Stanford Basketball Looks to Stay Hot Against Virginia

Jan 7, 2026; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie (1) shoots a shot as Virginia Tech Hokies guard Jailen Bedford (0) defends during the first half at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

Stanford basketball has been on a hot streak over the last two games, where they have taken down No. 16 Louisville at home and Virginia Tech on the road. The Cardinal have emerged as a bubble team, but now have a tough test in front of them, as Stanford has to face the No. 23 Virginia Cavaliers in Charlottesville on Saturday. This is going to be a tough one for the Cardinal.

Virginia has been immensely successful thus far into the season, hence their ranking. After gaining preseason hype, the Cavaliers rolled to a quick 5-0 start. However, they dropped a game to Butler, a tough break for UVA. Since then though, Virginia has been on fire, losing just one game in their last nine. And that one game came against Virginia Tech, on the road, in triple overtime.

Could Stanford having a win against that same program on the road bode well for today's clash?

Virginia has impressive wins over Northwestern, Texas, Cal, NC State, Maryland, and Dayton. But they still don't have their season-defining win. A victory over Stanford would certainly increase their resumé though.

The Cavaliers are led by their star, Thijs De Ridder, a freshman from Belgium, who has dominated the college basketball scene early in his tenure. He is putting up an impressive 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds for Virginia this season.

Former Bay Area star Malik Thomas is another key piece for the Cavaliers, after dominating at San Francisco the season prior. Freshman Chance Mallory has helped Virginia succeed, putting up 10.6 points per game himself, adding 4.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

Virginia has a solid roster, but it’s more about their ability to put it all together. They run on playing team basketball much more than giving it to one person. Sometimes it clicks more than others, but the strategy has clearly propelled the Cavaliers for much of the season.

Stanford matches up well with Virginia. The Cardinal have their own Belgian freshman, Oskar Giltay, that has done a great job this season at rebounding the ball and blocking shots. The only way to stop a top Belgian freshman may be with another Belgian freshman.

To add, Virginia doesn’t have much of a guard stopper, as Thomas has more of an offensive approach. That means that Cardinal star Ebuka Okorie may go off again. He has scored 30+ in three of his last five games, and also had a 28-point game in that stretch.

The winner of the game establishes themselves as a top contender in the ACC at 3-1 in conference play, while the loser falls to 2-2.

The Cavaliers have a shocking 86.9% chance to win at home, according to ESPN.

We are going to pick Virginia, but it might be a bit closer than expected. Virginia wins 83-76. It’s clear that Stanford is capable on the road, and have already gone on the road to beat the Hokies not too far away.

It’s definitely possible that lightning strikes twice, but it’s going to take the Cardinal getting Okorie hot early, and the depth showing up in big moments, which they have done at times this season.