Michael Voepel, ESPN senior writer
Coaches and media panels have selected Notre Dame as the ACC preseason favorite. So far, that’s pretty solid. The Irish are again ranked No. 3 this week in the ESPN Women’s College Basketball Power Rankings and are Bracketology’s No. 1 seed.
The ACC has been represented in the Women’s Final Four in eight of the past 10 NCAA tournaments — a period that (not coincidentally) began the year Notre Dame joined the conference. The Irish are the only ACC team to win a national championship during that span (2018) and appear to be a top contender again this season.
Which other teams are expected to get a double bye into the ACC Tournament quarterfinals and prepare for a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament? With two months to go, a lot could change that answer. But Georgia Tech was unlikely to be considered a possibility before the start of the season.
However, the undefeated Yellow Jackets are in the power rankings for the fourth straight week. They were ranked 10th in the ACC preseason poll but are off to a 15-0 start. They are currently scheduled to be a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which will allow them to host early-round games. Georgia Tech has never hosted an NCAA tournament but reached the Sweet 16 in 2012 and 2021. (The Yellow Jackets were a No. 4 seed in 2012, but the tournament subsequently reserved sites for early rounds, and Georgia Tech played all of those games in the 2021 tournament in San Antonio’s COVID-19 quarantine. )
A back trio of freshman Dani Carnegie, junior Kara Dunn and Tonie Morgan lead the way for the Yellow Jackets who will play Thursday vs. Virginia Tech at home. Georgia Tech’s biggest test should be Jan. 16 at Notre Dame.
The other ACC team currently projected to be a top-four seed in the NCAA is Duke, which will play North Carolina in the first of two games on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, ACC Network) in Chapel Hill A game. The Blue Devils are off to a 3-0 start in ACC play, along with Notre Dame, Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina State. The Tar Heels have two losses in the league (against Georgia Tech and Notre Dame).
While Georgia Tech was one of the biggest surprises of the season, ACC newcomer Stanford was uncharacteristically disappointing. To be fair, the Cardinals are dealing with a lot of new stuff: their first season in nearly 40 years without Tara VanDerveer as head coach, the loss of key players to the WNBA draft and transfer portal, and transfers to One is located on a Cardinal campus across the country.
Stanford is 0-3 in league play and has lost five of its past six games, including back-to-back losses in its first true ACC road games last week against SMU and Clemson. (The short drive to longtime Pac-12 rival Cal doesn’t really matter in the ACC opener on Dec. 13 in Berkeley.)
It’s so weird to see Stanford ranked last in the ACC. The Cardinals are three-time NCAA champions and have won 27 Pac-10/Pac-12 regular season championships. But just as Cal is off to a 2-1 start in ACC play, Stanford will have to adjust to a very different — and virtually unthinkable before it happens — experience in conference play.
Previous rankings: 1
The Bruins visited Indiana, the home state of legendary UCLA coach John Wooden, and had wins over Indiana and Purdue. Wooden likes the performance of center Lauren Bates: In these wins, she totaled 42 points and 19 rebounds while shooting 70.8 percent from the field.
Next 7 days: vs. Northwestern (January 12)
Previous rankings: 2
The Gamecocks received terrible news on Tuesday: Small forward Ashlyn Watkins will miss the remainder of the season after suffering an ACL injury in the Gamecocks’ win over Mississippi State on Sunday. She finished the season averaging 7.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks; South Carolina in particular will miss her defensive presence. On a positive note, the Gamecocks have plenty of depth with Chloe Keates, Joyce Edwards and Saniya Feigin up front.
Next 7 days: vs. Texas A&M (Jan. 9), vs. Texas (Jan. 12)
Previous rankings: 3
The Irish won their only game this past week at North Carolina State, 76-66. Fifth-year forward Madi Westbeld, who delayed his season debut due to a foot injury, played 13 minutes. Notre Dame will benefit from her experience and the ability to get her back into action. Even without her, the Fighting Irish are a great rebounding team.
Next 7 days: vs. Wake Forest (Jan. 9), @Clemson (Jan. 12)
Previous rankings: 4
A highly anticipated showdown between USC sophomore star JuJu Watkins and Scarlet Knights freshman Kiyomi McMiller never materialized as the Trojans defeated Rutgers 92-42 on Sunday. MacMiller was benched for disciplinary reasons and took to social media to express her displeasure. USC has won three games against teams ranked in the top 25, and they will win again at Maryland.
Next 7 days: @Maryland (Jan 8), vs. Penn State (Jan 12)
Previous rankings: 5
The Longhorns won 80-73 in their SEC opener against former Big 12 rival Oklahoma State, a foul-filled game in which the referees unfortunately took center stage. No such drama occurred in Texas’ subsequent 90-56 win over Arkansas. The Longhorns’ scoring versatility continues to stand out. Many eyes are on the top-five battle between Texas and South Carolina.
