Stanford Eyes First ACC Road Sweep as Okorie’s Star Continues to Rise
Stanford men’s basketball is heading into Saturday’s matchup at Wake Forest with momentum - and history - on the line. The Cardinal are chasing their first road trip sweep since joining the ACC, and they’ve got the firepower to do it.
Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. PT (4 p.m.
ET) on the ACC Network.
Let’s break down the key storylines as Stanford continues to make noise in its debut season in one of college basketball’s toughest conferences.
Stanford’s Strong Start
At 16-9, Stanford is putting together another solid campaign under head coach Kyle Smith. It’s the second straight year the Cardinal have reached that mark through 25 games, but this one carries a little more weight. The program has already stacked up four Quadrant 1 wins - a metric the NCAA selection committee leans on heavily come March - and they’ve done it against some serious competition.
Among the highlights: wins over No. 14/15 North Carolina, No.
16/13 Louisville, and a road victory at Virginia Tech. Only 31 teams in the country have at least four Q1 wins, and Stanford is one of just seven ACC squads in that group.
Even more impressive, three of those wins came against teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25, and two of them fall into the elite Q1A category - the toughest kind of win to earn.
The Cardinal also took home the Acrisure Invitational title back in November, thanks in part to a buzzer-beating dagger from Benny Gealer to top Saint Louis. That early-season win over Minnesota and the dramatic finish in Palm Desert helped set the tone for what’s become a promising year.
Ebuka Okorie: Freshman Phenom
The engine behind Stanford’s surge? That would be Ebuka Okorie, who’s not just having a good freshman season - he’s putting together one of the best in program history.
Okorie is currently averaging 22.4 points per game, which ranks seventh nationally and third among all freshmen. He’s in rare air, joining only Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa as first-year players averaging over 21 points per contest. The national spotlight has taken notice - Okorie has landed in the top-10 rankings for national freshman of the year by ESPN, Bleacher Report, Field of 68, and Hoops HQ.
And the numbers back it up. He’s already second on Stanford’s all-time freshman scoring list, having passed names like Casey Jacobsen, Tyrell Terry, and Chasson Randle. He’s just one point away from tying Todd Lichti’s freshman record of 516 points - and two from setting a new benchmark.
Okorie has already broken the school’s freshman records for free throws made (152) and attempted (182), and he’s climbing the charts in other categories too - third in field goals made (160), seventh in three-pointers made (43), and top-10 in both assists and steals. He’s not just scoring - he’s impacting the game across the board.
Zooming out to Stanford’s all-time single-season records, Okorie’s current scoring average would rank second in school history, trailing only Adam Keefe’s 25.3 points per game in 1991-92. He’s also within striking distance of the top 10 in total free throws made for a season.
Big Win in Boston
Stanford’s most recent outing was a 70-64 road win at Boston College, and it was a balanced attack that got them there. Okorie poured in 22 points, while Benny Gealer had a breakout performance with a career-high 21 points and eight rebounds. Gealer was lights out from deep, knocking down six three-pointers to help seal the win.
The victory pushed Stanford to 6-3 in games away from home this season, including a 2-3 mark in ACC road contests. They’re now 2-0 all-time against Boston College, and they’ll look to keep that road magic going as they head to Winston-Salem.
Cardinal in the Pros
Stanford’s current success is being mirrored by a strong showing from its NBA alumni. Maxime Raynaud, who graduated in 2025 after a standout season, was drafted by the Sacramento Kings and is making the most of his rookie campaign. He’s averaging 11.6 points per game across 30 starts, showing the same polish and poise that made him an All-American in college.
Other Stanford products are contributing as well: Ziaire Williams is putting up 9.7 points per game, Brook Lopez is averaging 6.8, Spencer Jones is at 6.0, and Dwight Powell is adding 2.9. Jones, in particular, has seen a bump in production as a starter, averaging 7.5 points across 34 starts.
What’s Next
Saturday’s game at Wake Forest offers Stanford a chance to make a statement - not just in the ACC standings, but nationally. A road sweep would be a milestone moment in their first year in the conference, and with Okorie heating up and the supporting cast stepping up, the Cardinal are trending in the right direction.
Keep an eye on the freshman phenom. If Okorie keeps doing what he’s doing, we could be witnessing one of the most electric debut seasons in Stanford history - and maybe even the start of something bigger.