| MATCHUP | North Carolina Tar Heels | Stanford Cardinal |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 14-2 | 13-4 |
| Where | Maples Pavilion, Stanford, CA | |
| When | Wednesday, January 14, 2026 | |
| Time | 09:00 PM EST | |
| TV | ACC Network | |
The North Carolina Tar Heels and the Stanford Cardinal meet Wednesday in college basketball action from Maples Pavilion. Here’s a North Carolina vs Stanford prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best North Carolina vs Stanford pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.
North Carolina Tar Heels Betting Preview
The Tar Heels kicked off the season on a great run, taking wins in each of their first half-dozen outings before finally falling to Michigan State on November 27. North Carolina would then beat Kentucky, Georgetown, USC Upstate, East Tennessee State, Ohio State, East Carolina and Florida State before another loss to SMU and a win over Wake Forest. That makes for a 14-2 overall record so far this year.
In the Wake Forest game last weekend the Tar Heels managed to power out a home win 87-84 in the end. North Carolina was led by Henri Veesaar with 25 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Caleb Wilson was close behind in the winning effort with his 22 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Jaydon Young added 12 points off the bench with one rebound and two assists in 19 minutes.
Stanford Cardinal Betting Preview
Over on the Stanford side, they only took two losses in their first nine games. Those came versus Seattle U and UNLV. The Cardinal would hit a 5-2 run over the next seven, losing to Notre Dame and Virginia with wins over San Jose State, Texas-Arlington, Colorado, Cal State Northridge, Louisville and Virginia Tech otherwise. In the first 17 games of the season the Cardinal are 13-4 overall.
Back on Saturday in a road matchup versus a tough Virginia team, Stanford ended up falling 70-55 in the end. The Cardinal’s top scorer was Benny Gealer with 15 points and four rebounds alongside three steals in 32 minutes of work. The only other team player to make it to double-figures was Ebuka Okorie with 14 points, six rebounds and one assist. Oskar Giltay added five points and four rebounds as well.
North Carolina Tar Heels @ Stanford Cardinal Betting Trends: January 14, 2026
Why the Stanford Cardinal will win
- Stanford has won 10 of its last 12 games against the Atlantic Coast Conference at Maples Pavilion.
Why the North Carolina Tar Heels will win
- North Carolina has won each of its last 12 night games.
- Stanford has lost 16 of its last 17 night games against AP-ranked opponents.
- Stanford has lost the first half in five of its last six games.
North Carolina vs Stanford Prediction
I’ll stay with North Carolina. The Tar Heels put together a nice win over a pesky Wake Forest team at home last weekend, but it was a little too close for comfort. UNC managed 53 percent shooting from the field with 20 assists and 35 rebounds. That said, the Tar Heels also missed 10 of their 30 free throws (67 percent) and had 14 turnovers during the three-point victory. North Carolina has won eight of their last nine games, and they’ve scored 71 or more points in eight straight outings.
As for Stanford, they couldn’t do much against Virginia’s defense over the weekend, shooting just 32 percent from the field and 19 percent (5-of-26) from outside. The Cardinal weren’t so great in the paint either (a 36-22 deficit) and had 13 total turnovers in the defeat. Stanford is 2-2 in their last four games now, scoring fewer than 56 points in each of the losses.