The ACC and Big Ten are two of the top conferences in college basketball this season, so it should come as no surprise that the 15th (and final) ACC/Big Ten Challenge boasts several highly-anticipated matchups.

The event brings four matchups between ranked opponents to our screens this week for your binge-watching pleasure — plus another matchup between two unranked but undefeated teams that also deserves attention.

Just Women’s Sports spotlights the top five games taking place over the next two days.

No. 4 Ohio State at No. 18 Louisville

7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, ACC Network

The stakes are high for both Ohio State and Louisville.

At No. 4 in the AP Top 25, Ohio State is in elite company, behind just three historic programs in South Carolina, Stanford and UConn. The Buckeyes started the season with a win over then-No. 5 Tennessee, but the Vols have since fallen out of the poll completely. A win over Louisville would prove that Ohio State belongs among the best of the best.

Louisville is battling what coach Jeff Walz referred to as a “Jekyll and Hyde” persona. One game the Cardinals show up, and the next, they don’t. The Cardinals’ best win came over a Texas team playing without Rori Harmon, and since then they were upset by Gonzaga and South Dakota State. A win over Ohio State would get them one step closer to being the team we expected to see this season.

Headlining the matchup are guards Jacy Sheldon (Ohio State) and Hailey Van Lith (Louisville). The two point guards serve as their teams’ driving forces, playing with high-energy and grit. Van Lith is averaging 21.2 points per game, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists, while Sheldon contributes 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game for the Buckeyes.

But the post matchup between Olivia Cochran and Rebeka Mikulasikova is likely where this game will be won. Louisville’s Cochran is yet to make the kind of sophomore to junior jump that people expected, averaging 8.3 points and 7.3 rebounds – similar to her numbers in the previous two seasons. Mikulasikova, on the other hand, has gone from 9.4 points per game to 17.7, while also recording 6.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Louisville will need Cochran to step up this season if they want to make a deep run in March, and this could be the perfect game for her to break out.

.@autumnjohnsontv is 𝑪𝑯𝑬𝑪𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑰𝑵 with the Cards to give us a behind-the-scenes look before they take on Ohio State tomorrow night 🏀#NCAAWBB x @LouisvilleWBB pic.twitter.com/wlsiwVPp1m

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) November 29, 2022

Virginia at Penn State

7 p.m. ET Wednesday, ESPN+

These two unranked programs are both undefeated and fighting for national attention – Virginia is even among the teams getting AP votes.

Virginia’s best win so far came on Nov. 26, when the Cavaliers topped Minnesota, while Penn State was tested by Toledo on Nov. 25, coming away with a 60-59 win thanks to two free throws from Leilani Kapinus with 0.9 seconds remaining.

Penn State has been slowly building since Carolyn Kieger took over as coach in April 2019. During her first three years at the helm, the Nittany Lions improved their record every season. Senior guard Makenna Marisa leads the way this year, with 16.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. Marisa is underrated because Penn State hasn’t made much noise in the Big Ten, but she is one of the league’s top guards and will be a handful for Virginia to defend.

Virginia is a team fueled by transfers who are taking well to first-year coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, who joined the program after three successful seasons at Missouri State. Camryn Taylor, in her second season with the Cavaliers, leads the team with 13.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Mir McLean is thriving after transferring from UConn in the middle of the 2021-22 season, putting up 10.4 points and 9 rebounds per contest for a near double-double every game.

But the biggest change for Virginia this season has been the addition of Sam Brunelle, who has nearly doubled her production after transferring in from Notre Dame. She went from 6.8 points per game to 12.8 in her first season as a Cavalier.

No. 20 Maryland at No. 7 Notre Dame

6:30 p.m. ET Thursday, ESPN2

Maryland already has played two ranked opponents so far this season, losing to South Carolina and defeating Baylor, while this will be the first real test of the year for undefeated Notre Dame.

Eight games into the season, I’m still not sure how I feel about this Terrapins squad. The lopsided 81-56 loss to South Carolina wasn’t a fair test, as Diamond Miller missed the game with an injury. Then, Miller was unstoppable in the 73-68 win over No. 17 Baylor with 32 points and 10 rebounds.

But less than a week later, the Terps were upset by DePaul, 76-67. In that game, Miller finished with just 11 points and 5 rebounds, which leads me to the following early-season thought: Maryland goes where Diamond Miller goes. The team has plenty of talent, but so far, Miller has been the player to propel them to a win — or a loss.

