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Stanford Beats Cal, Moves on in ACC Tournament

Lucca Mazzie

Mar 12, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Chisom Okpara (10) reacts with guard Ryan Agarwal (11) after scoring a basket and being fouled late in the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Mar 12, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Chisom Okpara (10) reacts with guard Ryan Agarwal (11) after scoring a basket and being fouled late in the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
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Stanford men's basketball took down Cal in the ACC tournament on Wednesday night, punching their way into the next round.

The Cardinal played the Golden Bears in the second round of the ACC tournament on Wednesday after the Bears faced No. 10 Virginia Tech on Tuesday, where they came away with an upset win in an 82-73 double overtime thriller.

To make matters more interesting, Cal came off a four overtime thriller on Saturday afternoon in South Bend, where they lost to Notre Dame.

Coming off six overtimes in two games, Cal had been a part of a chaotic few days. Stanford on the other hand, had played just once since Saturday, in a road loss to Louisville, 68-48.

Stanford entered Wednesday's game as slight favorites, as they were able to take down Cal twice, once in Berkeley and once in Palo Alto during the regular season.

It was a thriller throughout the entire game, with leads changing and neither team finding a way to pull away completely.

With 1:40 left and the game tied, Oziyah Sellers missed a three pointer, but the ball was rebounded by Benny Gealer, who then put up a deep three, and hit.

Former Stanford player Andrej Stojakovic hit a two to bring it back to a one point game. A couple of possessions later, Maxime Raynaud was stripped of the ball, but came back and got a massive block on Stojakovic, which saved the Cardinal lead.

A few masterclass plays from Chisom Okpara increased the lead to a point where it was impossible for the Bears to come back.

Stanford picked up their third straight win over Cal this season, and improved to 20-12 overall.

Maxime Raynaud led the Cardinal once again in points, putting up 23, as well as eight rebounds. Jaylen Blakes had a great game too, finishing with 21, and six assists. It was his first 20 point game since North Carolina on January 18 where he hit the buzzer beater for the upset win.

Oziyah Sellers and Chisom Okpara combined for 25, providing a great supporting cast to the stars.

Andrej Stojakovic put up a great performance for Cal, finishing with a career-high 37 points against his former team, but couldn’t come up with the win. DJ Campbell had a great performance as well, finishing with 19.

The three-game sweep of Cal is the first for the program since 1962, as Stanford improves to 4-3 all-time against the Golden Bears in a conference tournament. The Cardinal has won five straight games with the Golden Bears, marking the first 5-0 stretch since winning six in a row from March 8, 2003-Jan. 13, 2006.

Next, Louisville is on the clock on Thursday, and Stanford is ready for revenge after a 20-point defeat on Saturday.

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Lucca Mazzi
LUCCA MAZZIE

Born in Menlo Park, California, Lucca is a 16 year old sports journalist who has done past work for College and High School Sports. He has covered teams such as Stanford, Michigan State, and Saint Mary's, while mainly focusing on Football, Basketball, and Baseball.

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