Notre Dame has been voted because the preseason favourite to win the 2024-25 Atlantic Coast Convention ladies’s basketball title, marking the primary time since 2018 that the Preventing Irish have held that distinction. The ACC’s Blue Ribbon Panel and head coaches solid their votes, giving Notre Dame 70 of the 79 doable first-place votes, reaffirming this system’s robust outlook for the upcoming season.
The Preventing Irish are coming off a profitable marketing campaign that noticed them win the ACC match as a No. 4 seed and advance to the Candy 16 within the NCAA Match. The crew’s sophomore star, Hannah Hidalgo, has been named the ACC Preseason Participant of the 12 months. Hidalgo had a powerful freshman season, incomes each ACC Rookie of the 12 months and Defensive Participant of the 12 months honors. She led the nation with 4.57 steals per sport and ranked second within the ACC in scoring with 22.6 factors per sport, incomes her the 2023-24 Daybreak Staley Award for the perfect level guard within the nation.
Notre Dame’s roster is stacked with expertise, with three gamers touchdown on the Preseason All-ACC Workforce. Along with Hidalgo, junior guards Sonia Citron and Olivia Miles have been chosen. Citron averaged 17.3 factors per sport final season and was a key contributor in the course of the ACC match run, whereas Miles returns from an ACL harm after being a finalist for ACC Participant of the 12 months within the 2022-23 season. The Irish even have two gamers on the Newcomer Watch Checklist: freshman Kate Koval, a McDonald’s All-American, and graduate switch Liza Karlen, who was a standout at Marquette.
NC State and Duke Spherical Out the Prime 3
Recent off a Last 4 look, NC State was voted second within the ACC Preseason Ballot, receiving eight first-place votes. The Wolfpack are led by guards Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James, each named to the Preseason All-ACC Workforce. Rivers, a defensive pressure, and James, an offensive chief, will likely be key as NC State goals for one more deep match run. Freshman guard Zamareya Jones, one other promising expertise, was included on the Newcomer Watch Checklist.
Duke was picked third within the ballot and can look to senior guard Reigan Richardson to guide the cost. Richardson, the lone Blue Satan on the Preseason All-ACC Workforce, will likely be tasked with elevating Duke after an NCAA Candy 16 look final 12 months. Duke additionally boasts high freshman recruit Toby Fournier, who earned probably the most votes on the Newcomer Watch Checklist.
Different ACC Groups to Watch
Louisville, picked fourth within the ballot, will open its season with a high-profile sport in opposition to UCLA in Paris as a part of the “Oui Play” occasion. The Cardinals are led by freshman standout Imari Berry, named to the Newcomer Watch Checklist. Florida State, which positioned fifth, has two Preseason All-ACC honorees: guard Ta’Niya Latson and ahead Makayla Timpson. The Seminoles will look to construct on a powerful season after an NCAA Match look.
Stanford, a brand new addition to the ACC, was picked seventh and garnered one first-place vote. The Cardinal will look to make an instantaneous impression in a aggressive convention. Different groups rounding out the highest 10 are North Carolina, Miami, Virginia, and Georgia Tech.
The ACC continues to solidify its place among the many nation’s high conferences, with eight groups making the NCAA Match in every of the final six seasons. Notre Dame, ranked No. 6 within the AP Preseason Ballot, leads the cost because the convention prepares for one more thrilling 12 months of girls’s basketball.
The 2024-25 season kicks off on Monday, November 4, that includes 15 ACC groups in motion. A spotlight of the day will likely be Louisville’s sport in opposition to UCLA in Paris, France, as a part of the “Oui Play” occasion, airing at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. This marks the second consecutive 12 months that an ACC crew begins the season in France, following Notre Dame’s matchup with South Carolina within the 2023-24 opener.
Preseason Participant of the 12 months
- Hannah Hidalgo, So., G, Notre Dame
Preseason All-ACC Workforce (First-place votes – 79 voters)
- Hannah Hidalgo So., G, Notre Dame 921 (62 first-place votes)
- Ta’Niya Latson, Jr., G, Florida State 734 (9 first-place votes)
- Saniya Rivers, Sr., G, NC State 527 (2 first-place votes)
- Aziaha James, Sr., G, NC State 473 (1 first-place vote)
- Olivia Miles, Jr., G, Notre Dame 457 (4 first-place votes)
- Sonia Citron, Jr., G, Notre Dame 331
- Makayla Timpson, Sr., F, Florida State 315
- Alyssa Ustby, Gr., G/F, North Carolina 308
- Reigan Richardson, Sr., G, Duke 202
- Kymora Johnson, So., G, Virginia 193 (1 first-place vote)
Newcomer Watch Checklist
- Toby Fournier, Fr., F, Duke
- Imari Berry, Fr., G, Louisville
- Kate Koval, Fr., F, Notre Dame
- Zamareya Jones, Fr., G, NC State
- Liza Karlen, Gr., F, Notre Dame
Predicted Order of End (79 voters)
- Notre Dame (70), 1726
- NC State (8), 1617
- Duke, 1446
- Louisville, 1370
- Florida State, 1335
- North Carolina, 1279
- Stanford (1), 1214
- Miami, 883
- Virginia, 877
- Georgia Tech, 855
- Syracuse, 801
- Virginia Tech, 786
- Clemson, 553
- California, 546
- Boston School, 533
- SMU, 274
- Wake Forest, 259
- Pitt, 233