The game against Notre Dame offers a good opportunity for someone else to step up against top competition – say, Princeton transfer Abby Meyers, who was the team’s best player against South Carolina with 21 points, or sophomore guard Shyanne Sellers, who is averaging 11.9 points per game. It would go a long way for the confidence of the Terps to get an upset over Notre Dame with someone other than Miller taking on a big offensive role.

Notre Dame has been balanced in its attack through the first eight games of the season. Olivia Miles is the driving force for the Irish with her 16 points, 6.7 assists per game and elite playmaking skills, but Notre Dame has plenty of other weapons. Sonia Citron and Dara Mabrey provide two polished scoring options, while players like KK Bransford and Maddy Westbeld are just scratching the surface of their potential.

After playing six unranked opponents to start the season, playing Maryland will allow coach Niele Ivey to see where her team is really at when it comes to top competition.

Abby Meyers was feeling it today 😆

🏀 8-16 FG
🏀 3-7 3FG
🏀 12 points in the 3rd quarter
🏀 23 points
🏀 Most points as a 🐢#FTT x #LegUSy pic.twitter.com/lkqxQH3gXQ

— Maryland Women’s Basketball (@TerpsWBB) November 27, 2022

No. 6 North Carolina at No. 5 Indiana

6 p.m. ET Thursday, Big Ten Network

Indiana will be missing Grace Berger, who is out indefinitely after being injured against Auburn. That’s a big blow for the Hoosiers, both for morale, and overall skill, as Berger is arguably their best player. But both Indiana and North Carolina are playing great basketball right now, and this could be the best game of the ACC/ Big Ten Challenge.

North Carolina has won its last three games, including a statement victory over No. 5 Iowa State, after falling behind and mounting comebacks. But Indiana is too good and too deep to let that happen. North Carolina will need to come out strong on the road at a rowdy Assembly Hall if the Tar Heels want to beat Indiana.

Without Berger, forward Mackenzie Holmes will be the focal point of the Hoosier offense. The 6-3 senior averages 20 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, while shooting an incredibly efficient 76.6% from the field. Holmes will be a challenge defensively for the Tar Heels, who are a guard-oriented team.

Against Iowa State, North Carolina limited the majority of their opponents’ offensive weapons, but Stephanie Soares still had success in the paint, with 19 points and 12 rebounds. To stop Indiana, the Tar Heels will have to do a better job on Holmes.

On defense, the Hoosiers will have to contain North Carolina’s guards, starting with Deja Kelly. The junior drives her team’s offense with 17.8 points and 4.4 assists per game, but Kelly is a volume shooter who makes just 36% of her attempts. If Indiana can force her into difficult shots, they may be able to slow down the UNC attack.

Expect big contributions from Alyssa Ustby, Eva Hodgson and Kennedy Todd-Williams for North Carolina, and from Sara Scalia, Yarden Garzon and Sydney Parrish for Indiana. There’s no shortage of weapons in this game.

How efficient has Mackenzie Holmes been for Indiana this season?

She's averaging 76.6% from the field and 80.8% from 2. pic.twitter.com/t6oq99Uqd4

— Lyndsey D'Arcangelo (@darcangel21) November 28, 2022

No. 12 NC State at No. 10 Iowa

8:30 p.m. ET Thursday, ESPN2

NC State has played a relatively easy schedule to open the year, other than a Nov. 20 contest against UConn. That game went about as poorly as possible, as NC State fell 91-69, allowing Azzi Fudd to score 32 points and Aaliyah Edwards and Lou Lopez-Senechal to each finish with 20. NC State will be looking for a much better defensive performance against Iowa.

Iowa is also coming off a loss to UConn, though that game ended with a much different feeling. The criticism for Iowa last season and through the start of this one has been the lack of offensive balance. It’s been a two player show between Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano — that is, until the loss to UConn.

Clark led the Hawkeyes with 25 points against the Huskies, but Kate Martin had a breakout game, finishing with 20 points and going 6-6 from the 3-point line. McKenna Warnock finished with 14 points and Gabbie Marshall added 10,

The only thing missing for Iowa was production from Czinano in the paint. She averages 17.3 points per game, but UConn held the fifth-year senior to just eight points. The Hawkeyes will likely make it a point to get the ball inside early, and NC State should expect Czinano to bounce back.

Clark will be the focal point for the Wolfpack defense, and they can’t afford to let her have a monster game like Fudd did on Nov. 20. Offensively, NC State has a trio of weapons: Guard Diamond Johnson leads the team with 13.6 points per game, while 6-0 shooting guard Jakia Brown-Turner and 6-2 forward Jada Boyd contribute 10.3 and 10.7 points, respectively.

