Two players from last season’s Stanford basketball team are still dancing in the NCAA Tournament. Most Cardinal fans know that one is Reid Travis with Kentucky. They may not be as aware of the other, Robert Cartwright with UC Irvine.

The Anteaters upset Big 12 champion Kansas State 70-64 on Friday in San Jose for the first NCAA Tournament win in program history. Afterward, Cartwright was too busy enjoying the moment to dwell on the fact he’s still playing while the Cardinal are not.

“For me personally it was a dream to play in the NCAA Tournament my whole life,” he said. “That’s what coach (Russell) Turner and I talked about when I came here.”

“He had expectations of things that the team could do, and he believed I could be an integral part of what we were doing. The fact that it’s become a reality is so special that I can’t put it into words.”

Like Travis, he’s in the Big Dance for the first time as a graduate transfer.

Cartwright, a point guard, has been mostly a backup this season, but he made his 10th start of the year at SAP Center and delivered 10 points and three assists. The Anteaters play Oregon in the second round Sunday.

“Kansas State played really hard and made it really tough on us down the stretch,” Cartwright said. “But we have a supreme belief in our group, that we’ll make the plays necessary to win.”

Cartwright was recruited to Stanford by former head coach Johnny Dawkins in 2014. He entered the 2015 preseason as the expected starter but suffered a compound fracture of his right forearm in practice on Nov. 2. He had season-ending surgery and received a medical redshirt for the season, which eventually won him a season of eligibility after graduation.

In 2016-17, after Jerod Haase had replaced Dawkins, he started 12 games and averaged 6.7 points and 3.5 assists (10th in the Pac-12). In a game against UCLA he had 18 points with career highs in assists (9) and rebounds (5).

But the following season, his fortunes dipped. His minutes dropped from 24.7 a game to 17.9 as freshman Daejon Davis took over as point guard.

“Whenever a new coaching staff comes in, sometimes they tend to bring in their own players,” Cartwright said. “I believe that’s part of what happened. They brought in their own guys. There’s nothing wrong with that. I have nothing against them.”

But he added, “Hopefully I’m showing that I have some abilities, the ability to lead a team. That’s all I’m trying to do, trying to be present with my teammates.”

He got his degree in science, technology and society, but he wanted to keep playing and didn’t think he’d get that opportunity in 2018-19 on the Farm. So he transferred to Irvine, where he’s studying for a master’s in legal and forensic psychology.

He’s philosophical about his journey.

“Everything that happened, I believe, happened for a reason,” he said. “I believe that if things had gone any differently, I might not be having this experience now. I’m just grateful for everything that’s happened.

“Obviously, no one wants to get hurt; no one plans to transfer within their college career. But to have this experience in this one year, I’ve made memories that will last a lifetime. I just want to keep it going.”

He said he has stayed in contact with Travis and other former Stanford players as well as some of the current Cardinal, all of whom have been “very supportive.”

Travis finally got a chance to play in the Big Dance for the first time on Thursday. He had 18 points and nine rebounds in Kentucky’s 79-44 rout of Abilene Christian.

“We’re definitely happy for each other,” Cartwright said. “I’m very happy that he’s back” from a knee injury that kept him out for nearly a month. “He’s with a great team, and he’s a huge part of that team, and he’s going to do really well.”

With St. Mary’s eliminated, UC Irvine is the only California team still alive in the Big Dance.

Even before the tournament, Cartwright said, “We looked at ourselves as good as good as any team, if not the best team, in California. … It’s definitely a pretty cool feeling, I have to say.”

Tom FitzGerald is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @tomgfitzgerald