The Run of Dominance is Over for Stanford Women's Basketball

For years and years, Stanford has always been a staple in the NCAA tourament, having made an appearance in every edition since the late 1980s. But what if I told you that this could be the year that the streak is snapped?

Mar 29, 2024; Portland, OR, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Cameron Brink (22) celebrates after scoring a three point shot during the first half against NC State Wolfpack in the semifinals of the Portland Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at the Moda Center at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The 2024-25 season has been a major year of change. Conference realignment flooded the college sports scene, with the once thriving Pac-12 conference now just a spec of dust floating in the sky. Teams like Oregon, USC and Washington left for the high and mighty Big Ten while schools like Stanford and Cal were left in limbo before ultimately accepting an invite into the ACC. And so far, the growing pains have been evident for the Cardinal, especially in what has also been a new era for the women's basketball program.

Last season, longtime head coach Tara VanDerveer retired after the team's loss in the Sweet Sixteen, capping off an incredible 38 year career that saw her lead the Cardinal to three national championships while earning them the reputation of being a national powerhouse.

But with the loss of a legend, combined with star players such as Cameron Brink to go along with a new head coach and a new conference, the Cardinal have looked like anything but a powerhouse to start things off.

The appointment of Kate Paye to be VanDerveer's successor was the logical choice considering that she not only had been an assistant coach with the school since the 2000s and has an exisiting relationship with the players, but she also played under VanDerveer and won a championship as a player, knowing the culture that needs to be instilled in order to win.

But when you lose your star players and have to go through a season really figuring out your identity, as has been the case through the first 13 games where the team sits at 8-5, finding instant success can be tough.

So far this year, the Cardinal have fallen to Indiana, LSU, California, Ohio State and SMU, with the losses to Cal and SMU causing the Cardinal to begin ACC play with an 0-2 record. Out of those five losses, only two of them have been by single digits, with the losses to Indiana (79-66), California (83-63) and Ohio State (84-59) all being by over 10 points.

In total last year, the Cardinal lost only six games with two of those losses coming in the postseason. During the regular season, Stanford only lost to Arizona, USC, Colorado and Gonzaga, with both the USC and Colorado games being against AP Top 25 opponents.

The worst loss that they experienced also was when they lost by 18 to Gonzaga before going on a seven-game winning streak.

The Cardinal have shown a lot of promise this year, being one of the best three point shooting teams in the nation, but a lack of a true superstar has been problematic. With teams such as Notre Dame, Duke and North Carolina being major threats not only in the ACC but in all of college basketball, big games like that could be a struggle for the Cardinal.

Most teams in Power Five/Four conferences have well over 20 wins, with last year's conference tournament winner Notre Dame earning the automatic bid with a 26-6 record. With an 8-5 record through 13 games, Stanford is on pace to have 10 losses before the end of the regular season, which would make the conference postseason tournament that much more important.

Stanford has looked a lot different than in previous years, and while many other programs are also reaching new heights and ending the Cardinal's current run of dominance, the history of Stanford has showed that it has all the tools to rise back to the top and become a national powerhouse once more.