MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - Printable Version
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MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - skip75 - 03-10-2026
Whatever happens in the ACC tourney, this has been a successful (and wildly entertaining) Stanford basketball season. Back in December, when I did my ACC season preview, Stanford had been picked to finish 17th. At that point the ESPN BPI predicted 6.4 league wins. I projected a floor of 4 wins & a ceiling of 9. Getting to 9, with Quad 1 wins over Louisville, UNC, Va Tech, & NC State certainly exceeded my expectations. Also at that time, this website - http://www.inccstats.com/basketball/2025-26/rankings.html - pegged Stanford's chances to get into the NCAA tourney at 10.9 %. Now that prediction has risen to 47% (seems a bit high to me).
Now, with Stanford on a 4-game win streak starting with the 75-67 victory over Pitt, the question is, can they keep it going? During this end of the regular season stretch, Stanford has finally given Ebuka the support needed to provide some consistency. When he can do his thing, but not have to carry the entire load, the team performs at an NCAA tourney level. It doesn't have to be the same guys every game, but it will take some solid contributions from the other 8 players in the rotation to make enough of a run to escape settling for the NIT once again.
Here is my preview of the Pitt game from just 2 weeks ago: https://thecardboard.org/board/thread-26099.html
Not much has changed since then. Pitt finished up at 12-19, going 5-13 in the ACC and 1-1 in neutral court games. After a 5-game losing streak in February, the Panthers alternated wins & losses in their last 5 games. Their OT win at Syracuse in the final game was needed to edge out BC for the last spot in the ACC tourney. They have still not won 2 ACC games in a row this season - hopefully that trend will continue
Stanford is favored by 5.5, the over/under is 137.5 - implied score is 71.5-66. Stanford's win probability is 57.6% per ESPN BPI and 67% per Bart Torvik. Stanford has been in the Eastern time zone for a week now, so hopefully the early start time will not be a big problem.
I expect The Panthers to have the same starting 5 that they used at Maples - Corhen, Minor, Dunning, Witherspoon, & Siulepa. Containing Corhen will be a key to a Stanford victory. He was dominant in the first half at Maples with 14 points and 6 rebounds as Pitt led 34-32. I thought that Donavin Young defended him well in the second half - Corhen finished with 22 & 8.. I trust that Kyle Smith and co. will have a good plan for him today. Indrusaitas is their most important player off the bench - playing at least 28 minutes and scoring in double figures in each of the last 5 games. He provides another 3-point threat, along with Dunning & Minor.
Those 6 players accounted for 211 of the available 225 minutes in the OT win at Syracuse. Two other subs could see action, but likely with lesser roles: #12 Kieran Mullen (7'0/220 Fr C) and #21 Macari Moore (6'3/200 Fr G).
Stanford has put themselves in a position to make what is already a successful season into something truly memorable. But there is no room for error today. Go Card!
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - Mick - 03-10-2026
This is interesting...this morning, CBS' updated Bracketology predictions has both Santa Clara and Stanford in the play-in #11 seed playing against each other in the East. CBS gives both SCU and Stanford "Last Four In" status, while Cal is on the "First Four Out" list.
As Skip pointed out, Stanford has four Quad 1 wins. SCU has just two, both over St. Mary's.
Bracketology 2026 - NCAA Tournament Predictions - CBS Sports
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - skip75 - 03-10-2026
(03-10-2026, 08:43 AM)Mick Wrote: As Skip pointed out, Stanford has four Quad 1 wins. SCU has just two, both over St. Mary's.Actually 5 Stanford Quad 1 wins - the 4 in ACC play and the St. Louis game.
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - PVTree - 03-10-2026
The 2 losses to the weenies makes me think they get in over us if it's a close call. I'm hoping for at least 2 wins and for the weenies to lose their first game.
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - skip75 - 03-10-2026
Hot start - 4/5 on 3s (Thompson, Gealer, Agarwal x2) for a 12-5 lead.
Hot start - 4/5 on 3s (Thompson, Gealer, Agarwal x2). Lead 12-5.
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - BobK - 03-10-2026
Now down one. We haven’t made a 2 yet
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - JohnR34231 - 03-10-2026
(03-10-2026, 11:23 AM)skip75 Wrote: Hot start - 4/5 on 3s (Thompson, Gealer, Agarwal x2) for a 12-5 lead.
Hot start - 4/5 on 3s (Thompson, Gealer, Agarwal x2). Lead 12-5.
Well that was short lived. Pitt ahead 16-15. Okorie has yet to score.
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - Papa John - 03-10-2026
31-23 Pitt at the half. Oof.
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - JohnR34231 - 03-10-2026
(03-10-2026, 11:44 AM)Papa John Wrote: 31-23 Pitt at the half. Oof.
Whatever they are doing to defend Okorie it is working. He has 2 points.
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - skip75 - 03-10-2026
Down 31-23 at the half. Went from 4/5 on 3s to 5/12 - lots of settling for poor attempts that were way off. Losing the turnover battle (8-2) and Pitt has 12 points off TOs (vs. 0 for Stanford. And Stanford getting crushed in the paint at both ends. Other than that, all is well. 2nd half has to be better - I hope.
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - JohnR34231 - 03-10-2026
(03-10-2026, 11:48 AM)skip75 Wrote: Down 31-23 at the half. Went from 4/5 on 3s to 5/12 - lots of settling for poor attempts that were way off. Losing the turnover battle (8-2) and Pitt has 12 points off TOs (vs. 0 for Stanford. And Stanford getting crushed in the paint at both ends. Other than that, all is well. 2nd half has to be better - I hope.
Sounds a little like WBB.
P.S. I don;t know what KS said at halftime but it sure was effective. We are now up by 4, 8 minutes into the second half.
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - burger - 03-10-2026
This is some of the worst interior defense I've ever seen.
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - JohnR34231 - 03-10-2026
Well, starting to look like another down to the wire one.
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - Papa John - 03-10-2026
Really missing Okpara right now.
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - burger - 03-10-2026
It'll be fitting if we lose on another failure to get a defensive rebound.
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - Papa John - 03-10-2026
Yep. According to the announcers, with 1 minute to go Pitt has 18 offensive rebounds.
Okorie!
And we're going to lose on a defensive rebound.
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - burger - 03-10-2026
Just an awful game by Smith. He never made any adjustments to fix the rebounding. This is on him.
It's not even the first time in the season that we've struggled to rebound against a bad team and Smith's response was basically "we've tried nothing, and we're all out of ideas."
NIT here we come
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - Papa John - 03-10-2026
Barring a baseball miracle comeback, for the *second year* in a row, Stanford will have no bowl game for football, no NCAA tournament for men's and women's basketball and no College World Series. I'm guessing that hasn't happened since the 1970s.
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - PVTree - 03-10-2026
They just bullied us inside. They played tough defense on Okorie.
At least we will probably get to see the team at Maples again in the NIT.
RE: MBB: ACC Tourney 1st round vs. Pitt, 11:00 am, ACCN - JohnR34231 - 03-10-2026
(03-10-2026, 12:46 PM)burger Wrote: It'll be fitting if we lose on another failure to get a defensive rebound.
We did.
Nice play by Okorie to put us in the lead though. Just wish he had made it a little later.