It’s time to talk about the ACC.
The annual SEC-ACC Challenge turned into a beatdown this season. After the two conferences tied in 2023, and the SEC had a 10-6 edge in 2024, the affair turned decidedly one-sided in 2025 as the SEC captured 13 of the 16 games.
Advertisement
Part of that is a reflection of the SEC, which is deeper than any league. Beyond national title contenders in Texas and South Carolina, the SEC has first-weekend hosting candidates in LSU, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Tennessee. Georgia and Alabama are younger teams climbing up the ladder, both undefeated through 10 games.
Meanwhile, outside of North Carolina and Louisville — who meet in what could be the most important game of the conference season on Sunday — the ACC is full of teams that haven’t met preseason expectations. Duke lost to half of West Virginia, NC State blew a game at home to Rhode Island, and Notre Dame was waxed by Michigan. Pittsburgh lost to a DIII school. Georgia Tech’s roster was depleted after Nell Fortner’s retirement. The portal wasn’t kind to many ACC teams, but that doesn’t excuse a series of losses to non-Power 4 opponents, teams that likely won’t be dancing in March.
As the ACC reels from its College Football Playoff catastrophe, when the league champion couldn’t earn a bid to the 12-team postseason, it’s easy to worry about the ACC’s larger fate and its ability to compete financially with the SEC and the Big Ten. But maybe this is a one-year blip for a conference that had four Sweet 16 teams in 2025 and three first-round WNBA Draft picks in April. As recently as a year ago, this conference was a force in women’s basketball.
Right now, the bottom is falling out. How low can it go?
|
Rank |
Team |
Previous team |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Uconn |
1 |
|
2 |
Texas |
2 |
|
3 |
South Carolina |
3 |
|
4 |
UCLA |
4 |
|
5 |
LSU |
5 |
|
6 |
Michigan |
6 |
|
7 |
Maryland |
7 |
|
8 |
Iowa |
8 |
|
9 |
TCU |
9 |
|
10 |
Iowa State |
12 |
|
11 |
North Carolina |
10 |
|
12 |
Oklahoma |
11 |
|
13 |
Kentucky |
13 |
|
14 |
Vanderbilt |
16 |
|
15 |
Nebraska |
23 |
|
16 |
Louisville |
21 |
|
17 |
Tennessee |
19 |
|
18 |
USC |
20 |
|
19 |
Baylor |
18 |
|
20 |
Washington |
14 |
|
21 |
Alabama |
25 |
|
22 |
Ole Miss |
22 |
|
23 |
Notre Dame |
17 |
|
24 |
Ohio State |
NR |
|
25 |
Georgia |
NR |
Dropped out: Michigan State (15), West Virginia (24)
Advertisement
Also considered: OK State, Michigan State, Villanova
Comeback for the ages by Terrapins
An ACC expat had one of the most remarkable finishes in recent memory Sunday. On the same day Maryland learned it would be without senior Kaylene Smikle for the remainder of the season, it fought back from a 15-point deficit in regulation against Minnesota, down five with 19 seconds to play in overtime, and down nine (!!) with 45 seconds to play in double-overtime. I never want to glean too much from one game, but comebacks like these are so rare that they demand extra attention.
It took a little bit from everyone to get Maryland the 100-99 win. Yarden Garzon has the confidence (and the physical tools) to score in any situation, and her two jumpers kept the Terrapins alive in the first extra session. Then, they went full Reggie Miller in the final minute, scoring eight points in nine seconds to pull within one. Their full-court pressure resulted in back-to-back turnovers and and-ones, leaving them enough time to defend the Golden Gophers without having to foul. Maryland’s pressure forced yet another turnover, while Minnesota was trying to run its offense. That let the Terrapins have the ball with a chance to win, and veteran Saylor Poffenbarger took it. Poffenbarger scored the game-winning layup out of a timeout and then had a time-wasting deflection that prevented the Gophers from getting a good look at the buzzer.
Advertisement
I’m a numbers person. I trust what stats tell me about a team. But certain moments are galvanizing and defy statistical categorization. On what had to have been an emotional day for the Terrapins, they proved to themselves that no moment is too big for them. Even without two rotation players due to season-ending injuries, it’s hard to doubt Maryland’s ability to be ready for any situation.
My goodness, these Audi Crooks stat lines
I’ve been reluctant to board the Audi Crooks hype train this season for two reasons. One, the Cyclones were deeply disappointing in 2024-25, and two, because Iowa State’s schedule has been atrocious — opponents’ scoring margin is 362nd out of 363 Division I teams. But at a certain point, it’s hard to ignore what Crooks is doing.
The Iowa State junior leads the country with 27.6 points per game while shooting 73.2 percent from the floor, which is second, per Her Hoop Stats. She has set the Cyclones’ single-game scoring mark twice already. Since the 2009-10 season, the list of players who have averaged at least 25 points and shot 70 percent from the floor includes Crooks and Megan Gustafson in 2018-19, when she won national Player of the Year. (There must be something in the water in Iowa.) Crooks is the only player in that stretch to average more points than minutes, a mark that we should savor for now before the Big 12 season forces her to stay on the court longer.
