CHARLOTTE, N.C. – As his group practiced at Duke, forward of its Feb. 15 recreation in opposition to the Blue Devils, Stanford coach Kyle Smith discovered himself having a little bit of a fan-boy second.
“We had Coach K at our practice,” Smith mentioned this week. “So, I might have been a little distracted.”
Stanford and Cal performed their inaugural basketball seasons within the ACC convention in 2024-25, and whereas a lot of the eye surrounding that centered on the cross-country journey and prolonged highway journeys the groups endured, the gamers and coaches noticed way more positives about their new league house.
“I think it’s given us the exposure that Cal needed,” Bears guard Andrej Stojakovic mentioned after the group’s season ending 78-73 loss to rival Stanford within the convention event on Wednesday. “It’s been a heck of an experience. I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
Stanford’s Jaylen Blaes drives previous Cal’s Andrej Stojakovic for 2 of his 21 factors throughout a 78-73 second-round Atlantic Coast Convention Event recreation in Charlotte, N.C. on Wednesday evening. (Andrew Hancock — ACC)
Whereas the thought of Cal and Stanford taking part in one another within the ACC basketball event in Charlotte, nearly 3,000 miles throughout the nation, might need felt like some sort of alternate, bizarro universe, Bears athletic director Jim Knowlton mentioned his faculty’s fanbase is coming round to Cal’s new actuality.
“I think it really has grown on our fanbase,” Knowlton mentioned. “I think everyone’s starting to see the benefits.”
Chief amongst these has been the nationwide publicity that the ACC has given the 2 California faculties.
“Everyone loved the Pac-12. It was magnificent in so many ways,” Knowlton mentioned. “But I honestly think what we learned is that, because of the distribution challenges with the Pac-12 Network, it really was a regional brand. I think every one of our 550,000 alums are seeing that this is really helping us be a national brand.”
That model didn’t precisely assist draw followers to Maples Pavilion in Stanford or Haas Pavilion in Berkeley this yr.
Stanford averaged 3,131 followers per house recreation this season, the bottom mark within the convention, whereas Cal was only a spot forward, drawing 3,889 a contest. That they each completed beneath perennial poor-attendance champion Boston School (4,605 common this yr) is undeniably discouraging, although not sudden.
Stanford averaged 3,538 followers per recreation final yr in its ultimate season within the Pac-12, and Cal was at 4,566.
Stanford head coach Kyle Smith gestures from the bench within the first half of an ACC males’s basketball recreation in opposition to Cal at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
After all, many of the ACC’s greatest manufacturers – and the 4 groups that ended up within the event semifinals – all hosted Cal and Stanford this yr.
Subsequent season, Duke, North Carolina, Louisville and Clemson journey west.
Cal coach Mark Madsen mentioned his spouse, Hannah, a musician, has grown into increasingly more of a basketball fan.
“She’s already talking to all of her friends about the fact that Duke is coming to Cal,” Madsen mentioned. “North Carolina, Louisville, Notre Dame, USC, Vanderbilt. If there’s ever a year for season tickets at Cal, this is the year. These are going to be sellouts. It’s going to be an unbelievable environment, and we’re going to be playing high-level basketball against the top teams.”
Cal has bought out Haas Pavilion simply as soon as within the final eight years – for an in-state recreation in opposition to USC final season – however, like Madsen, Knowlton believes the ACC’s blue bloods coming West will change that.
“If I’m a betting man, I’d say Haas Pavilion is going to be packed. It’s going to be sold out,” Knowlton mentioned. “We’re excited to have Duke at our house. We’re excited to have North Carolina.”
After all, the trajectory of the 2 applications figures to assist put extra backsides in chair-backs subsequent season.
Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud (42) drives previous Cal’s Mady Sissoko (12) within the first half of an ACC males’s basketball recreation at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
In his first yr with the Cardinal, Smith – the previous Washington State coach – took a squad pegged within the preseason to complete seventeenth out of 18 ACC groups, to a 20-win season and a spot within the event quarterfinals.
Thursday, Stanford (20-13) got here inside a Chucky Hepburn buzzer beater of beating second-seeded Louisville and reaching the semifinals, and may have the possibility to play extra within the NIT.
Madsen has reinvigorated Cal basketball in his two seasons. And the Bears (14-19), regardless of beating only one ACC group with a profitable file this season, made a little bit of ACC historical past in 12 months 1, turning into simply the second 15-seed to win a event recreation after they topped Virginia Tech in double additional time on Tuesday, to arrange the sport in opposition to Stanford.
It’s why, even after shedding to Louisville to wrap up two weeks on the highway, the Cardinal had no complaints about their new league.
“Coach always said that’s what we signed up for,” Stanford star Maxime Raynaud mentioned. “We’re happy to play in one of the best conferences in the country. Grateful to spend more and more time with the guys, even if that means we have longer plane rides. We’re in an amazing position.”
Officers at each faculties mentioned they put super effort into serving to their groups handle the journey challenges this yr, but in addition mentioned they realized helpful classes that can make issues even smoother subsequent season.
Smith mentioned he advised his gamers they had been “astronauts.”
“We’re kind of the first ones out here, journeying into space and figuring this thing out,” he mentioned. “I’m sure there will be things that we’ll take away that — practices we’ll do better.”
Stanford received three highway video games and misplaced eight, with two of these victories coming inside the state. It received at Santa Clara and at Cal. The third got here with a formidable one-point win in opposition to North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Cal went 2-11 on the highway, together with 1-9 in ACC highway video games.
“Our players and our staff and myself, we feel energized being in this conference,” Madsen mentioned. “Is the travel hard? Absolutely. But to be able to play at this level of competition is such an opportunity for us.”
