Ebuka Okorie Reaches All-ACC First Team, Has Massive Role Ahead of ACC Tournament

About a year ago, no-name Ebuka Okorie stepped onto the campus of Stanford University for the first time. He was a kid from the other side of the country, a recruit ranked outside the top 100, and seemingly had no expectations from the outside world.

A year later, Okorie was named to the All-ACC first team, as well as on the ACC All-Rookie team. The expectation is now that he can lead Stanford to their first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2013-14.

Okorie joins four other players on the ACC first team, with Duke Blue Devil Cameron Boozer, Virginia Cavalier Thijs De Ridder, Miami Hurricane Malik Reneau, and North Carolina Tar Heel Caleb Wilson also getting nods of their own. Okorie is the only guard on the list, along with four forwards.

It’s been a crazy journey for Okorie, who wasn’t even expected to be a starter coming into the season, but absolutely showed out in his first exhibition game against the Oregon Ducks. From there, it was clear that the freshman had the makings to be a star.

He began the season with a 26-point night, followed by 29, then 21 and 26. Out of nowhere, Stanford had not just an incredible scorer, but all-around player as well.

He continued his dominance throughout the season. 32 points and a victory in a key non-conference game against Colorado. 28 points in an upset victory over Louisville. 31 points and the game winner against Virginia Tech. It was clear that Okorie was one of the better players in the country, and he earned that recognition on Monday.

Then came his best game of the year. 36 points and nine assists against North Carolina in Stanford’s best win of the season, propelling them into NCAA tournament consideration. A few games later, he put up 40 on Georgia Tech, setting the high game score by a Stanford freshman.

After a 31-game regular season, Okorie finished averaging 23.1 points, with 3.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game, some of the best numbers in the conference. That’s why putting him on the All-conference first team, along with some of the best players in the country, was no surprise to those familiar with his game.

There has been no doubt that the freshman has had an unreal season, but now comes the most important time of year: March Madness. Okorie has been heating up, putting up 34, 22, 24, and 33 points in his last four games, all wins, but he will need to continue that.

Stanford is right on the bubble, and it looks like they will need two wins in the ACC tournament if they want to qualify for March Madness.

All season, the talks have been about Okorie and his significance for this Stanford team. His ability to carry them on his back at home or on the road, and even just play a role at times where he doesn’t need to star.

But despite that, it’s now Okorie’s time to shine. This is the time of year that legends are made. It’s do or die time for Stanford, and there is nothing that they need more than their star player to have two more big games to pave the way for them to earn a spot in the Madness, a tournament the Cardinal have longed after for years.

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