Non-Conference Games Are Done, 12 teams From Woman’s ACC Could March Into the Madness (12-27-2025)
By: Joe Dillard Jr.
Headline Photo Credit: Notre Dame
If I asked you how many teams there are in the conference, I would hear multiple answers far from the power 8 that led the conference in the past. 18 teams are in the women’s ACC and with 12 of them having a head start on their journey to March, that’s 66 percent of the teams with a shot.
Walking up from the bottom are three teams that have combined for 28 losses in Boston College, Florida State, and Georgia Tech. If one of them makes some noise I would look out for Florida State as they have the best record of the three and will have some of the best teams to put on their resume in conference play.
The next three up are Pittsburgh, SMU, and California who all have similar records with all three teams above .500. The problem is they started 0-1 in conference play and will have to make up some lost ground compared to the other teams in the middle of the bunch.
With that, we have covered the 6 teams that as of right now I would have them on the outside looking in. The last 0-1 team is #16 North Carolina who lost to Louisville in overtime at home, has an 11-3 record. In those three losses, their opponent has a combined 37-4 record as #2 Texas, #4 UCLA, and #12 Louisville are early final four favorites. Yet still they will need to post some big game wins on their resume.
Miami is 1-1 and 8-4 overall and just find themselves in the middle of everything and will need more consistent play as they beat Wake Forest and lost to NC State. Two tough games out of the way but will it be .500 or will they make a run at the title?
Clemson is very interesting as they didn’t need a bunch of tough non-conference games, just the one against South Carolina and it seems like they made the first adjustment where I am sure during conference play, they will need to make one or two more. 1-1 and 9-4 overall with a chance to finish with 20 wins.
Wake Forest faced adversity early in the season while maintaining an 11-3 record. 1-1 in conference play and they will lean on the conference to pull them into tournament play as they have no quality non-conference games. This could bite them in the end but as of now they are in a prime position starting the conference season.
Virginia Tech is quietly finding its identity while overcoming a 2-game skid and losing to Duke only to beat Florida State and maintain an 11-3 record which has them looking like they have a great chance to go dancing. The highest preseason-ranked team was Duke and with a 1-0 conference start the losses in the non-conference will build character as they faced three straight powerhouses in South Carolina, UCLA, and LSU while losing to South Florida right before this massive three-game stretch. At 6-6, they have a lot of work to do but one thing is certain, they are battle-tested.
Surprisingly, UVA has a 9-3 record not losing consecutive games, and ultimately learning each time on the floor. 1-0 in ACC play is a good start but if they can start 5-0 as they have winnable games, look out for what might be brewing in Charlottesville. The most recent win against Winthrop shows they have grown in the non-conference schedule which is key to making a tournament run.
One of the most electrifying teams in the conference is Notre Dame and led by National player of the year candidate Hannah Hidalgo as the Fighting Irish are 9-2 and 1-0 in conference play. However, this season they only secured one key victory against USC (California) and have been winners of four in a row. They expect to be in the mix come March and will be looking to see what they can learn along the way. Standford has truly been a great addition to the basketball landscape for the women as the Lady Cardinals are 11-2 and have been consistent with both losses coming with under five-point deficits. Receiving votes for the top 25, Stanford will get to prove themselves in ACC play to have a great chance at a deep run into the tournament. It appears they have run through the competition on the west and will look to make a splash this season.
Syracuse is definitely a wildcard as they are rolling with an 11-1 record but got blown out by Michigan and other than that they have not had a huge matchup other than the win against Auburn at home. If they can muster up a 10-6 record in conference they will be considered for a tournament slot come March. North Carolina State has big game experience on the roster with Zoie Brooks and the crew so when they have a 9-4 record, believe they played major competition with wins against Tennessee, Seton Hall, and 2-0 in conference play. Competition against USC (California), TCU, and Oklahoma has been key for the Wolfpack to make another deep tournament run.
UConn, South Carolina, and Kentucky were all three of the losses Louisville has, and was all competitive games against nationally ranked teams. Having a key road win against UNC also showed they are the real deal and will be a tough out and are the early favorites to win the ACC. They go 12 deep like the conference and will be a team that will play all four quarters, so you’d better bring your hard hat for the matchup. This shall be another successful year for the ACC and with the women’s college landscape having at least 20 teams that could fight for a final four appearance is nothing but pure joy to the basketball fans out there. Once they start facing one another, we will see who will rise to the top as the battle for the top team in this conference carries tremendous weight going into the tournament.
