Stanford Fall Flat Against Seattle

Mar 5, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Benny Gealer (5) drives to the basket as Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Markus Burton (3) defends in the second half at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Amidst a great weekend on Stanford campus following their dominant 31-10 victory over Cal in the Big Game, a massive result got overlooked by the Cardinal faithful, as the men's basketball team fell flat on Friday night.

Stanford took on Seattle in a non-conference matchup, where the Cardinal looked like heavy favorites heading in, but that was certainly not the case when all was said and done.

The game began solidly for the Cardinal. It was close throughout most of the first half, with neither team breaking through, which was frustrating for Stanford. In addition, none of Stanford’s stars were truly able to get going. At the break, the Cardinal had the lead, but it was far from convincing, at just 41-37.

That was until the second half changed everything, and potentially damaged the entire season. The Redhawks had a dominant half, taking the lead and never looking back. With no player able to come up at the big moment and the Cardinal going without a bucket for nearly five minutes while Seattle made their push, the visitors were able to dominate, and eventually come out with the win.

Seattle won 77-69, Stanford’s worst offensive showing of the year, by far. The Cardinal scored just four points in the final three minutes of the game, while Seattle was able to put up 15, going from three down to winning by eight.

As has become common, Ebuka Okorie led the Cardinal in scoring with 17 points and 5 rebounds, but wasn’t able to take over like he has at other points this season. He didn’t have much help.

Chisom Okpara contributed 14 points to the contest, as well as 4 rebounds. AJ Rohosy had 12 and 4 boards as well. In addition, Benny Gealer and Jeremy Dent-Smith combined for 15 to add some guard play, but overall it wasn’t enough.

The Redhawks, similar to the Cardinal, won by committee. Junsoek Yeo, whose three threes contributed to his 15 points. Will Heimbrodt put up 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 blocks, putting up the best all-around game by a Seattle player. Houran Dan helped with 11 and 4 rebounds.

There is no doubt that the overall problem was the offense that scored almost 20 points less than their season average. To add, no player truly stepped up to the occasion, and that was a worry for Stanford.

In the future, Kyle Smith needs to figure out who his guy is. Whether it’s Okorie, Okpara, or someone else, the Cardinal need to find a player that they can rely on to get them a bucket down the stretch.

Stanford takes on Minnesota on Wednesday in a pivotal matchup. The next day, they will take on one of Santa Clara or Saint Louis. The two-game stretch will tell us a ton about this Stanford team this season.