11 straight NCAA tournaments. The last two decades have been leaner. Today the team plays a full ACC schedule at Maples Pavilion, which means Duke, North Carolina and Virginia are now regular names on the calendar.

This page covers the team's record, the ACC years under Kyle Smith and the 2026 to 2027 season. For seating, bag rules and the arena's own story, see our Maples Pavilion guide.

A short history

Stanford won early Pacific Coast Conference titles in 1920 and 1921. The national championship came in 1942, in the fourth NCAA tournament ever held. Stanford Athletics counts that as the program's one NCAA title.

The next great run started in the late 1980s. From 1995 to 2005 Stanford reached the NCAA tournament in every season, with a Final Four in 1998 and an Elite Eight in 2001. The team won or shared four Pac-10 titles between 1999 and 2004 and the 2004 Pac-10 tournament. Its most recent NCAA trip, per the school's history page, was in 2014, when it reached the Sweet 16.

Many fans date the modern program to that 1990s and early 2000s stretch, when the team was a fixture in the national rankings and a regular NCAA seed. Stanford Athletics lists 17 NCAA tournament appearances in all. The three NIT titles all came in the years between NCAA trips, which tells you something about the program's recent pattern: good enough for a postseason, rarely good enough for March Madness.

The ACC era

Stanford hired Kyle Smith from Washington State on March 25, 2024, months before the move to the Atlantic Coast Conference. His teams have been steady. In 2024 to 2025 Stanford went 21 and 14 with an 11 and 9 ACC record. It played in the NIT. In 2025 to 2026 it finished 20 and 13, going 9 and 9 in conference play. That season ended with a one-point loss to Pittsburgh in the ACC tournament in Charlotte on March 10, 2026. It was followed by an overtime loss to West Virginia at the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas on April 2, 2026.

For fans, the ACC means a new set of visitors. In 2026 to 2027 Virginia, Florida State, Syracuse, NC State, Miami, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Boston College all come to Maples. Duke and North Carolina appear only on the road schedule this season. Cal remains the rival, now as a conference opponent.

The 2026 to 2027 season

Stanford played two road exhibitions in October, losing at Santa Clara and at Oregon. The regular season opens at home on Monday, November 2. The full schedule is on gostanford.com. Home highlights:

Away from Maples, Stanford plays Colorado in the Acrisure Series in Palm Desert on November 24, visits Texas A&M in the SEC/ACC Challenge on December 2 and goes to Duke on January 13 and North Carolina on January 16. The Cal road game is January 23 in Berkeley. The non-conference home schedule in November and December is heavy on mid-major opponents, which makes for easier tickets.

Tickets

Stanford sells tickets at tickets.gostanford.com, where each game on the schedule has its own page. Season, mini plan and group tickets are sold there too. Prices vary by opponent and section, so check the listing for each game.

• Every fan older than 24 months needs a ticket. Children under two can sit on a guardian's lap.
• Stanford students get in free to regular season games with a valid Stanford ID.
• Tickets are mobile. Add them to your phone wallet ahead of time, since screenshots are not accepted.
• The Stanford Athletics Ticket Office at Gate 2 of Stanford Stadium is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 800-STANFORD with questions.

The weeknight games against mid-major teams in November and December are the cheapest way to see a Division I game in the area. ACC weekend games and the Cal game sell the most seats.

Game day tips

1. Know the student section. The Sixth Man, Stanford's student section, sits courtside and stays loud. Pick seats across the floor or higher up if you want a calmer view.
2. Follow the clear bag rule. Clear bags up to 12 by 6 by 12 inches and small clutches are allowed. A free bag check usually runs on the lawn on the west side of Maples for basketball.
3. Plan your drinks. Beer and wine are sold inside, with ID checks and wristbands.
4. Mind the clock. An 8 p.m. tipoff ends after 10 p.m., which matters if you are catching a late train.

Parking and transit

Stanford Athletics sends fans to Parking Structure 7, across Campus Drive from Maples. The Maples Lot next to the arena is held for season ticket members at qualifying donor levels. Other options are the Sunken Lot, reached from Nelson Road off Galvez Street, or the Track House Lot at Galvez Street and Nelson Road. Weekday visitor parking rules apply from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. unless signs say otherwise. See our Stanford parking and transit guide for payment options.

The Palo Alto Caltrain station is about a mile from Maples, roughly a 20 to 25 minute walk. Check the return trip on our Caltrain guide before a late tipoff. The free Marguerite shuttle runs its main lines on weekdays only.

Where to eat nearby

The closest restaurants are at Town & Country Village, across El Camino Real at Embarcadero Road. Sushi House, Gott's Roadside, Howie's Artisan Pizza and Telefèric Barcelona are all there. Our Town & Country food guide lists the rest. For a later dinner, downtown Palo Alto is about a mile away along Palm Drive and University Avenue.

On a weeknight before a game, Tresidder Union on campus has counters open to visitors during the school year. Our guide to eating near Stanford covers all of it. The women's team plays at Maples on many of the same weekends; see our women's basketball page to plan a double.

Frequently asked questions