There is a wide range of difficulty in how women’s basketball programs set their non-conference slates. Some teams, eg South CarolinaStanding in an array of ranked opponents, incl NC State, UCLA (which beat GameCox) Duke And TCU. Scheduling is on the other side of the spectrum LSUIt is still undefeated but has only faced three Power 4 schools, including only one top 25 team.
League schedules can also vary widely, but are more level-headed than non-conference action. LSU, for example, is now thrown into the SEC gauntlet of facing ranked teams. Tennessee (home and away) Oklahoma (house) and Ole Miss (home), and South Carolina, Texas And Kentucky (all on the road)
Like the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten, the SEC schedule also sees new wrinkles created by the realignment. Texas and Oklahoma join the league as programs challenging perennial power South Carolina. Coaching changes also monitor interesting teams like Kentucky and Tennessee.
With nearly two months into the season and league play on the horizon, ESPN answers everything you need to know and the biggest questions about the major conferences.
Acc
Front Runner: Notre Dame. The ACC looks like the Fighting Irish have to lose. They boast the National Player of the Year front runner. Hannah Hidalgoperhaps the nation’s best backcourt (Hidalgo, Olivia Miles And Sonia Citron(UConnTexas and USC). Their chances of dominating the ACC are only improved when Maddie West Ballad Returning from a foot injury.
Top Challengers: Duke, basically. Behind the contribution of Ashlon Jackson, Reagan Richardson And the latest Toby FournierThe Blue Devils seem to have a strong offense to pair with their usually stout defense. wins. Kansas State And Oklahoma was a confidence booster during Fest Week that this Cara Lawson team could be special.
Others in the mix: NC State and Louisville Picked to finish second and fourth in the preseason poll, respectively, but fell short in non-conference action, the Cardinals fell out of the top 25. North Carolina Also slightly up and down, while Florida StateIt is home to the country’s leading scorer. Ta’Niya LatsonHaven’t made a splash as a team yet. But conference play can allow teams to establish more consistency.
The biggest X-factor in the league race? Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets were picked to finish 10th in the league. Fast forward to the end of December and they are undefeated with a program record 13-0 start, which ranks 13th in the nation and they beat UNC fairly comfortably in their ACC opener. Expectations are growing that these new-look Yellow Jackets, known for their high-powered offense and 3-point shooting, can make some noise in the ACC.
Three games that could decide it:
Feb. 17: Duke at Notre Dame (6 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Feb. 23: Notre Dame at NC State (noon ET, ESPN)
Feb. 27: UNC at Duke (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
— Alexa Philippaw
Big 12
Front Runner: Kansas State. The Wildcats were the coaches’ preseason pick to win the league, as they have one of the toughest players to stop under center. Avoca Lee. She is averaging 17.3 points and shooting 65.0 percent from the field. K-State is second in the Big 12 in points scored and first in points allowed. The Wildcats’ only loss came to Duke.
Top Challengers: TCU, West Virginia, Baylor. The Horned Frogs have the Big 12’s best non-conference win against Notre Dame. Their only loss was to South Carolina. The Mountaineers have one of the best backcourts in the Big 12. However, they opened Big 12 play falling. ColoradoOutscored 25-9 in the fourth, losing an 11-point lead after three quarters. Altitude effect, perhaps, but an important win for the Buffs as they return to the Big 12. Baylor lost to unranked. Oregon And Indianabut started league play with a 20-point win. Kansas.
The biggest X-factor in the league race? We’ll see how good it is. Iowa State — which was a preseason top-10 team and is now unranked — bounces back from a disappointing non-conference slate and Big 12 opener. Last season, the Cyclones made and delivered the Big 12 Tournament final. Stanford The fear of overtime in the NCAA tournament. Expectations were high for him this season, but he was blown out by South Carolina and UConn and opened Big 12 play with a loss. Oklahoma State. Another X-factor is how different the conference’s schedule is from just two years ago, with eight new members since the start of the 2022-23 season and the departures of Texas and Oklahoma. Many of these new matchups have no historical frame.
Three games that could decide it:
Feb. 5: TCU at Kansas State (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
Feb. 11: Baylor at West Virginia (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
Feb. 23: TCU at West Virginia, noon ET, ESPN2
— Michael Woppel
Big Ten
Front Runner: UCLA. USC and State of Ohio Expectations have been met. Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State And Iowa have exceeded them. But UCLA has been the best team in the Big Ten — and perhaps the nation — for the first two months and is the clear favorite heading into league play. The Bruins are deep, have solved their perimeter shooting woes of the past few seasons and have a versatile lineup anchored by center. Lauren Bates.
Top Challengers: USC is due to any sport and any race. Jojo Watkins. with the Kiki Erifen Now finding their way to Los Angeles, the Trojans are national championship contenders. Ohio State’s full-court press is a high-risk, high-reward approach, but it gives the Buckeyes a chance against anyone.
The biggest X-factor in the league race? The size of Lauren Bates. Betts is not only one of the best players in the country, but she’s also 6-foot-7. None of the other Big Ten contenders have a player that rivals Betts’ size and skill combination. The rest of the league’s best teams are driven by great guard play. Do any of them have a way to reduce internal dominance of bats? The answer will determine whether UCLA will seriously challenge for the conference crown.
Three games that could decide it:
January 23: Maryland at Ohio State (6 p.m. ET, BTN)
Feb. 2: USC at Iowa (1:30 p.m. ET, Fox)
March 1: USC at UCLA (9 p.m. ET, Fox)
— Charlie Cream
SEC
Front Runner: South Carolina. No surprise here. The defending NCAA champions have won or shared the SEC regular season title in eight of the past 11 seasons. Despite losing the standout center Camilla Cardoso From last year’s team, the Gamecocks are still loaded with talent inside and out. Their only loss came on Nov. 24 at UCLA, but they have recovered well from that. South Carolina doesn’t have a significant scoring threat. Seven players averaged between 7.2 and 11.3 points per game. This makes them very difficult to protect.
The biggest X-factor in the league race? Texas and South Carolina faced each other twice. LSU plays both of them only once (though those games are on the road). The schedule is likely to fall in the Tigers’ hands, either for them to win the regular-season title — something LSU hasn’t done since 2008 — or finish second. There’s also the fact that the SEC is almost always an unpredictable upset because even lower-ranked squads can be dangerous if they’re hitting shots.
Three games that could decide it:
Jan. 12: Texas at South Carolina, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN
Feb. 9: South Carolina at Texas, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN
Feb. 16: LSU at Texas, 3 p.m. ET, ABC
— Whoopal
Which other conferences could have the biggest impact on the bracket in March?
The Big East and Atlantic 10 project to have multiple bids and are worth keeping an eye on as they affect at-large berths elsewhere.
In the Big East, UConn and Creighton There are locks. St. John’s And a hot streak from maybe Villanova There are wild cards to watch.
In Atlantic 10, Richmond beat Oklahoma State and Colombiabut George Mason And of St. Joseph Should remain in contention for an at-large bid to the NCAA.
The Summit, Ivy and Mountain West could also become multiple-bid leagues. South Dakota State A potential at-large team if the Jackrabbits don’t win the Summit League Tournament. A less likely but equally likely scenario could play out. UNLV At MWC.
Ivey received two bids a year ago and if she can do the same this season. Harvard Continues to win but does not win the league’s four-team tournament.
— Cream