Stanford basketball season preview 2024-25: Biggest games, key players to watch, predictions and more

Stanford opens the 2024-25 college basketball season as one of the newest members of the Atlantic Coast Conference after the dissolution of the Pac-12 Conference.

Under a new system, the Cardinal will look to bounce back from a 14-18 record in the 2023-24 season and make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 years.

Let's take a closer look into Stanford's upcoming campaign by looking at its biggest games, key players to watch out for and predictions for the new season under new coach Kyle Smith.

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Stanford biggest games in the 2024-25 season

Stanford is yet to release its complete non-conference schedule, but it's listed to take part in the Acrisure Holiday Classic.

The Cardinal lock horns with Grand Canyon in the third and final game of the first day of the tournament, which has SMU, Cal Baptist, Fresno State and Washington State competing in the two-day mini-tournament.

The Kyle Smith-mentored squad will also lock horns with Oregon on Dec. 21 as a part of the San Jose Tip-off at the SAP Center. It will be Stanford's first non-conference meeting with the Ducks since 1967.

Meanwhile, Stanford's regular season conference schedule sees the team play 20 games against ACC opponents. They'll play California, SMU and Wake Forest in home and away matches this season.

STANFORD'S 2024-25	ACC MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
Home and Away	California, SMU, Wake Forest
Home only	Boston College, Florida State, Miami, NC State, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Away only	Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh

The Cardinal face Boston College, Florida State, Miami, NC State, Syracuse, Virginia and Virginia Tech at home, while they meet Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh on the road. The ACC regular season begins in January 2025.

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Key Stanford players to watch out for in the 2024-25 season

Stanford parades a competitive roster loaded with freshmen and transfer players. There are still holdovers from last year's squad, including top scorer Maxime Raynaud.

Raynaud is set to lead the Cardinal into the new season under a new conference. Here are the top three players to watch out for in Stanford's 2024-25 campaign.

#1 Maxime Raynaud

Stanford forward Maxime Raynaud (Image Source: IMAGN)

Maxime Raynaud is coming off a breakout season, where he almost doubled his scoring production to lead Stanford's offense. The 7-1 Raynaud played 32 games and averaged 15.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals per game.

The Paris native shot an eye-popping 56.7%, including 36.1% from the 3-point line. Raynaud connected on 78.4% from free throws, improving from a 59.5% clip last season. He's expected to lead Stanford's charge this coming season as it faces new opponents in the ACC.

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#2 Chisom Okpara

Chisom Okpara (left) tries to stop Kel'el Ware. (Image Source: IMAGN)

Chisom Okpara transferred to Stanford after two eventful seasons with Harvard. The six-foot-eight Okpara had an excellent sophomore season with the Crimson, tallying 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.

The Bronxville native, who shot 47.9% and converted 67.3% from the free-throw line this past season, is expected to help Raynaud man the frontcourt and could step outside to connect perimeter jumpers that Stanford needs in its 2024-25 campaign.

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#3 Evan Stinson

Evan Stinson is one of four rookie prospects Stanford picked up during the offseason. He's a 6-7 shooting forward who is ranked second-best small forward in the state of Washington.

Stinson, who averaged 25 points, five rebounds and five assists per game with Cheney High School, was a consensus three-star player and a two-time first team All-Greater Spokane League selection.

The young small forward is expected to contribute as a playmaker and a scorer for the Cardinal in the coming season.

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Stanford's predictions for the 2024-25 season

The Stanford Cardinal start their first season under the ACC banner, seeking to achieve their first winning season in two years.

Kyle Smith hopes to guide the program to its first NCAA Tournament since 2014, with a rookie and transfer-laden squad determined to put on a show in the 2024-25 campaign.

A difficult task awaits the team this year, but it's possible for Stanford to win 22 games and make the NCAA Tournament this season, with Maxime Raynaud and Chisom Okpara leading the charge.