The SEC-ACC Problem is the right occasion to comply with the various Thanksgiving tournaments we noticed final week. This 12 months it exceeded even the best expectations for on-court competitors, intrigue and constructing the inspiration for the remainder of the season.
These matchups not solely characteristic many ranked groups dealing with off, however are sometimes checked out by the NCAA event choice committee for energy of schedule and event seeding come March.
Listed below are 5 issues we discovered from the SEC-ACC Problem video games this week:
Notre Dame by no means left
Arguably probably the most star-studded sport over the 2 days occurred Thursday night time when the No. 4 Texas Longhorns traveled to South Bend, Indiana to face the No. 10 Notre Dame Preventing Irish.
Getting into the sport, the Preventing Irish had been on the ropes. Final week, then-No. 3 ranked Notre Dame misplaced each of its video games. The primary was towards a TCU Horned Frogs crew that’s one of many hottest in basketball, led by level guard Hailey Van Lith who’s added excessive distribution numbers to an already spectacular scoring means.
A loss the place nobody may fault the Irish, however then the unranked Utah Utes beat Notre Dame and it appeared just like the Irish had been caught in a stoop after defeating No. 3 USC the weekend prior.
On Thursday, Rori Harmon and Madison Booker led the Longhorns to a five-point lead after one quarter and it appeared like Notre Dame’s woes may proceed, however the Irish didn’t waver.
The Notre Dame protection picked up the depth, holding Texas to their lowest level whole in 1 / 4 this season (12) and arrange a second half definitely worth the worth of admission. The lead modified 4 occasions within the ultimate 10 minutes, and within the 10 seconds either side’ leaders took middle stage.
First up was Harmon, who gave time to her Texas teammates to run a play however the Notre Dame zone was an excessive amount of for the SEC aspect. Harmon took issues into her personal fingers, took on a double crew and hit a midrange jumper to tie the sport.
Olivia Miles wouldn’t be outdone, and the senior guard attacked the rim and made a transfer midair round 6-foot-6 ahead Kyla Oldacre to hit what appeared just like the game-winning layup with two seconds remaining.
That was simply lengthy sufficient for Harmon to show minor contact right into a whistle and two free throws.
All these free throws did although was stall the inevitable, with Hannah Hidalgo scoring 5 of Notre Dame’s 12 factors in extra time to beat the Longhorns 80-70. Hidalgo led the Irish with 30 factors, eight rebounds and 4 assists, eliminating any doubt in direction of the ACC aspect who held excellent sophomore Booker to 7-of-21 capturing and 6 factors from Harmon.
After a quick ACC stint towards Syracuse, it doesn’t get simpler for the Irish after they welcome the No. 2 UConn Huskies to South Bend on Thursday.
LSU can battle
In Baton Rouge, the No. 5 LSU Tigers hit a 3 to start out the scoring on Thursday. They wouldn’t lead once more till extra time towards the unranked Stanford Cardinal.
Stanford entered the at all times loud PMAC with just one blemish to their report after they misplaced to the Indiana Hoosiers in Meeting Corridor final month. Possibly its one thing with passionate residence environments, however after amassing a 15-point result in begin the second quarter, the Tigers slowly chipped away till the ultimate potential second.
With lower than a minute remaining, the guests had a two possession lead and lots of the LSU “devoted” took to the exits. Nevertheless, the sport wasn’t over, particularly for guard Mikaylah Williams.
Williams scored 5 of LSU’s ultimate eight factors, together with the shot that despatched the sport into extra time.
The junior guard acquired a go on the free throw line, moved like she was going to push in direction of the basket, stopped and hit a midrange fadeaway jumper with 4 seconds remaining.
It was two of Williams’ game-leading 32 factors, and after Stanford missed a final second heave, all of the momentum laid with the Tigers who powered via extra time to a 94-88 victory.
What made the additional interval reassuring for Tiger followers was the absence of Flau’Jae Johnson. With 1:05 remaining, the chief of LSU on the courtroom fouled out of the sport with the Tigers up 4 factors. With their prime scorer out, the Tigers went forward and elevated their result in seal the victory.
Up so far of the season, LSU had followers their energy of schedule and questioning if this crew was actually definitely worth the top-five rating. After Thursday’s win over Stanford, and wins over the Washington Huskies and NC State Wolfpack up to now two weeks, it’s getting more durable to query the energy of head coach Kim Mulkey’s squad.
