Senior guard Jaylen Blakes hit a go-ahead jumper from the baseline with 1.5 seconds to go to give Stanford (12-6, 4-3 ACC) the 72-71 road victory over North Carolina (12-7, 5-2 ACC).
With 7.7 seconds on the clock and trailing by a point, Jaylen Blakes inbounded the ball to Maxime Raynaud. He quickly got the ball back on the dead run, and 6 dribbles and a step back later he found his spot. From about 15 feet and with plenty of separation from the defender, Jaylen calmly rose up and found nothing but the bottom of the net.
Blakes, the Duke alumnus, fittingly hit the biggest shot in the halls of his old nemesis. It was eerily similar to the buzzer beater he hit earlier in the year to defeat Santa Clara by a single point. No moment is too big for him.
On the previous possession, Stanford turned an awkward play into a pair of Blakes free throws to momentarily claim the lead. UNC’s Seth Trimble responded in kind to set up the last second heroics.
The Cardinal stayed in the game early largely on the efforts of Maxime Raynaud. The ACC’s leading scorer and rebounder had 15 points and 6 rebounds by halftime, and recorded his nation-leading 15th double-double by the 16 minute mark of the second half. It was far from his most efficient night, but his presence really bothered the Tar Heels and opened up opportunities for others.
One area in which Stanford really shined was set plays. Their baseline out-of-bounds was executed to near perfection, with Oziyah Sellers knocking down open jumpers on three occasions. Ryan Agarwal paid another beautiful set off with a layup in the final minutes. Execution out of timeouts was similarly effective.
When Stanford drew up a play, it worked. That’s yet another sign of strong coaching, something that has been abundantly clear this year. The Cardinal were picked 17th out of 18 in the ACC, and have had a brutal schedule with 5 of 7 games on the road. They sit at 4-3, in a share of 7th place.
And once again, Stanford excelled at Kyle Smith’s three principles: Defend, Rebound, Take Care of the Ball. Pre-season ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis had 5 assists early on, then failed to record another in the game’s final 26 minutes. Maxime Raynaud and freshman Donavin Young combined to block 7 shots. They allowed just 5 UNC offensive rebounds, and committed only 8 turnovers. The blueprint was executed to near perfection.
Stanford rode the starting five for the vast majority of the game. The bench combined for just 11 minutes in the first half, and 10 in the second. Their reserves were outscored 23-1 by UNC, but the starting five had just enough gas to get it done.
The insertion of Donavin Young into the lineup lately has been something of a revelation. This season he has played 113 minutes, and has shot 6-7 from three while only turning it over twice. He plays within himself offensively. His three blocks and a late steal today also gave Stanford an extra dimension and an injection of energy.
Stanford was led by Maxime Raynaud’s 25 points and 13 rebounds. Jaylen Blakes finished with 20 points and 7 assists, 6 coming in the second half. Oziyah Sellers added 11 points and 4 assists, while Donavin Young had 9 points on 3-3 from three.
The Cardinal shot only 2-10 from three in the second half, but made all 9 of their attempts from the foul line in the period. That was enough to earn them their first win over North Carolina in 14 tries.