As the 2024/25 NCAA basketball Selection Sunday looms, the Ivy League is tipping off its two-day conference tournament on Friday, with an automatic ticket to March Madness on the line in Saturday's championship game.
Compared to behemoths like the 18-team ACC and Big Ten, the small eight-school conference sent two squads to 2024 NCAA tournament, where Columbia fell in the First Four before West Virginia defeated Princeton in the first round.
This year, Ivy League No. 1-seed Columbia took the conference's outright regular-season title with a 13-1 league record, while the No. 2-seed Princeton Tigers and No. 3-seed Harvard Crimson also posted winning runs, following the Lions with respective 12-2 and 11-3 Ivy resumes.
Only half of the league's eight teams make the conference showdown, and the Penn Quakers eked out the No. 4-seed spot on a tiebreaker, clinching their sixth Ivy League tournament berth after finishing the season locked up with the Brown Bears.
Columbia looks to stay atop Ivy League entering March Madness
Princeton has dominated the Ivy in recent years, earning 11 March Madness trips in the NCAA tournament's last 14 iterations and making two national second-round appearances behind now-UConn starter Kaitlyn Chen.
However, Columbia is the conference favorite this year, with the Lions taking aim at their second-ever NCAA tournament appearance.
Columbia's first March Madness trip came just last year, buoyed by the team's all-time leading scorer and the program's first-ever WNBA draftee, Connecticut Sun guard Abbey Hsu.
While the Lions are expected to take this weekend's title, booking a likely NCAA tournament No. 11 seed alongside the Ivy League's automatic bid, ESPN’s Bracketology currently has the conference fielding three teams in the national bracket — both Princeton and Harvard are predicted to snag one of the final four at-large spots on Sunday.
All in all, breaking into the outer margins of the NCAA tournament bracket is no small feat, but March Madness rests on the premise that even the smallest conferences can change the game with a single upset.
How to watch the 2025 Ivy League conference tournament
No. 1-seed Columbia will tips off Friday's semifinals against No. 4 Penn at 4:30 PM ET, before No. 2 Princeton and No. 3 Harvard battle at 7:30 PM ET.
The winners will face-off for the conference title and the Ivy League's automatic March Madness bid on Saturday at 5:30 PM ET.
Both Friday semifinals will air live on ESPN+, with ESPNU broadcasting Saturday's championship game.
Monday night's NCAA Big East basketball final saw No. 3 UConn lift their fifth straight trophy, winning the conference tournament title with a 70-50 defeat of No. 22 Creighton.
Star senior Paige Bueckers led the Huskies' charge, finishing with 24 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and a pair each of blocks and steals.
Freshman Sarah Strong also showed out with her third straight double-double, registering 13 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, six steals, and three blocks.
Notably, Bueckers made UConn history with the win, exiting her college career with a perfect 66-0 conference record and becoming the first-ever Husky to win three Most Outstanding Player awards at the Big East tournament in the process.
"For her to be able to constantly come up with these kind of performances, time and time again, she just has that thing that those kinds of players have," said UConn head coach Geno Auriemma after the game.
UConn now holds a record 30 conference tournament titles — eight more than any other Division I program.
"We have a belief system in our program that this is the expectation," explained Auriemma. "I truly believe that the higher you set expectations, the closer you get to achieving those. And we have tremendously high expectations every year, those never go away. And some years you fall short, but most times we don't."
NCAA conference tournaments impact AP Poll rankings
Thanks to their command of the Big East, UConn became to the only Top 15 team to hold steady in Monday afternoon's AP Poll update, as the Top 25 list saw significant shifts in the lead-up to Selection Sunday.
After defeating USC for the Big Ten tournament title on Sunday, UCLA earned a three-spot rise to reclaim the No. 1 ranking, while their rival Trojans fell from No. 2 to No. 4 with the loss.
Meanwhile, South Carolina rose from No. 5 to No. 2 after downing former No. 1 Texas in Sunday's SEC finale, putting the defending NCAA champs in a neck-and-neck race with the Bruins for the No. 1 overall seed in this year's national tournament.
The Longhorns now clock in at No. 5, despite still being a likely candidate for one of Sunday's four No. 1 seeds.
Making history just behind Texas are Big 12 champions TCU, whose two-spot leap to No. 6 gave the Horned Frogs their highest-ever ranking.
The Top 10's biggest climber, however, was Duke, who jumped four spots to No. 7 after their title-winning upset run through the ACC tournament.
At the same time, once-No. 1 Notre Dame's slide continued, with the Irish dropping two more spots to No. 8 after exiting their conference tournament in the semifinal round.
Rounding out the Top 10 are ACC tournament runners-up NC State, who fell two spots to No. 9, and SEC semifinalist No. 10 LSU, whose one spot drop comes after injuries to the team's two top scorers hindered the Tigers' conference tournament play.
