Stanford Women's Basketball Announces Game Against Indiana in Bloomington

Dylan Grausz | Aug 17, 2024

Mar 10, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Talana Lepolo (10) dribbles the ball against the Southern California Trojans in the first half of the Pac-12 Tournament women's championship game at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Stanford women's basketball program is in the midst of a few changes. Former head coach Tara VanDerveer announced her retirement after 38 years at the end of last season, paving the way for longtime assistant Kate Paye to take over the role. Playing in the ACC for the first time, the Cardinal will face new teams and deal with new travel situations. The season does not begin for a couple more months, but clarity over who the Cardinal will face is already taking shape, with a recent announcement that the team will travel to Bloomington on November 17 to face off against Indiana.

Stanford finished the 2023-24 season ranked No. 9 in the AP Top 25, while Indiana slotted in at No. 12.

Announced earlier this week, the Cardinal will travel to Indiana for the first time ever as part of their non-conference slate of games, heading to the alma mater of VanDerveer to play a rematch against an Indiana team that they beat last year, beating the then No. 9 ranked Hoosiers 96-64 in Maples Pavilion behind a 20-point game from Cameron Brink, not only making it Stanford’s highest-scoring game against a top-10 opponent since 2011, but the 32 point win was also the school’s largest against a top-10 team since 2010.

All-time against Indiana, Stanford is 3-1, losing 73-63 in 1979, before winning 87-72 in 2001, 69-66 in 2021 and 96-64 in 2023. With the announcement of this year’s contest, it now becomes the third game on the schedule that is confirmed after the team also announced games against LSU (on the road) on December 5 and Ohio State (at Chase Center) on December 20. Currently preparing for a trip to Italy, the remainder of the team’s schedule will be announced when they return at the end of the month.

Going 30-6, winning the Pac-12 regular season and making an appearance in the NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen to finish ranked No. 9, Stanford will return two starters as well as having nine total players return, and will also see the addition of five newcomers, with three of those players being nationally ranked freshman in Shay Ijiwoye (No. 53), Harper Peterson (No. 87), and Kennedy Umeh (No. 44).

A new era will soon begin in Palo Alto, and as the anticipation for season grows larger, things are starting to come together as the Cardinal prepare for their debut campaign as members of the ACC.