Crooks’ touch around the rim is a marvel. She keeps the ball high and can finish with either hand. If a defense doesn’t stop the ball from getting inside, the battle is lost, because Crooks makes 83 percent of her field-goal attempts within the restricted area, which is 26 percent higher than the national average, per CBB Analytics. She had some difficulty last season against size — Sedona Prince and TCU come to mind, which makes the conference matchup against Clara Silva on Feb. 22 particularly interesting — but hasn’t really faced any big posts in 2025. Iowa and Ava Heiden await this week.
Advertisement
Is LSU’s defense for real?
LSU skated through the first month of the season against one of the easiest schedules in the country. And when faced with its first Power 4 opponent of the year — even one that has been struggling this season — it took an early punch and still won going away against Duke.
The offense that had scored 100 points in each of its first eight games was as potent as advertised against the Blue Devils, putting up 93 points against a team that had allowed an average of 64 points heading into that matchup. Whether it was Mikaylah Williams setting up shop in the midrange, MiLaysia Fulwiley dazzling in transition, or even Grace Knox powering through in the paint, there was no shortage of LSU scoring options. Six LSU players ended the game in double figures, and the Tigers could have pushed to extend their triple-digit streak. Despite a rash of turnovers to start the contest, LSU scored at least 20 points in every quarter and shot 60 percent from the field.
But even if the Tigers can put up points, legitimate questions linger about how their defense will hold against the best opposition. Heading into Sunday, LSU had the nation’s fourth-best defensive rating, allowing 69.7 points per 100 possessions. Against Duke, that number spiked to 99.9. Time and again, the Blue Devils broke free and got out in front of the Tigers’ defense, even after LSU’s baskets. LSU assistant Bob Starkey was up off his seat on numerous occasions directing where the Tigers were supposed to be on defense. Sophomore guard Jada Richard was the lone player to reliably get back in transition, and her physicality led to a couple of offensive fouls for Duke. But otherwise, the blame was spread throughout the roster.
Advertisement
Teams that win titles are generally pretty balanced. Even if LSU thinks it can overcome opponents with its offensive firepower, that hasn’t historically been the case.
Cotie McMahon has leveled up. Will it matter for Ole Miss?
McMahon didn’t appear to be in great shape as a junior at Ohio State, and she didn’t seem committed to what the Buckeyes were doing. Both parties seemed ready to move on, even before homegrown McMahon completed her college career.
Ole Miss coach Yolette McPhee-McCuin sat at the podium after her season-ending loss last year to UCLA and talked about how her program needed to take the next step and bring in the type of transfers that the Bruins had. The Rebels needed to find the next Janiah Barker. That led McPhee-McCuin to McMahon, and the former Ohio State star is bought in at Ole Miss. She looks fitter and more explosive than she has since her freshman season. She’s finishing better than ever in the paint, making 67 percent of those shot attempts, and it’s driving the offense for the Rebels. McMahon is even being emboldened to extend her range, taking more 3-pointers than before.
Advertisement
The question is if McMahon is good enough to be the No. 1 option for a team that aims to contend in the SEC. McMahon blew by defenders with regularity against Notre Dame, but she was bigger than the Irish’s perimeter players and met no resistance at the rim. Against Kansas State’s length, McMahon scored 22 points on 22 shots, but she had zero assists as her teammates shot 28 percent from the field. Even if she’s taking 3s, she isn’t making them, going 0 of 6 in the loss to the Wildcats. The Rebels as a whole are theoretically trying to space the floor to open up the paint for McMahon and senior center Christeen Iwuala, but 30 3-point attempts aren’t going to change the way defenses behave if Ole Miss makes only five.
The Rebels mostly did what they had to against the weaker portion of their schedule and will likely finish the calendar year 13-1. That doesn’t mean that they’ve taken the next step McPhee-McCuin was talking about in March.
Games to watch
(All times ET)
Advertisement
Iowa at Iowa State, 7 p.m. Wednesday, ESPN
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, 4 p.m. Saturday, ESPNU
Louisville at North Carolina, 4 p.m. Sunday, ACCN
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
USC Trojans, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Maryland Terrapins, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oklahoma Sooners, UCLA Bruins, Tennessee Lady Volunteers, South Carolina Gamecocks, Ole Miss Rebels, Georgia Lady Bulldogs, Baylor Bears, Alabama Crimson Tide, North Carolina Tar Heels, Kentucky Wildcats, Washington Huskies, Vanderbilt Commodores, Louisville Cardinals, Iowa Hawkeyes, TCU Horned Frogs, Iowa State Cyclones, Connecticut Huskies, LSU Lady Tigers, Michigan Wolverines, Texas Longhorns, Women’s College Basketball
Advertisement
2025 The Athletic Media Company
