Why Elite Stanford Freshman Will Test Duke

However, the Duke basketball program will now face off against potentially the best all-around scorer in the ACC, forget freshmen, in Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie.

Originally committed to Harvard before ultimately landing with the Cardinal, Okorie was ranked outside the top-200 in the 2025 recruiting class. But it hasn't taken long for the rookie guard to take the nation by storm with his elite scoring ability.

Ebuka Okorie Might Be the Best Scorer in the ACC

Okorie is coming off a monster 36-point performance on Wednesday night in a 95-90 win for Stanford over No. 14 North Carolina (14-3, 2-2 ACC), which set the Stanford freshman single-game scoring record. The New Hampshire native also contributed nine assists and two steals in the win.

On the 2025-26 campaign, Okorie is leading the ACC in scoring at 22.9 points per game to go along with 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals on 44.5% shooting from the floor, 32.6% shooting from three, and 81.5% shooting from the free throw line. The 6' 2" guard has tallied 10 games of 20 or more points scored and four games of 30 or more through the first 16 of his collegiate career.

The freshman isn't just putting up numbers, but also contributes to winning in so many different ways. Okorie brings hustle, defensive engagement, a passing game, as well as the ability to score in so many different ways, both on and off the ball.

Duke Looks To Shut Down Another ACC Leading Scorer

The Blue Devils haven't been perfect defensively through league play, but they've shut down several of the ACC's most prolific scoring guards when necessary.

In the team's 84-73 win at No. 20 Louisville (12-5, 2-3 ACC) on Jan. 6, Duke shut down lead guard Ryan Conwell, who is averaging 19.5 points on the year, to eight points on 0-of-4 shooting from three in the second half after the senior put up 16 points on 4-of-7 (57.1%) shooting from three in the first. Duke entered the halftime locker room of that game 47-38 and went on to win by double digits.

In Wednesday night's 71-56 win over California (13-5, 1-4 ACC), the Blue Devils limited Dai Dai Ames to eight points on 3-of-11 (27.3%) shooting from the field after Ames entered the game averaging over 17 points.

After Okorie's 22.9 point-per-game average, Stanford's next leading scorer is forward Chisom Okpara at 13.9 points per game. The Cardinal have only eclipsed 75 points twice through their five conference games, so containing Okorie will obviously be the main priority for Duke on Saturday night.

Duke (16-1, 5-0 ACC) faces Stanford (14-4, 3-2 ACC) on Jan. 17 at 6:00 pm ET.

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