The Wolfpack are also waiting for a breakout game from Saniya Rivers, who transferred after her freshman season at South Carolina. She was the No. 3 recruit in the class of 2021. Rivers is a polished scorer who is set to be a star at NC State. Right now she’s coming off the bench and contributing 5.7 points per game, but the sophomore is capable of much more.

There's just one WNBA preseason game left on the 2025 calendar, as 12 of the league's 13 teams wrapped exhibition play over the weekend ahead of Friday's regular-season tip-off.

The Chicago Sky became the latest team to lock in their 12-player roster on Sunday, joining the likes of the Indiana Fever in making tough final cuts.

To reach league compliance, Chicago waived Australian guard Alex Wilson, 2024 second-round draft pick Jessika Carter (Mississippi State), and former Mercury forward Morgan Bertsch.

Earning their official spots in the Sky's lineup are 2025 rookies Hailey Van Lith (TCU) and Maddy Westbeld (Notre Dame), the overall No. 11 and No. 16 picks, respectively, in April's draft.

Overall, the class of 2025 is performing well so far, with all first-round picks avoiding early roster cuts — though many teams are still deciding who will suit up on opening day.

Some second-rounders are also showing significant promise, with the Atlanta Dream's 18th overall pick Te-Hina PaoPao (South Carolina) scoring a team-leading 14 points against Indiana on Saturday.

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How to watch the final 2025 WNBA preseason game

Capping the 2025 WNBA preseason are the reigning champion New York Liberty, who will take on Japan's Toyota Antelopes on Monday night.

The exhibition will see Liberty stars Sabrina Ionescu and Nyara Sabally — who notably saw her contract extended through 2026 by New York on Monday afternoon — return to their University of Oregon alma mater for the clash.

The Liberty will tip off against the Antelopes at 10 PM ET, with live coverage airing on WNBA League Pass.

The 2031 Women's World Cup will expand to 48 teams, with the 16-team increase announced among other landmark decisions by the FIFA Council on Friday.

The decision to expand the World Cup aims to "broaden representation, offering more nations and players access to elite competition and accelerating investment in women's football worldwide," according to the FIFA release.

"The FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, the first in which teams from all confederations won at least one game and teams from five confederations reached the knockout stage, among many other records, set a new standard for global competitiveness," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

"This decision ensures we are maintaining the momentum in terms of growing women’s football globally."

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The expanded 2031 World Cup, hosted by the US, will adopt a 12-group format, increasing the total number of matches from 64 to 104 while extending the competition for an additional week.

The World Cup expansion announcement comes on the heels of last month's increased Olympic tournament news, with the IOC boosting the women's soccer field to 16 teams at the 2028 LA Games.

The decision also puts the women's competition in line with the men's World Cup, which will feature FIFA's first 48-team tournament in 2026.

FIFA approves Afghan women's refugee team

In the same Friday announcement, the FIFA Council also approved the creation of an Afghanistan women's refugee team, which would provide evacuated Afghan women players the ability to compete on an officially recognized FIFA team.

While FIFA requires that national federations sponsor teams, the Afghan Football Federation ceased acknowledging its women's team once the Taliban-controlled government banned women's sports.

Originally formed by the country's Olympic Committee in 2007, the Afghanistan women's national team has not played a FIFA-recognized match since 2018, and most of its athletes fled the country amidst the Taliban's second takeover in 2021.

Since then, players have petitioned FIFA for the opportunity to compete. Their efforts earned a one-year trial phase from the governing body on Friday, though the success of the program could see it expanded to refugees from other nations in the future.

"We are happy that FIFA has created a pathway for Afghan players to finally return to the field," team founder and former captain Khalida Popal told CNN on Friday, adding that the squad "remain[s] hopeful FIFA can amend its statutes to provide official recognition for our players as the Afghanistan Women's National Team."

Popal — who helped hundreds of Afghans, including the team, escape the Taliban — previously said the team "could show the world that Afghan women and girls belong in sport, in school and everywhere in society — and we will not be defeated."

Chelsea FC is the first team in Women's Super League (WSL) history to claim an unbeaten 22-game season, adding the undefeated moniker to their sixth-straight league title with Saturday's 1-0 win over Liverpool.

