Stanford Stymied By No. 6 Duke

Jan 17, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba II (21) shoots against the Stanford Cardinal in the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

The Stanford Cardinal came into Saturday’s matchup with No. 6 Duke like a boulder rolling down a hill, taking out everything in its path. Unfortunately for the Cardinal, the boulder hit a brick wall this weekend, shattering into pieces against the Blue Devils.

Stanford entered the contest with an impressive three wins in their last four games, with statements against No. 16 Louisville at home, Virginia Tech on the road, and No. 14 North Carolina back at Maples. The sole loss in that stretch came on the road to No. 23 Virginia.

The Cardinal were playing some of their best basketball of the season, and it seemed they could potentially get a marquee win on Saturday over the Blue Devils. But that wasn’t going to happen easily.

Two hours before tip, Stanford fans lined up outside of the arena, hoping to get good seats. When the doors opened, many scurried in, grabbing thier spots quickly.

From the opening tip, Stanford looked lost. They couldn’t move the ball offensively, lock down on defense, and especially couldn’t stop Cameron Boozer. The freshman had the game's first six points as Duke took an early lead, and he and Duke would continue to add to that lead. The Blue Devils led by as much as 21-7 early, with almost all of the offensive output thanks to the dominance of Boozer.

While Stanford attempted to bring it back before the half, their comeback came up far too short, as Duke led 35-19 at the break, and looking dominant in the process.

Going into the second half, the Cardinal still had a bit of confidence. After being down 12 twice to North Carolina, clearly Stanford was capable of mounting a comeback against a ranked opponent. But that didn’t happen on Saturday.

Duke continued their dominant ways in the second half, and were able to build a 20 point lead, followed by a 25-point lead, then a 30 point lead. As time was running out, Stanford saw themselves down much more than they should have been. The Cardinal just weren't executing in this one, and they didn't have many answers for Duke's length.

When the final buzzer sounded, the final score read: Duke 80, Stanford 50.

Duke proved that they are clearly one of the best teams in the country, and Stanford showed that they may not be as tournament ready as we may have originally thought. Regardless, this game doesn’t move the needle too much for either squad. A loss to a top-ranked team in the country shouldn't hurt Stanford much at all.

Leading the charge, by far, was Boozer. He put up an impressive 30 points and 14 rebounds, as well as three steals, showing how he can do it on both sides of the ball. Their big man Patrick Ngongba II put up 13 points as well. Isaiah Evans had a flashy 15, putting up three pointers left and right.

Stanford was dependent on Jeremy Dent-Smith, who went off once again for a stellar 18 points. Ebuka Okorie struggled with just 9, but did reach second on the team in scoring. AJ Rohosy had 8 points, 8 offensive rebounds, and 11 total boards.

Stanford has a perfect opportunity to avenge their loss, as they host Cal next weekend, with the hopes of getting their fourth ACC win of the year, and more importantly, winning a rivalry game. Both Stanford and Cal defeated UNC at home this week.

Duke hosts in-state rival Wake Forest for a weekend battle on the same day, hoping to keep to just the one loss on the year.