The college basketball season tips off today around the country — and for the Cal Bears, halfway across the world against Vanderbilt in the Oui-Play event in Paris.
Here is a look at what’s new and what to look for this season from the Cal Bears, Stanford Cardinal, San Jose State Spartans, Santa Clara Broncos and Saint Mary’s Gaels.
CAL BEARS
Last season: 25-9, 12-6 (7th in the ACC), reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019
Head coach: Charmin Smith, seventh season, 81-89
Season opener: Nov. 3 at Adidas Arena in Paris, France
Projected starters: Junior guard Lulu Twidale (13.2 points, 3.03 assists), sophomore forward Naya Ojukwu (17.1 points, 9 rebounds at Morgan State), graduate student center Sakima Walker (1.4 points, 0.7 rebounds at South Carolina), junior forward Anastasia Drosouni (1.0 points, 0.4 rebounds), junior guard Mjracle Sheppard (3.9 points, 2.3 rebounds at LSU).
Key reserves: Junior guard Gisella Maul (1.3 points, 1.5 rebounds), graduate student forward Claudia Langarita, freshman forward Taylor Barnes, sophomore guard Lola Donez, freshman guard Grace McCallop.
Strengths: Cal brings back Twidale, who will start the season as the team’s main scoring option and added Ojukwu, a Morgan State transfer who is the next best scoring option and was originally recruited from Gonzaga. Walker, a South Carolina transfer, and Sheppard, an LSU transfer, both bring experience from big-name programs and could see themselves getting important roles in the rotation.
Weaknesses: Twidale is the only returning starter, so Cal has a lot of questions about who will contribute because players on the team have limited Division I experience. Seven of Cal’s players are freshmen and sophomores. Outside of Walker and Langarita, Cal is a bit undersized and could struggle dealing with physical ACC opponents.
Outlook: Cal’s 25 wins were the most during Smith’s tenure with the Golden Bears, and the most the school has had since the 2012-13 season. However, Cal lost four of its top five scorers from last season. Ioanna Krimili (14.1 points), Kayala Williams (11.1 points) and Ugonne Oniyah (12.4 points) all graduated, and Marta Suarez transferred to TCU. Cal will have a new-look team and was picked to finish 12th in the ACC according to the preseason poll.
STANFORD CARDINAL
Last season: 16-15, 8-10 (tied for 10th in the ACC), lost in the first round of the WBIT
Head coach: Kate Paye, second season, 16-15
Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. UNC Greensboro
Projected starters: Junior forward Nunu Agara (15.8 points, 7.6 rebounds), junior guard Chloe Clardy (10.2 points, 2.58 assists), freshman guard Hailee Swain, junior forward Courtney Ogden (5.9 points, 2.9 rebounds), center Kennedy Umeh (3.1 points, 2.4 rebounds).
Key reserves: Freshman forward Lara Somfai, freshman forward Alexandra Eschmeyer, sophomore guard Wrenwyck Ijiwoye (3.4 points, 0.9 assists), forward Mary Ashley Stevenson (4.4 points, 3.4 rebounds), senior guard Talana Lepolo (2.6 points, 1.1 rebounds).
Strengths: Agara and Clardy are a strong scoring combo that will be the focal point of the offense. Stanford also features three five-star freshman recruits — Swain, Somfai and Eschmeyer — on the roster , showing that one down season didn’t damage the program’s recruiting power. The 6-foot-5 Eschmeyer boosts the Cardinal’s frontcourt size alongside Umeh (6-4) and Somfai (6-3).
Weaknesses: Outside of Agara and Clardy, Stanford doesn’t have another proven scoring threat. Stanford is also a very young, with eight freshmen or sophomores on the roster. In a tough ACC, there could be some growing pains early before things smooth out.
Outlook: After a disappointing first season under Paye — the Cardinal missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 37 seasons and played in the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament — Stanford had a very strong recruiting class with size and scoring ability. Pairing that with retaining two of the team’s top three scorers, expectations are for a bounceback season. Stanford is projected to finish sixth according to the preseason ACC poll.
SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS
Last season: 10-22, 3-15 (10th in the Mountain West)
Head coach: Jonas Chatterton, first season.
Season opener: Nov. 8 at BYU
Projected starters: Senior guard Amira Brown (7.1 points, 1.9 assists), junior guard Rylei Waugh (7.1 points, 3.3 rebounds), Mecca Alexander (0.7 points, 1.7 rebounds), forward Maya Anderson (redshirted in 2024-25 but made 17 starts in 2023-24), forward Harisa Mehmedovic (3.4 points, 3.3 rebounds at Union County College).
Key reserves: Senior guard McKenna Simons (1.5 points, 0.8 rebounds at Grand Canyon), freshman forward Gabriela Pato, junior guard Brianna McGee (transfer from Redlands), junior forward Amelie Sitterud (1.8 points, 1.8 rebounds at LMU).
