CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Interstat) — The Stanford Cardinal, riding a late-season surge, will face a familiar and recently vanquished foe when they meet the Pittsburgh Panthers in the Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Championship on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. Stanford (20-11), the higher-seeded team, enters the tournament venue on a three-game winning streak, including an 85-84 road victory at North Carolina State on Saturday. The Cardinal are powered by standout guard Ebuka Okorie, who is averaging 26.2 points over his last six games. In Stanford’s 75-67 home win over Pittsburgh on Feb. 25, Okorie dominated with 34 points and six assists. Pittsburgh (11-19) arrives in Charlotte after snapping a five-game skid with a 71-69 overtime win at Syracuse on Saturday. The Panthers will lean heavily on forward Cameron Corhen, who scored 21 points in that victory and poured in 22 against Stanford in the teams’ previous meeting. For Pittsburgh to have a chance, it must find more consistent scoring beyond Corhen and improve upon a recent offensive stretch where it failed to reach 70 points in four of five games before the Syracuse win. The Panthers’ season has been marked by narrow defeats, including a 74-75 loss to Florida State on March 4 and the earlier eight-point loss at Stanford. The Cardinal, meanwhile, have won five of their last seven, with their offense averaging 84.3 points during the current three-game win streak. This postseason matchup at Spectrum Center sets up as a contrast in momentum. Stanford seeks to solidify its NCAA tournament resume, while Pittsburgh looks to salvage a difficult season with a deep conference tournament run. The key matchup will be on the perimeter, where Okorie’s explosive scoring will test a Pittsburgh defense that allowed him to control the game just two weeks prior. Containing Okorie and generating secondary offense are the clear mandates for the Panthers if they hope to advance.