February 28, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie (1) shoots during the first half against the Southern Methodist University Mustangs at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Stanford and North Carolina State will both look for their 20th win and momentum heading into the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament when they face off in the regular season finale Saturday afternoon in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Cardinal (19-11, 8-9) and Wolfpack (19-11, 10-7) have been going in opposite directions lately. Stanford moved up the ACC rankings thanks to three straight wins, while NC State suffered three straight losses.
The Wolfpack advanced to a first-round finish in next week’s ACC Tournament. They will take the court on Saturday ranked seventh and cannot drop lower than eighth.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals need wins and favorable results in games involving Florida State, Cal, SMU and Virginia Tech to move up from their current 10th spot heading into Tuesday’s opening round.
This game coincides with a team that has been successful in many ways this year.
NC State has balanced scoring to the brink of its third 20-win campaign in the past four seasons, led by Darrion Williams (14.4 points per game), Quadir Copeland (13.6), Ven-Allen Lubin (13.6) and Paul McNeil Jr. (13.5).
Coach Will Wade is hoping the Wolfpack doesn’t wait for the ACC Tournament to turn things around as they attempt to clinch an NCAA Tournament bid.
“We’ve got to put our backs against the wall a little bit and find a way to win on Saturday,” Wade declared on his weekly radio show. “Stanford made a huge play. They had just won at Notre Dame and we lost and they dominated the game.”
Stanford’s win at Notre Dame came on Wednesday night, an 86-78 win that followed the Fighting Irish’s 96-90 home overtime victory over NC State four days earlier.
As always, freshman Ebuka Okorie was the driving force behind the victory. The ACC’s leading scorer scored 24 points, slightly below his average of 22.8 points, amid speculation that the New Hampshire native would get one win away from Stanford.
Stanford coach Kyle Smith acknowledged to reporters this week that “recruiting” Okorie for a second season has already begun.
“He has all the influence,” Smith said. “Here’s my suggestion: If you want to spend the most time leading a team and developing what you want to do as a pro… I think Stanford is the best option. But now, if someone in the NBA says, ‘Hey, we’re taking you at 12, you’re our starting point guard,’ that’s something to consider.”
–Field level media