South Carolina is hungry
For some sports activities followers, watching the mighty fall is usually pretty much as good as a favourite crew profitable. The South Carolina Gamecocks are probably the most profitable girls’s basketball crew of the last decade, with 4 consecutive journeys to the Last 4, with two ending in Nationwide Championship trophies for head coach Daybreak Staley. To not point out not shedding a single sport throughout final 12 months’s title run and dropping solely 9 video games up to now 5 seasons.
So, when the UCLA Bruins obtained the most effective of the Gamecocks on Nov. 24, their lone defeat for the reason that 22-23 season, some corners of the basketball world rejoiced on the thought of one other crew taking the helm.
Not so quick.
Since that defeat, the Gamecocks have been on a tear, leaving nothing of their wake. Simply 4 days after shedding to the Bruins, South Carolina defeated the then No. 15 ranked Iowa State Cyclones by 40 factors. That’s not a typo.
Purdue was subsequent, falling 99-51, a scoreline often reserved for the primary couple video games of the season when prime sides tackle small, regional, in-state colleges. Nope, it was a Huge Ten crew made to seem like a mid-major satellite tv for pc campus.
Thursday, it was the No. 8 Duke Blue Devils touring to Columbia, South Carolina for an opportunity to decelerate the prepare raging full steam down the monitor, and so they didn’t.
Duke’s main scorer Reigan Richardson, recent off scoring 54 factors within the final two video games main as much as the SEC-ACC Problem, obtained into foul bother early and performed solely a minute of the primary quarter. Richardson ended the sport with solely her second sport since becoming a member of Duke the place she had no rebounds, no assists and single-digit factors (3).
South Carolina went on the Blue Devils for 3 quarters earlier than Duke went on a run, however by then it was too late. The Gamecocks went into the ultimate 10 minutes with a 20-point lead that Duke made look extra respectable in an 81-70 defeat, however the finish end result was nonetheless the identical.
Ahead Chloe Kitts had 21 factors and 11 rebounds within the victory, matching her profession scoring excessive and notching her third double-double this season.
Up subsequent for the Gamecocks are the No. 9 TCU Horned Frogs, who’ve already upset two ranked sides this season.
Oklahoma is rising
When the No. 11 Sooners signed Raegan Beers, arguably the highest switch this summer season, the anticipated end result was that Oklahoma would hit a brand new stage, competing with their new SEC opponents of their first 12 months within the convention.
The Sooners first take a look at, Nov. 27 towards the Duke Blue Devils, led to an extra time defeat the place Oklahoma wanted a final second three to even add one other interval.
Wednesday, they opened up the SEC-ACC Problem in Kentucky, dealing with off towards freshman star Tajianna Roberts and the No. 22 Louisville Cardinals. Louisville began robust, forcing Beers into early foul bother, taking part in solely eight of the primary 20 minutes and coming into halftime with a 12-point lead.
Within the fourth quarter, Oklahoma confirmed it will possibly take take up the stress and persevere.
Guard Payton Verhulst, who hit that game-tying three towards Duke, stepped as much as the highlight once more with an 11-point quarter the place the guard agitated the house aspect, attending to the road six occasions and hitting all of them. Making it harm a bit extra was the truth that Verhulst was as soon as a Cardinal, transferring in December of 2022, one month into her sophomore season.
The frustration confirmed in Louisville’s offense. The Cardinals shot 25 p.c within the ultimate quarter, together with lacking all seven makes an attempt from past the arc.
Verhulst’s play, together with 4 factors and 5 rebounds from Beers, led the Sooners in a ultimate quarter the place they outscored the Cardinals 29-12, defeating Louisville 78-72.
For Louisville, it’s their second loss to an SEC faculty this season, after falling to the Kentucky Wildcats.
Oklahoma heads again to Norman with their first marquee victory within the Verhulst/Beers period. Ought to they proceed this trajectory, their addition to the SEC may annoy extra followers exterior of Oklahoma than in it.
Basketball’s enjoyable
Sheila Swish mentioned it greatest “basketball’s enjoyable.” The SEC gained the SEC-ACC Problem after the 2 conferences tied in final 12 months’s inaugural competitors, however actually it was basketball followers who gained.
Whereas a lot of the massive video games lived as much as the hype, there are much more classes all through these two days of battles. Like NC State lastly beating a ranked crew after they traveled to Ole Miss to defeat the No. 18 ranked SEC program, or Cal upsetting a ranked Alabama crew, who some noticed as a darkish horse aspect.
The SEC-ACC Problem confirmed that exterior of March Insanity, basketball video games are greatest served inside crew’s arenas, in entrance of residence followers who may help push a crew to new heights.
