Fans left in shock as Stanford misses March Madness one year after Tara VanDerveer retired: "First time since 1987"

The No. 11-ranked Stanford Cardinal's hopes of featuring in the 2025 NCAA Tournament appearance were eliminated on Wednesday after Kate Paye's unit succumbed to the 14th-ranked Clemson Tigers by 17 points, 63-46. They will miss playing in the March Madness for the first time since 1987.

This is the program's first campaign since legendary coach Tara VanDerveer stepped down as main tactician in April, ending her 38-year tenure with the school.

"The end of an era: Stanford falls in the 1st round of the ACC tournament and is poised to miss out on the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1987, snapping a streak of 36 consecutive appearances. It was the 2nd-longest streak in NCAA Tournament history behind Tennessee's 42," Alexa Philippou captioned.

With the Cardinal no longer in the mix of a national tournament berth, fans shared their take on what led to the team's demise.

"FIRST TIME SINCE 1987," one user exclaimed.

"It’s so weird that Stanford isn’t a top team anymore. Really miss the talent through the program," another user shared.

"Stanford being in the ACC is blasphemous to begin with. Rebuilds are cyclical...Every team goes through it at some point. That said...#BringBackThePAC10," a user wrote.

Some fans and spectators pointed out the departure of VanDerveer as the main reason for Stanford's demise in the campaign.

"So many adjustments Tara retiring, players leaving, injuries, rebuilding, but biggest one was the awful demise of the PAC 12 and move to the ACC," one user said.

"No wonder Tara VanDerveer retired," another user replied.

"Tara really left her mark man," another claimed with a crying emoji.

"Stanford has made 14 out of the last 15 sweet 16's. It's amazing how good Tara VanDerveer was as a head coach," a user stated.

The program which has won three national championships and made 15 NCAA Final Fours, will aim to bounce back in the 2025-2026 season.

Stanford recruit Hailee Swain is named to the Naismith High School All-American Third Team

Perhaps one of the potential future cornerstones of the Stanford Cardinal in five-star recruit Hailee Swain is looking like a budding star. She was named to the Naismith High School All-American Third Team for her stellar play in her final year of high school hoops.

Swain, who is a 97-graded point guard out of Holy Innocents' Episcopal School, made her verbal agreement to the program back in October. Her playmaking prowess will help Stanford's pursuit of a return to their glory days.