Next 7 days: vs. Alabama (Jan. 9), @South Carolina (Jan. 12)
Previous rankings: 6
The Huskies are relieved that the knee injury guard Paige Bueckers suffered Sunday at Villanova is a sprain that shouldn’t keep her out for too long. The Huskies won 83-52, which is a score you can expect in a Big East game.
Next 7 days: vs. Xavier (Jan. 8), @Georgetown (Jan. 11)
Previous rankings: 8
The Terps defeated Rutgers and Iowa last week, led by senior Shyanne Sellers (39 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists). Kaylin Smikle totaled 39 points in those games. Now, can Maryland pull off its biggest win of the season so far against USC?
Next 7 days: vs. USC (Jan. 8), @Wisconsin (Jan. 11), vs. Wisconsin (Jan. 11) Minnesota (Jan. 14)
Previous rankings: 7
The Tigers remain undefeated with wins over Arkansas and Auburn. Kailyn Gilbert, a junior transfer from Arizona, scored 16 points against the lowly Razorbacks to lead LSU in scoring for the first time this season. Now, how will the Tigers fare against a Tennessee Volunteers team trying to pressure them down the stretch?
Next 7 days: @Tennessee (Jan 9), vs. Vanderbilt (Jan 13)
Previous rankings: 9
Like Texas, Oklahoma was frustrated with 54 fouls in its loss to the Longhorns. But the Sooners quickly bounced back from that loss, handing Tennessee its first loss of the season (87-86) with Payton Verhulst at Knox Weir scored 16 points in the game. Oklahoma led most of the game and held off the Lady Vols’ offense despite committing 31 turnovers and trailing by 15 points in the fourth quarter. Giveaways are the biggest area the Sooners will continue to work on improving.
Next 7 days: @Mississippi State (Jan. 9), vs. Texas A&M (Jan. 12)
Previous rankings: 10
Ohio State is one of three Big Ten teams, along with UCLA and Maryland, that remain undefeated. That could be tested in Michigan on Wednesday. The Buckeyes defeated Northwestern 92-62, with freshman guard Jaloni Cambridge scoring 20 points and grabbing six rebounds.
Next 7 days: @Michigan State (Jan 8), vs. Oregon State (Jan 12)
Previous rankings: 11
TCU guard Madison Conner had 29 points and seven assists in an 81-66 victory over Cincinnati, and center Sedona Prince added 21 points and nine rebounds. The Horned Frogs are 3-0 in the Big 12, their best start in the league since joining the league in 2012-13.
Next 7 days: @Kansas (Jan. 7), @Texas Tech (Jan. 11), vs. UCF (Jan. 14)
Previous rankings: 14
Freshman Danny Carnegie scored a season-high 28 points, including six three-pointers, in the team’s 85-68 win over Syracuse. She scored in double figures in all but two Yellow Jackets games. Georgia Tech has never been in the top 10 in the AP poll, but if the Jackets keep winning, they will be.
Next 7 days: vs. Virginia Tech (Jan. 9), @Louisville (Jan. 12)
Previous rankings: 13
The Wildcats have been great in the Big 12 Conference so far and have a 20-point win over Texas Tech. Center Ayoka Lee scored 19 points and 8 rebounds in just 17 minutes in that game, shooting 9 of 11 from the field, and his field goal percentage rose to 66.9. Next up is Utah, which as of current polls is the only ranked team K-State faces in January.
Next 7 days: @Utah (Jan 8), @BYU (Jan 11)
Previous rankings: 12
The Blue Devils bounced back from a pre-Christmas loss at South Florida to dominate Boston College and Pittsburgh by a combined 65 points. Their rivalry with North Carolina dates back to 1976; the Tar Heels led 55-53. Last season the two teams met in a draw and both won at home.
Next 7 days: @North Carolina (Jan 9), @Virginia (Jan 12)
Previous rankings: 16
The Wildcats posted decisive wins over Mississippi State and Vanderbilt in SEC play, scoring over 90 points in both games. Kentucky set a school record with 18 3-pointers against the Bulldogs, led by Georgia Armor and Da’Zia Lawrence each hitting seven 3-pointers. Amor combined for 51 points and 18 assists in two games.
Next 7 days: @Florida State (Jan 9), vs. Auburn (Jan 12)
Previous rankings: 15
The Lady Vols, who beat Texas A&M and narrowly missed Oklahoma in SEC play, rallied in the fourth quarter but fell behind by one point in their first loss of the season. Jewel Spear scored a total of 48 points in these games. The Sooners are by far the toughest opponent Tennessee has faced. Next up is strong LSU.
Next 7 days: vs. LSU (Jan. 9), @Arkansas (Jan. 12)
It fell out: without any