The Blues' perfect season joins the previous unbeaten campaigns of 2012's Arsenal, 2016's Manchester City, and Chelsea's own 2018 squad — though those three teams did so in 14, 16, and 18 games, respectively.

Chelsea finishes the 2024/25 campaign with an astounding 19 wins and three draws, missing just six possible points on the table en route to their new WSL record of 60 points in a single season.

"As a manager, players, and staff, you only live these moments maybe once in your life," said Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor following Saturday's history-making win. "You need to enjoy it because it is a great achievement."

Trailing Chelsea's impressive winning tally by a full 12 points, Arsenal secured second place with a 4-3 victory over third-place Manchester United in their Saturday season finale.

WSL standouts secure individual 2024/25 awards

Though they missed the WSL's team trophy, the Gunners did claim some individual hardware this weekend, as voters selected midfielder Mariona Caldentey as the inaugural winner of the WSL Player of the Season award.

The 29-year-old Spain international led the league in shot creation, and put up nine goals and five assists on the WSL stat sheet this season.

Caldentey's teammate Alessia Russo also walked away with a trophy, sharing the Golden Boot with fourth-place Manchester City's Khadija "Bunny" Shaw after both forwards scored 12 goals each on the season.

Also sharing a stat-sheet title is Chelsea's Hannah Hampton and Manchester United's Phallon Tullis-Joyce, who claimed the 2024/25 WSL Golden Glove award behind 13 clean sheets apiece.

Meanwhile, the season's WSL Rising Star award went to ninth-place West Ham striker Shekiera Martinez. After spending the first half of the 2024/25 season on loan to Bundesliga side SC Freiburg, the 23-year-old German international notched an astounding 10 goals in her 12 total WSL matches.

Speaking of impressive scoring, Manchester City forward Vivianne Miedema's stellar chip against Aston Villa in January earned the Dutch star the 2024/25 WSL Goal of the Season title.

For the first time in program history, Texas A&M is the No. 1 seed in the NCAA softball tournament, with the Aggies staving off four-time reigning champion Oklahoma for the honor in Sunday's 2025 bracket drop.

After adverse weather canceled their conference title game on Saturday, the Aggies and No. 2-seed Sooners became 2025 SEC tournament co-champions, leaving the NCAA selection committee to lean heavily on each team's strength of schedule in making their top-seed decision.

"What set apart Texas A&M is they have 19 Top 25 wins, which is number one in the country," said NCAA softball committee chair Kurt McGuffin on Sunday's ESPN2 broadcast, noting the Aggies' tough nonconference schedule.

Taking on a lighter nonconference slate than usual due to massive roster turnover following the 2023/24 season, Oklahoma relied heavily on their record in a stacked SEC, finishing one half-game ahead of A&M in regular-season play.

While the Sooners look to extend their championship streak, the Aggies will be hunting their third national title and first since 1987.

Standing in their way in the 64-team bracket are a record number of familiar foes, as the SEC boasts 14 teams in the 2025 NCAA competition — the most from any single conference in tournament history.

Even more, nine of the bracket's 16 seeded teams hail from the SEC, and a full seven of the Top 8.

Conference champs, at-large teams score NCAA bracket spots

SEC squads aren't the only teams looking to topple Texas A&M and Oklahoma, however, as conference champions and other elite squads learned their tournament fates on Selection Sunday.

No. 5 Florida State is the highest seeded non-SEC team, despite falling 2-1 to No. 11-seed Clemson in Saturday's ACC title game. Along with No. 14-seed Duke, the ACC will see nine teams in the 2025 tournament.

Behind 2024 National Player of the Year NiJaree Canady — the nation's top pitcher — Texas Tech leads a five-team contingent from the Big 12 after securing both their conference tournament trophy and the national No. 12-seed this weekend.

In the weekend's most upset-filled conference tournament, unseeded Michigan outlasted both No. 9-seed UCLA and No. 16-seed Oregon to score a second straight Big Ten tournament title on Saturday, becoming one of eight teams repping the conference in Sunday's bracket.

Notably, the Bruins — the winningest program in NCAA softball history with 12 titles — have not entered the tournament lower than a No. 6 seed since 2016.

How to watch the 2025 NCAA softball tournament

The road to the 2025 Women's College World Series begins with Regionals, in which each of the 16 seeded teams will host a four-team double-elimination mini-tournament this weekend.

With a minimum of 96 games — and a possibility of 112 — Regional play begins at 12 PM ET on Friday, with the 64-team field narrowing to 16 by Sunday night.

All games will air live across ESPN's networks.