Strengths: Brown and Waugh are the only returners to start double-digit games for the Spartans last season and can be expected to carry the workload on offense. The 6-foot-1 Anderson returns after redshirting last season. Anderson has good size and scoring ability as she averaged 5.4 points while making 17 starts as a true freshman.
Weaknesses: The Spartans lost their top five scorers and top two rebounders from last season. The Spartans do not have a lot of size and could struggle in the paint as the 6-foot-4 freshman Pato is the only player on the roster over 6-foot-1.
Outlook: The Spartans decided to move on from head coach April Phillips after they went 23-71, 8-46 over three seasons, hiring Chatterton, who had been the associate head coach at Oklahoma. The Spartans have finished in the bottom three in conference play three straight years. It’s a new era now under Chatterton, but he will have a tough challenge with San Jose State having to be built from the ground up. The Mountain West preseason poll has SJSU projected to finish last in the conference (12th).
Last season: 14-17, 8-12 (8th in the WCC)
Head coach: Loree Payne, first season.
Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Stanislaus State
Projected starters: Graduate student forward Sophie Glancey (18.1 points, 9.6 rebounds at Northern Arizona), junior guard Maia Jones (12.2 points, 2.7 assists at Saint Mary’s), graduate student guard Ashley Hawkins (18.9 points, 4.9 assists at Gardner-Webb), junior forward Kylee Fox (9.2 points, 3.4 rebounds), junior forward Ava Schmidt (3.3 points, 2.6 rebounds at Northern Arizona).
Key reserves: Sophomore guard Aniyah Hooker (6.0 points, 2.4 assists – at Sienna), Reilly Clark (injured in 2024-25, transfer from Northern Arizona), senior forward Alana Goodchild (5.8 points, 2 rebounds), freshman guard Maddy Warberg, freshman forward Tyler Glidersleeve-Stiles.
Strengths: After 136 career wins at Northern Arizona in eight seasons, most in school history, Payne arrived along with her best player from NAU. Glancey is a threat to score and on the boards. More offensive arrived in Jones, who was St. Mary’s leading scorer last season and Schmidt, hit 20 three pointers coming off the bench at Northern Arizona. Fox brings a physical presence in the backcourt and as a sophomore was named a captain at Fresno State.
Weaknesses: While Santa Clara has many proven starters, the reserves are not as polished. The Broncos reserves will be made up of players who have not seen a lot of division one actions outside of Goodchild.
Outlook: Santa Clara brought in big names in the transfer portal and has a roster built of players with good size who can score. Payne joining the program has Santa Clara projected to finish 5th in the West Coast Conference according to the preseason poll, which is three places higher than where they finished last season.
SAINT MARY’S GAELS
Last season: 14-17, 10-10 (6th in the WCC)
Head coach: Jeff Cammon, 3rd season, 27-35
Season opener: Nov. 4 at Wyoming
Projected starters: Graduate student guard Malia Latu (10.7 points, 4.3 rebounds at Santa Clara), junior guard Emily Foy (8.3 points, 2.9 rebounds), sophomore forward Edie Clarke (3.3 points, 2.4 points) , senior forward Georgia Grigoropoulou (4.4 points, 4.7 rebounds at Santa Clara), junior forward Abigail Shoff (7.1 points, 3.7 rebounds).
Key reserves: Junior guard Jada Hunter (3.5 points, 2.1 rebounds), junior guard Amy Kurkowski (2.6 points, 1.8 rebounds), sophomore guard Mauriana Hashemian-Orr (2.3 points, 2.1 rebounds), senior forward Melesungu Afeaki (2.5 points, 1.6 rebounds), junior guard Addi Wedin (6.5 points, 2.8 rebounds in 2023-24, injured in 2024-25).
Strengths: The Gaels starting rotation is filled with players with size who can score the basketball. Foy, the WCC sixth woman of the year in 2024-25, returns and can expect a bigger role in the offense. Saint Mary’s also made noise in the transfer portal acquiring Latu, a huge scoring threat, and the 6-foot-3 Grigoropoulou, who is a strong defender with a knack for getting rebounds.
Weaknesses: Latu, Foy and Shoff could potentially be the only big scoring threats for the Gaels. The team has great size and athleticism, but Latu is the only player to average over ten points per game at the Division I level last season. The Gaels hope to develop some of the younger talent on the roster into scorers.
Outlook: Saint Mary’s improved in conference play last season to 10-10 from 6-10 the previous season. In year three under Cammon, the Gaels hope to make a push for their first winning conference record since 2018-19. Saint Mary’s is projected to finish 7th in the West Coast Conference according to the preseason poll.