Stanford men’s basketball (18-11, 7-9 ACC) wrapped up its home slate for the season last weekend. This week, the Cardinal will hit the road for two final games before the ACC tournament.
Just a day after the ACC tournament comes to a close, Selection Sunday will arrive on March 15. Where things stand now, the Cardinal cannot be completely ruled out for selection to March Madness.
Head coach Kyle Smith indicated a sense of urgency in these last few games after Stanford’s 95-75 win over SMU (19-10, 8-8 ACC) on Saturday.
“We talk about making the comparison of running the mile. This is the fourth lap and you just got to sprint for home,” Smith said.
Senior guard Benny Gealer led the sprint for Stanford this past weekend as he recorded a career-high 30 points in the win against SMU. The former walk-on nailed seven three-pointers, with his final basket producing loud “Benny” chants in Maples Pavilion. Smith, however, sees no reason to talk about Gealer’s path to joining the team.
“That was a great Senior Night,” Smith said. “Benny Gealer has been so much to this team, particularly in the last two years. I don’t even like the story of him being a former walk-on. I don’t like to bring that up because this guy is a player and he should be treated as such. He’s earned everything.”
The ACC league office acknowledged Gealer’s work on and off the court on Tuesday by naming him the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Gealer is Stanford men’s basketball’s sixth consecutive Scholar-Athlete of the Year, with Maxime Raynaud getting the nod in last year’s inaugural ACC season.
Gealer was not the only Stanford player to pick up an award this week. Freshman guard Ebuka Okorie was named ACC Rookie of the Week on Monday. Okorie, who has now received this weekly award three times, is offering a strong finish to the season. After pouring in 34 points against Pitt (11-18, 4-12 ACC) last week, the Stanford guard provided backcourt support for Gealer with 22 points and six assists against SMU. Okorie became the 13th Stanford player ever to reach 600 points in a season.
The finishing touch of the game was sophomore guard Ethan Kitch recording his first-career points in the final minute of Saturday’s win. Just like Gealer, Kitch is a walk-on player, and the crowd at Maples erupted when he nailed a three-pointer with 38 seconds left on the game clock.
“It was great,” Smith said, referring to Kitch’s first Stanford points. “He works his butt off every day. He puts in the extra time. He’s ready for the moment.”
Stanford will have to carry Saturday’s momentum into their final road trip of the regular season. The trip kicks off at Notre Dame (13-16, 4-12 ACC) on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Cardinal will then wrap up the regular season facing NC State (19-11, 10-7 ACC) on Saturday at 11:15 a.m.
For Stanford, the path to a March Madness birth is straightforward but incredibly difficult. A 2-0 road trip would push the Cardinal to .500 in ACC play and provide significant momentum heading into the ACC tournament. A strong conference tournament run would supply that last push to be competitive for an invitation to The Big Dance.
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