Andy Hancock

Men's Basketball

Hepburn’s Putback Puts Louisville in ACC Semifinals With 75-73 Win Over Stanford

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Chucky Hepburn’s putback jumper at the buzzer helped No. 13 Louisville overcome a 15-point second-half deficit to beat Stanford 75-73 on Thursday, March 13, and advance to the semifinals of the 2025 T. Rowe Price ACC Men's Basketball Tournament.
 
Terrence Edwards scored 25 points and Hepburn added 20 for the Cardinals (26-6), who’ve now won 10 straight games. Noah Waterman and James Scott each added 12 points.
 
Oziyah Sellers had 22 points and Maxime Raynaud added 17 points for Stanford (20-13), which was playing in its first ACC Tournament.
 
Stanford led 33-30 at halftime and appeared ready to pull away in the second half, building a 52-37 lead in the second period behind an 11-0 run.
 
But Raynaud picked up his fourth foul with 13 1/2 minutes left and Louisville capitalized, battling back to take the lead 70-65 with three minutes remaining after Hepburn knocked down a 3-pointer and then fed J’Vonne Hadley for a layup. Raynaud fouled out on the ensuing possession, but Stanford tied the game on Chisom Okpara’s three-point play with 32 seconds left.
 
Edwards missed a 3-pointer, but as players collapsed for the rebound the ball bounced out directly to Hepburn, who caught it and buried a 15-footer for the win.
 
Takeaways
Stanford: Raynaud picking up his fourth foul early in the second half was a huge turning point, as Louisville turned the momentum of the game.
 
Louisville: The Cardinals played without guard Reyne Smith, their third-leading scorer at 13.4 points per game, due to an ankle injury. Smith’s absence seemed to impact Louisville’s chemistry, particularly in the first half.

Key Moment
There was no bigger moment than Hepburn’s putback at the buzzer.
 
Key Stat
Louisville outrebounded Stanford 32-28.
 
Of Note
  • Louisville advances to the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinals for the first time since joining the league in 2014.
  • Louisville used a 16-3 run in the middle of the second half to cut the deficit and tie the game at 60 at the under-8 media timeout (7:23).
  • This was the second meeting between Stanford and Louisville in less than one week. Louisville won the regular-season finale on Saturday, March 8, 68-48 in Kentucky.
  • Louisville’s largest lead of the game was eight points, coming at the 1:56 mark of the second half. Just 84 seconds later, the game was tied after an 8-0 run by Stanford.
  • In addition to the game-winning buzzer-beater, Louisville’s Chucky Hepburn added eight assists in the contest.
  • Terrence Edwards Jr. led all scorers with 25 points in the Cardinals’ win.
  • Louisville’s Noah Westerman finished with 12 points and nine boards – one rebound shy of a double-double.
  • Stanford’s Oziyah Sellers recorded his fourth 20-point effort of the season, finishing with 22 points.