Stanford Cardinal’s March Madness bubble pops on Pitt’s bonkers game-winner

The 2026 March Madness dreams have come to an end for the Stanford Cardinal after a brutal loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

After losing for a majority of the game, Stanford was able to crawl back in the second half, and they almost won it. Stanford led with less than three seconds left until Pitt guard Damarco Minor scored off his own miss with 0.7 seconds left in the game. Stanford would not even get the ball inbounded, and they would go on to lose. Minor only had four points, but that bucket won them the game, and they advance to the second round.

Demarco Minor's putback wins it for Pitt!

Fitting end given Pitt's 20 offensive rebounds on the afternoon. The Panthers were the last team in the ACCT and likely ended Stanford's NCAA Tournament hopes with this victory. pic.twitter.com/Soh9Py1BK0

— Brian Rauf (@brauf33) March 10, 2026

Stanford had an outside chance of getting into the Big Dance; however, anything can happen in March. Joe Lunardi has the Cardinal in the “First Four Out,” ranking them among the 69-73 range among teams. Four teams are in the “Last Four In,” while another four are in the “Next Four Out.” Stanford is more than able to play in the NIT if they choose to.

The season is ending, but the future for guard Ebuka Okorie is only beginning. Okorie is one of the best guards in the country. He averaged 23.1 points per game this season, which was 5th in the nation. He also shot 46% from the floor, which is very respectable. He only scored 14 in the loss to the Panthers, so you know there was much more to offer in that contest. Okorie is only a freshman, but he could see himself in the NBA in a couple of months.

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