A rainy Wednesday night in South Bend saw the Stanford Cardinal come to town for an ACC matchup and the final home game of the 2025-26 season. Despite the seasons underwhelming nature, Notre Dame’s hopes of making the ACC tournament were still alive and in their own hands. Coming off the back of a huge overtime win over NC State, it was win or bust once again for the Irish. In particular, all eyes were on sophomore guard Cole Certa after his second half brilliance to inspire the comeback.
The game started off slow as Notre Dame went 2 for 7, but consistent fouls from the Stanford defense kept things close. Freshman forward Brady Koehler got off to a strong start, putting up eight of Notre Dame’s first nine points. Freshman guard Jalen Haralson also impressed when he made his way onto the floor. However, the half was shaped by Stanford’s incredible shooting as they found their bearings midway through the half, landing an incredible five straight threes to fly into the lead and ended the first half 8 for 13 from the arc.
In particular, it was freshman guard Ebuka Okorie who, after a quiet start, set the floor alight with not only his pinpoint shooting, going 3 for 4 from range, but slicing through the Irish defense like butter with his dribbling. Okorie has had a very impressive freshman year, averaging 22.7 points per game, and unless Notre Dame could find a way to stop him, their hopes looked slim from the start.
The Cardinal shooting was so impressive that they matched their 40 points from the team’s previous matchup with six minutes to go in the first half. This was nothing like the cagey affair that played out in California, in which the teams combined for only 107 points. Instead, both sides were playing free-flowing offense in an entertaining encounter, with the Cardinal taking a 45-37 lead into the break. The Irish were still playing well on offense, with Certa finding his stride to end the first half as he looked to replicate his heroic 32 points against NC State. The Irish would need a similar second-half performance if they wanted to keep their ACC tournament hopes alive.
The second half kicked off just as lively as the first, with both teams’ offenses impressing, though the Irish seemed to lack the end product to match their buildup play. With the Cardinal holding onto their seemingly comfortable lead, a huge dunk for graduate student forward Carson Towt followed by a three from Certa, one of few as he went a disappointing 4 for 14 from the field, sparked a roar around Purcell as hope seemed to fill the arena. The Irish were unable to build on it, with fouls letting the side down on defense as the Stanford lead returned to 10. The only thing that separated the two sides was Stanford’s seven steals and six blocks compared to three a piece for the Irish. The Cardinal were more active on defense all night.
Certa took his total for the night, gaining 17 points from free throws, building upon his 90% shooting percentage from the line this season. With four minutes to go, the Irish found themselves in a similar position as they were against NC State. A three from junior guard Logan Imes, followed by two from junior guard Braeden Shrewsberry, saw the Irish get within one possession as the clock hits two minutes. Stanford then found an unlikely hero in sophomore forward Jaylen Thompson, who hit only his second three-pointer of the season to stretch the lead to six. Despite the relentless effort from Haralson, the Irish could not find a way back.
The dagger came from graduate guard Jeremy Dent-Smith. An unlikely star for the Cardinal, the sixth man had 21 points in his season high since joining from Division II Dominguez Hills, as he went 6 for 7 from the field, including going 5 for 6 from three to join Okorie in leading the Cardinal charge. They led the way as the Cardinal completed the 86-78 victory.
For the Irish, it was Haralson who was the bright spot, as he showed incredible composure shooting 13 for 15 at the line which included a number of crucial free throws which kept the Irish alive. Free throws were an aspect that Notre Dame can be happy with, shooting 89% from the line compared to Stanford’s 62%.
It’s a disappointing result to end the Irish’s home campaign, as the Irish came up just short once again. Luckily, Florida State squeaked a one-point victory over the Pitt Panthers, meaning the Irish still have a shot at the ACC tournament. They will need a victory at Boston College on Saturday and for Pitt to lose to Syracuse in order to secure their spot in the ACC tournament.
