Stanford women's basketball ranked once again

Never count out the Cardinal.

Mar 10, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Elena Bosgana (20) battles for the ball with Southern California Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) and guard McKenzie Forbes (25)] in the first half of the Pac-12 Tournament women's championship game at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Back like they never left. In what has been a hot start to the new season under new head coach Kate Paye, the Stanford Cardinal (3-0) are back in the AP Top 25 rankings for the first time this season, coming into the new week at No. 24.

For the first time in over two decades, the Cardinal came into a basketball season unranked. Combined with being in a new conference, the program is being led by a new head coach, with longtime coach Tara VanDerveer announcing her retirement in April, paving the way for Paye to take over. And with a handful of players leaving, such as stars Cameron Brink (WNBA) and Kiki Iriafen (transferred to USC), it was uncertain what this team would be able to do this year.

But within the locker room, confidence was high from the start for a team that is used to being in the spotlight. After picking up a convincing 107-43 win over Le Moyne in the first game of the season, the Cardinal then went on to beat Washington State by 29 points before taking down Gonzaga by 31 on Sunday. Starting the season off with three wins, and wins that have come by about a margin of 30, the Cardinal were able to propel up in the rankings and sneak into the top 25, where they hope to keep going up from there.

Ahead of them is No. 23 Illinois, who are currently 2-0, and behind them are former Pac-12 rivals, Oregon at No. 25. Illinois has started its season off with wins over Florida State and Marquette. Oregon is 3-0, having beaten Cal Baptist and Nevada, but its biggest win so far was against No. 17 Baylor.

Despite coming into the season without a true big name superstar, the Cardinal have seen a plethora of players step up to the plate, with players such as Jzaniya Harriel and Elena Bosgana evolving into scoring machines. Having plenty of depth, the Cardinal should be equipped for any situation, with everyone on the team fully capable of playing at any given moment.

Now with added momentum after their win against Gonzaga, the Cardinal will shift focus onto their next game, where they will return to Maples Pavilion on Wednesday, Nov. 13 to take on UC Davis. Tip-off will be at 7:00 p.m. (PT).