March 7, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okori (1) reacts after scoring in the first half against the NC State Wolfpack at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Image CHARLOTE – Stanford may join the NCAA Tournament bubble as it begins play in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament this week.
The Cardinal’s opponent in the first round Tuesday afternoon is Pitt, which was in a different bubble over the weekend.
10th seed Stanford (20-11) is moving in the right direction by winning 4 straight games and reaching the 20 win mark for the 2nd consecutive season.
Stanford coach Kyle Smith said the Cardinals have learned a lot over the past few weeks as their players perform well in their roles.
“You don’t have to be a hero,” said Smith, the first Stanford coach to win 20 or more games in each of his first two seasons.
The Cardinal’s most recent success came in an 85-84 win at North Carolina State on Saturday, thanks in large part to Ebuka Okorie’s 33 points.
Okorie is the ACC’s leading scorer with 23.1 points per game and ranks fifth nationally.
No. 15 seed Pitt (12-19) was in danger of missing the ACC Tournament until some good results came in the past few weeks.
Pitt needed a 71-69 overtime win at Syracuse on Saturday to clinch the final spot in the ACC field.
Panthers coach Jeff Capel acknowledged that his job status is a hot topic for many fans, as he has made one NCAA Tournament appearance in his first seven seasons.
“There’s a lot of noise around the program and our group has continued to fight and fight through it all,” Capel said. “My stuff may have bothered them, but they didn’t show me that. I’m proud of them.”
With three wins out of their last five games, the Panthers are having their best season since November.
However, they recently lost to Stanford, a 75-67 win at home on February 25th. Okorie scored 34 points in that game and gave Pitt the lead at halftime.
Smith said Stanford performed well in last week’s rematch with Notre Dame, so he’s hoping it continues to provide the same upgrades as any repeat opponent that will be part of its ACC Tournament experience.
Pitt doesn’t have a player among the ACC’s top 25 scorers. The Panthers are led by Cameron Corhen’s 13.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He scored 22 points in his first meeting with Stanford.
The winner meets No. 7 seed NC State on Wednesday.
–Written by Bob Sutton, Field Level Media
