Women’s Conference Tournament Preview: ACC
WOMEN’S CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: ACC —The ACC doesn’t quite have the depth of the Big Ten or the SEC, but it’s still a pretty loaded league. It’s looking to get up to 10 bids in the NCAA tournament, although it’s going to need a few results to go a certain way to get to that number.
What happens in Greensboro will decide if a third conference can get double-digit bids as well as if some historic streaks continue. Stanford, for example, hasn’t missed the NCAA tournament since 1987. But the Cardinal finished 11th in the ACC, and they’re going to need at least two wins and probably three to keep their streak alive.
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At the top, things look a lot more wide open than they did two weeks ago. Notre Dame appeared to be surging toward a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and possibly the top overall seed. Now the Irish aren’t even the top team in Greensboro, as N.C. State got that honor. In short, there’s a lot at stake here and lots to be decided.
Details
When: Wednesday, March 5 to Sunday, March 9
Where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C.
TV: ACC Network, ESPN2 and ESPN
Who’s the Favorite?
It was going to be Notre Dame, but then the Fighting Irish lost twice down the stretch, allowing N.C. State to win the tiebreaker and claim the top seed. And the Wolfpack have their eyes on possibly landing a No. 1 seed if they can win the ACC and beat the Irish again in the process.
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Notre Dame remains one of the toughest teams in the nation, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if they turned the tables on the Wolfpack. That said, the location of Greensboro likely favors State.
Who Needs A Good Showing?
Virginia Tech is probably cooked if it loses its first game. The Hokies are right on the cut line, although they did finish as the higher seed against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets appear safely in the field as a No. 9 seed, and thus don’t have as much at stake as the Hokies. Virginia Tech needs to play desperate basketball here.
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Stanford is also really in a tough spot. Unfortunately for the Cardinal, they will get nothing out of beating Clemson, which means they have to find a way to take down Louisville. And while the Cardinals have lost three of their past 10 games, the defeats were to Notre Dame twice and North Carolina.
Who’s In the Best Form?
Virginia needs a miracle run to make the tournament, but the Cavaliers pulling it off isn’t totally crazy. They have won their past three and played everyone tough with the exception of Notre Dame. Unfortunately for Virginia, the Irish will be their quarterfinal opponent if they get past Pittsburgh and California.
The Pick
This comes down to whether you believe N.C. State can contain Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame a second time. Hidalgo couldn’t find her shot against the Wolfpack last time, and the Irish paid the price. Hidalgo is likely too good to have that work a second time, and if that’s the case, the Irish will turn the tables in the rematch. That’s what I’m banking on here.
