Stanford Basketball 2013-14 May 2014, Issue 4.3 | Page 3

STANFORDBASKETBALL May 2014

HOW SWEET IT IS

Chasson Randle led
Stanford to the Sweet
16 in the midst of a
sea of Kansas blue

Stanford advances to the Sweet 16
When Stanford gathered as a team
to watch the selection show and learn its
seed for the NCAA Tournament, the mood
was festive and happy. Players, coaching
staff and their families shared pizza and
milkshakes as the next step of this
memorable season unfolded on national
television.
Stanford was announced early in the
show, drawing the No. 10 seed and opening
against New Mexico in the South region.
Hugs were exchanged and clapping and
cheering filled the room when Stanford
flashed on the screen, and the excitement
lasted while the remainder of the bracket was
revealed.
When the hour concluded though,
the mood turned serious as Coach Dawkins
stood and addressed the team.
He
congratulated the players on their
accomplishments throughout the year and
reiterated how proud he was of this team.

But his takeaway message? That Stanford
will not be team that is content just to have
made the tournament. Stanford, he said, is
not the team that is happy to be there and
loses in the first round. This Cardinal team
has every intent of winning its opening game
and more after that.
Stanford did just that, surprising
much of the country by beating New Mexico,
who was widely regarded as one of the most
under-seeded teams in the tournament and
then shocking everyone by taking down
perennial contender and basketball blue
blood Kansas to advance to the Sweet 16.
While the Cardinal would fail to
advance beyond the Sweet 16 after losing to
Dayton, it was a terrific postseason run. And
while those two wins were considered upsets
to just about everyone else, to Stanford they
were hardly that, because this team planned
to win from the start.