Stanford Getting NCAA Tournament Love After Big Wins Over UNC, Louisville

Jan 14, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie (1) celebrates a three point basket against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Since the start of the 2025-26 season, the Stanford Cardinal had one goal in mind: Make it to March Madness. To some programs, that may seem like an easy goal to achieve, but for Stanford men's basketball, they haven't played in the NCAA tournament since the 2013-14 season. It’s been 12 years since Stanford was last in the tournament.

Suring the build up to this season, and into the preseason, the Cardinal had hopes of earning a berth, but those hopes seemed a bit far fetched. With a tough and revived ACC, and many teams fighting on the bubble, it seemed like Stanford would come up just short yet again.

Hope continued to fall when the Cardinal lost home games to Seattle, UNLV, and Notre Dame. But Stanford fought back almost instantly. They have beaten No. 16 Louisville at home, Virginia Tech on the road, and then took down No. 14 North Carolina earlier this week.

Stanford has also added on wins from earlier this season such as victories over St. Louis, Colorado, and Minnesota, which show that the Cardinal are on target to potentially make the tournament.

Recently, CBS Sports updated their bracketology, and to many’s surprise, they have Stanford not only in the tournament, but also listed as a No. 8 seed. This is proof that they're not only a potential tournament team, but even a potential favorite in the first round, though eight/nine matchups are often coin flips. In that matchup, they would take on Seton Hall.

They would be listed in the West Coast region, with the top four seeds being Arizona, Nebraska, Vanderbilt, and Gonzaga.

The other 8 seeds in the bracket are Iowa, Villanova, and SMU, with potential first round opponents for the Cardinal being NC State, Kentucky, Baylor, and Seton Hall, who are all No. 9 seeds.

If Stanford were to take down Seton Hall, or whomever they'd face in the first round, they would match up with the top team in the country, Arizona. Due to this being the West Coast region, the winner would play at SAP Center in San Jose in the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight, which would essentially be a home game for the Cardinal. All they'd have to do is take down the No. 1 team in the country.

Stanford fans would absolutely love a draw like this, as they could be seen as a favorite, given the loud hometown crowd, while potentially matching up with a former Pac 12 rival. They could even stay close to home if they go on a run.

But the Cardinal can’t get too excited. They take on No. 6 Duke on Saturday at Maples Pavilion, hoping to improve to 4-2 in ACC play, and prove that they could legitimately compete for a conference title. If Stanford wins, they could even be looking at a top 25 spot, given their recent wins over top teams. A loss would end the recent momentum they have built, but wouldn't hurt their tournament chances.

It will be quite the matchup, and one that could severely change Stanford’s potential placement in March Madness, especially if the result goes their way.