Late Putback Lifts Pittsburgh Past Stanford in ACC Tournament Opener.

In the opening round of the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina, Pittsburgh secured a narrow 64–63 victory over Stanford after Damarco Minor scored on a putback with just 0.7 seconds remaining. The dramatic finish allowed the 15th-seeded Panthers to advance to the second round, where they will face seventh-seeded NC State. Although Minor struggled throughout the game, making only two of his ten shots and missing all seven attempts from three-point range, his final play proved decisive. With 26.2 seconds left, Stanford briefly took the lead when Ebuka Okorie completed a three-point play. On the next possession, Minor attempted a three-pointer that missed, but Pittsburgh recovered the loose ball after a scramble. Minor then missed a short shot in the lane before quickly following it with the game-winning putback. Okorie, who entered the game as the nation’s second-leading freshman scorer with an average of 23.1 points per game, finished with 14 points for Stanford. Teammate Benny Gealer contributed 11 points, while AJ Rohosy added 10 points and led the Cardinal with seven rebounds. The contest remained competitive throughout, featuring 11 lead changes and four ties. Pittsburgh’s success on the offensive glass played a key role in the outcome. The Panthers collected a 20–7 advantage in offensive rebounds, which translated into a 25–7 edge in second-chance points. They also outscored Stanford by 12 points in the paint.

Late in the first half, Pittsburgh broke a tie by scoring the final eight points before halftime to take a 31–23 lead. Stanford responded in the second half and managed to regain the lead five different times before Minor’s final basket sealed the win. The victory moves Pittsburgh, now 13–19, into a matchup with NC State. The Panthers previously lost to the Wolfpack 81–72 on January 24 during the regular season. Meanwhile, Stanford, which finished the season 20–12, may have damaged its chances of earning an NCAA Tournament bid with the loss and must now wait to see if it receives another postseason opportunity.