Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between N. Carolina and the win they were favored to collect coming into this afternoon. They have jumped out to a quick 36-35 lead against Stanford.

N. Carolina entered the match having won four straight and they're just one half away from another. Will they make it five, or will Stanford step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.

Who's Playing

Stanford Cardinal @ N. Carolina Tar Heels

Current Records: Stanford 11-6, N. Carolina 12-6

How To Watch

What to Know

Stanford is 0-3 against N. Carolina since November of 2017 but things could change on Saturday. Both will face off in an ACC battle at 2:15 p.m. ET at Dean E. Smith Center. The Cardinal are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 76.5 points per game this season.

Last Wednesday, Stanford came up short against Wake Forest and fell 80-67.

Despite their defeat, Stanford saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jaylen Blakes, who earned 15 points along with seven assists, was perhaps the best of all. Blakes had some trouble finding his footing against Virginia on Saturday, so this was a nice turnaround. The team also got some help courtesy of Maxime Raynaud, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Meanwhile, N. Carolina entered their tilt with California on Wednesday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They blew past the Golden Bears, posting a 79-53 victory. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Tar Heels have posted since December 14, 2024.

N. Carolina got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Ian Jackson out in front who went 8 for 15 en route to 20 points plus seven rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Jackson a new career-high in offensive rebounds (two). Seth Trimble was another key player, posting 12 points in addition to six rebounds and three steals.

Stanford's loss dropped their record down to 11-6. As for N. Carolina, their win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-6.

Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Stanford hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 76.5 points per game. However, it's not like N. Carolina struggles in that department as they've been averaging 82.9. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.

Stanford is hoping to beat the odds on Saturday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. Bettors picking them against the spread have some confidence (to put it mildly), as the team is sitting on a four-game streak of failing to cover when playing as the underdog.

Odds

N. Carolina is a big 11.5-point favorite against Stanford, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Tar Heels as a 10.5-point favorite.


The over/under is 155 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

N. Carolina has won all of the games they've played against Stanford in the last 8 years.

  • Dec 01, 2020 - N. Carolina 67 vs. Stanford 63
  • Nov 12, 2018 - N. Carolina 90 vs. Stanford 72
  • Nov 20, 2017 - N. Carolina 96 vs. Stanford 72