Conference Tournament Previews: SEC | Big East | Big Ten | Big 12
The top of the ACC stumbled a bit in the final few games, but the tournament this week is completely up for grabs. Duke, despite holding the top seed after securing the regular-season title, is by no means a lock.
Advertisement
Here’s everything you need to know heading into the ACC women’s basketball tournament this week.
Duke holds narrow lead over the field
Despite a rough non-conference run early in the season and a pair of bad losses late, Duke was the best team in the ACC this season. The Blue Devils went 21-8 to win the league title despite losing at unranked Clemson by two points last month and then at North Carolina in the final game of the season.
But the ACC tournament is far from a lock for the Blue Devils. North Carolina went 14-4 in league play and won 12 of its last 13 games. Louisville finished in second in the conference with a pair of bad unranked losses to end the year, too. It nearly knocked off Duke last month, but couldn’t finish the game out after leading in the fourth quarter.
Advertisement
Oh, and while they went just 20-9 and are entering the postseason unranked, Hannah Hidalgo and Notre Dame shouldn’t be counted out. Hidalgo averaged 25.2 points — which is the third-best output nationally behind only Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes and Iowa State’s Audi Crooks — and 6.3 rebounds this season. She dropped 30 points to lead the Fighting Irish past Louisville on Sunday to cap a five-game win streak.
Duke has the advantage of the double bye and the top seed, but the ACC tournament should be incredibly competitive this weekend outside of Atlanta.
ACC women’s basketball tournament basics
When: Wednesday-Sunday
Where: Gas South Arena | Duluth, Georgia
TV: ESPN, ESPN2, ACCN
The ACC women’s basketball tournament bracket is set. (ACC)
ACC women’s basketball schedule, results
All times ET
Advertisement
Wednesday: First Round
Game 1 | No. 12 Miami vs. No. 13 Stanford | 11 a.m. | ACCN
Game 2 | No. 10 Cal vs. No. 15 Wake Forest | 1:30 p.m. | ACCN
Game 3 | No. 11 Georgia Tech vs. No. 14 Florida State | 4 p.m. | ACCN
Thursday: Second Round
Game 4 | No. 8 Virginia vs. No. 9 Clemson | 11 a.m. | ACCN
Game 5 | No. 5 Notre Dame vs. G1 Winner | 1:30 p.m. | ACCN
Game 6 | No. 7 Syracuse vs. G2 Winner | 5 p.m. | ACCN
Game 7 | No. 6 Virginia Tech vs. G3 Winner | 7:30 p.m. | ACCN
Friday: Quarterfinals
Game 8 | No. 1 Duke vs. G4 Winner | 11 a.m. | ESPN2
Game 9 | No. 4 NC State vs. G5 Winner | 1:30 p.m. | ACCN
Game 10 | No. 2 Louisville vs. G6 Winner | 5 p.m. | ESPN2
Game 11 | No. 3 North Carolina vs. G7 Winner | 7:30 p.m. | ACCN
Saturday: Semifinals
Game 12 | G8 Winner vs. G9 Winner | 12 p.m. | ESPN2
Game 13 | G10 Winner vs. G11 Winner | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Sunday: Championship
Game 14 | G12 Winner vs. G13 Winner | 1 p.m. | ESPN
