Stanford Downs No. 14 North Carolina in Huge Upset Win

Jan 14, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie (1) shoots against North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) in the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Just two and a half weeks ago, Stanford basketball lost at home to Notre Dame, scoring just 40 points to cap off a horrid start to conference play. It was already their third loss at home of the season one game into conference play. In the time since, Stanford has taken down not just one top 25 opponent, but two.

On Wednesday night, Stanford hosted No. 14 North Carolina for one of the biggest games of the Cardinal’s season. A win would give them legitimate hope of reaching March Madness, while a loss would drain all momentum at a key point in conference play. Luckily for Stanford, they got their biggest win of the year.

From the get go, North Carolina looked like the superior team. Star freshman Caleb Wilson dominated in the paint, and not one of the plethora of Stanford big men couldn't stop him. They got the lead up to 15-8, and even increased it to 27-15, making it seem like the game could get out of hand.

But the Cardinal used that as fuel, and started to make quick strides at a comeback. A late Aidan Cammann dunk with just two seconds left in the first half trimmed the difference to just two going into the half.

While Stanford stayed in the game, it was clear that the Tar Heels were the better team when the second half began. And that proved true when they scored the first eight points of the second half and built their lead back to double digits. North Carolina had the lead all the way up at 12, but once again, Stanford continued to chip away.

Stanford answered every single bucket, getting hot from three, and brought the lead down to four with just three minutes left. Ryan Agarwal got them within a point with a triple, and after Caleb Wilson drained a pair of free throws and Okorie split his, Jeremy Dent-Smith knotched a three of his own, giving the Cardinal their first lead since it was 5-4 with over 17 minutes left in the first half.

Agarwal added another three, his fifth three in nine attempts, to make it 91-87, and that more or less iced the game for the Cardinal with 32 seconds remaining.

Ebuka Okorie hit two free throws to build the lead to five, but was matched with a Seth Trimble bucket at the other end. Carolina fouled Benny Gealer, and the senior had a chance to seal the deal for another win at Maples.

Two free throws hit the bottom of the net, the Tar Heels travelled, and in a blink of an eye, exhilarated students rushed the court, jumping with joy along with Dent-Smith, Cammann, and even head coach Kyle Smith. The final score read 95-90, in favor of the Cardinal.

Okorie had his best game of the entire season, going for an unreal 36 points on efficient 12-of-20 shooting. He also had nine assists to just one turnover and went 9-of-11 from the line.

Ryan Agarwal and Jeremy Dent-Smith each had 20 points each for the best game of their seasons. They combined for 11 threes, contributing as the true spark plug for the Cardinal in the victory. The combined to shoot 14-of-19 from the field.

With the win, the Cardinal remain undefeated against the Tar Heels in ACC play, moving to 2-0 with two dramatic victories.

That’s now two straight wins at home for the Cardinal, but their next battle will be even tougher. Stanford hosts No. 6 Duke on Saturday. If they are able to pull off yet another iconic win at Maples this weekend, that would pretty much assure that Stanford would be NCAA Tournament bound.