No. 14 North Carolina will travel west for the first of two ACC road games in the San Francisco Bay Area against the Stanford Cardinal.
In its last game, North Carolina bounced back from a tough loss to SMU with an 87-84 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday night, securing the program’s 500th win at the Dean Smith Center.
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Stanford (13-4, 2-2 ACC) has the tools to solve UNC’s problems. The Cardinals defeated Louisville and defeated a good Virginia Tech team that featured one of the best players in the country in freshman guard Ebuka Okorie.
Here are three keys to North Carolina’s victory and avoiding another devastating road loss.
Slow down Ebuka Okorie
January 10, 2026; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Stanford Cardinals guard Ebuka Okorie (1) shoots during the first half at John Paul Jones Arena while Virginia Cavaliers guard Sam Lewis (5) defends. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Stanford has one of the top players in the country in Okoli. The true freshman averaged 22.1 points per game, which ranked second in the ACC and eighth nationally. He also leads the ACC in free throws made and ranks third in free throw attempts.
Don’t let the crowd feel their influence
January 29, 2025; Stanford University, California, USA; The Stanford tree mascot performs during a timeout during the second half of the game against the Syracuse Orange at Maple Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
The Tar Heels cannot allow spectators into games. It’s that simple. Stanford is a good team and they have beaten Louisville on the road and a strong Virginia Tech team on the road. North Carolina had to start fast and stay alive because it couldn’t give the Cardinals any chance. If Stanford sees a glimmer of hope, it will start to believe it, and the Maples Pavilion crowd will benefit from it.
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More contributions from the backcourt
January 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Kyan Evans (0) attempts to pass the ball past SMU Broncos guard BJ Edwards (0) during the game between the Broncos and Tar Heels at Moody Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The backcourt also has to be more involved. Without Jaden Young’s scoring off the bench, the Tar Heels likely would have lost to Wake Forest on Saturday, even if Wilson and Vissar both scored 20 points. Luka Bogavac, Keon Evans and Derrick Dickerson all struggled with their shooting, and Seth Trimble, who was great on both sides of the ball for Carolina, had a bad night that resulted in a largely ineffective backcourt outside of Young.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball vs. Stanford: Three keys to victory