No. 14 Louisville Dominates Stanford to Stay in ACC Title Hunt

Louisville Closes Regular Season With Statement Win Over Stanford

No. 14 Louisville finished its regular season in dominant fashion, rolling past Stanford 68-48 on Saturday in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Cardinals (25-6, 18-2 ACC) extended their winning streak to nine games and remain in contention for the ACC regular season championship.

Their fate now rests on the outcome of two key games. If No. 2 Duke loses to North Carolina and No. 11 Clemson beats Virginia Tech, Louisville will claim the ACC regular season title—a stunning turnaround after finishing last in the conference the previous two seasons.

Stanford (19-12, 11-9 ACC) struggled offensively, shooting just 30.4 percent from the field, while Louisville shot 44.3 percent and controlled the game from start to finish.

Louisville’s Balanced Attack Leads the Way

Chucky Hepburn led the Cardinals with 16 points, five rebounds, four assists, and four steals, making an impact on both ends of the court. Terrence Edwards Jr. also scored 16 points, while J’Vonne Hadley nearly posted a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.

For Stanford, Maxime Raynaud was a bright spot, recording 17 points and 11 rebounds for his nation-leading 23rd double-double of the season. However, the Cardinal offense struggled, making just 6 of 30 shots (20 percent) in the first half and never fully recovering.

Stanford’s Second-Half Surge Falls Short

Trailing by 15 points at halftime, Stanford showed signs of life early in the second half. Raynaud’s second three-pointer cut the deficit to 12 points at the 16:38 mark, and Ryan Agarwal’s triple brought the Cardinal within eight at 41-33 with 12:51 left.

Louisville responded with a decisive run. James Scott’s dunk, followed by three-pointers from Edwards and Noah Waterman, pushed the lead back to 49-33 midway through the half.

Stanford trimmed the margin to 10 points with 7:37 remaining, but Louisville held firm. With 4:30 left, the Cardinals closed the game on a 13-3 run, highlighted by Hepburn’s four consecutive points and a walk-on three from Cole Sherman to seal the victory.

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First-Half Dominance Sets the Tone

Louisville seized control early. Edwards’ three-pointer and Hepburn’s layup ignited a 14-1 run, giving the Cardinals a 29-11 lead with 5:04 left in the half.

Stanford finally showed some life as Oziyah Sellers hit two three-pointers, cutting the deficit to 31-17 before Khani Rooths’ dunk sent Louisville into halftime with a 33-18 advantage.

The first half was defined by Stanford’s shooting woes, as the Cardinal connected on just 20 percent of their attempts (6-of-30), while Louisville converted 39.4 percent of its shots and made all five free throws.

What’s Next for Louisville and Stanford?

Louisville will now wait for the results of Duke’s matchup with North Carolina and Clemson’s game against Virginia Tech to see if it will claim the ACC regular season title. Regardless, the Cardinals are positioned as one of the top seeds in the ACC Tournament, giving them a strong chance to improve their NCAA Tournament seeding.

Stanford, meanwhile, enters the ACC Tournament on a two-game losing streak and will need a deep run to secure an NCAA bid.

Final Thoughts

Louisville dominated on both ends of the floor, proving why they are one of the ACC’s top teams heading into the postseason. If their defense remains this sharp, the Cardinals could be a dangerous team in both the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.

Can Louisville complete its stunning turnaround and capture the ACC title, or will Duke hold on? The coming days will determine how far the Cardinals can climb.