AP NCAA Basketball Top 25: Week 19
1. UCLA (30-2, Big Ten)
2. South Carolina (30-3, SEC)
3. UConn (31-3, Big East)
4. USC (28-3, Big Ten)
5. Texas (31-3, SEC)
6. TCU (31-3, Big 12)
7. Duke (26-7, ACC)
8. Notre Dame (26-5, ACC)
9. NC State (26-6, ACC)
10. LSU (28-5, SEC)
11. Oklahoma (25-7, SEC)
12. North Carolina (27-7, ACC)
13. Kentucky (22-7, SEC)
14. Baylor (27-7, Big 12)
15. Ohio State (25-6, Big Ten)
16. West Virginia (24-7, Big 12)
17. Oklahoma State (25-6, Big 12)
18. Maryland (23-7, Big Ten)
19. Kansas State (26-7, Big 12)
20. Tennessee (22-9, SEC)
21. Alabama (23-8, SEC)
22. Creighton (26-6, Big East)
23. Florida State (23-8, ACC)
24. South Dakota State (26-3, Summit League)
25. Ole Miss (20-10, SEC)
The Power Four wrapped up their 2024/25 NCAA basketball seasons on Sunday, with newly minted conference tournament champions punching their tickets to the March Madness tournament.
While the Big 12's weekend was all chalk as No. 8 TCU added their first tournament title since 2005 to their 2024/25 regular-season conference trophy on Sunday, the ACC capped their contest with chaos.
No. 11 Duke put the conference — and the NCAA selection committee — on notice, upsetting both No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 7 NC State en route to their first ACC tournament championship in 12 years.
In the SEC, No. 5 South Carolina had the last word against No. 1 Texas. After splitting their two 2024/25 meetings and sharing the regular-season title, the defending national champion Gamecocks turned the SEC tournament final into a defensive masterclass, defeating the Longhorns 64-45 to claim the conference trophy.
Meanwhile, Sunday's Big Ten finale saw No. 4 UCLA enact revenge on their crosstown rivals, No. 2 USC. After dropping both their matchups and ceding the conference's regular-season title to the Trojans, the Bruins held USC to just 34.3% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc to snag the tournament crown with a 72-67 win.
Conference winners eye NCAA tournament seeding
With their Sunday wins and their automatic entries into the upcoming NCAA basketball tournament, conference champions are now eyeing their shots at top national seedings.
While TCU and Duke each made strong cases for increasing their seeds, UCLA and South Carolina fully cemented themselves as frontrunners to top the 2024/25 bracket.
"When you win this [SEC] tournament and play the schedule that we play, I do think we’re the No. 1 overall seed," remarked South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. "There isn’t anybody in the country that has played the schedule that we have played, that had share of the regular-season title, won this tournament and beat the No. 1 team in the country."
The stats back up Staley's claims. South Carolina played more Top 25 opponents this season than any other currently ranked squad, winning 12 of those games — seven against Top 10 teams. The only three losses they logged all season came against No. 1 Texas, No. 3 UConn, and No. 4 UCLA, with the Gamecocks handing the Longhorns two defeats in return.
UCLA head coach Cori Close took a more diplomatic approach when asked about top seeding after winning the Big Ten title.
"I think it would mean a lot for us [and USC] both to be No. 1 seeds," Close told ESPN. "And I hope we do get the chance to do it [in the Final Four] in Tampa a fourth time."
The final decisions rest with the selection committee, who will reveal their 2024/25 NCAA tournament bracket this Sunday.
How to watch Monday's Big East tournament final
Though the Power Four have handed out their hardware, other DI conference tournaments will be in action all week, with the Big East championship tipping off Monday night.
No. 3 UConn is hunting their fifth straight Big East tournament trophy, but they'll have to beat No. 23 Creighton to hoist it.
The No. 1-seed Huskies and No. 2-seed Bluejays will tip off at 7 PM ET, with live coverag on FS1.
A weekend of nonstop NCAA basketball starts now, as the nation's top teams across the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC take the court to tip off their battles for Sunday's conference tournament crowns.
After earning early-round byes due to their elite regular-season records, No. 1 Texas, No. 2 USC, No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 South Carolina, and other Top 10 teams will tackle their first postseason games on Friday afternoon.
Beginning play in their respective tournaments' quarterfinals round comes after days of back-to-back competition between lower seeds, meaning Friday's matchups could pit top team's week-long rest against the momentum of potential Cinderella squads like Big Ten No. 11-seed Iowa.
Despite posting a mediocre 10-8 regular-season conference record, the unranked Hawkeyes are currently playing their best basketball of the season, allowing them to confidently advance through the Big Ten tournament’s first two rounds.
After dominating No. 14-seed Wisconsin on Wednesday and upsetting No. 6-seed Michigan State on Thursday, the three-time defending Big Ten tournament champs will face a Friday quarterfinal date with No. 3-seed Ohio State — the nation's No. 13-ranked team.
Rivalry revenge takes center court at conference tournaments
Friday's action is also primed to set the stage for potential high-stakes rematches between regular-season rivals later this weekend.
In the SEC, Saturday's semifinals could see No. 2-seed Texas meet No. 3-seed LSU, with the No. 9-ranked Tigers looking to avenge their February loss to the nation's top-ranked team.
Meanwhile, Sunday afternoon's Power Four finales could be a revenge fest, as teams who either shared or narrowly missed their league's 2024/25 conference titles will potentially face off against the regular-season trophy-winners.
In both the Big Ten and Big 12, the No. 2 seeds — UCLA and Baylor, respectively — could be hunting a season-first victory over No. 1 seeds USC and TCU in their tournament finals.
After splitting the regular-season ACC title with NC State, who claimed the tournament's No. 1-seed thanks to their head-to-head defeat of the Irish, No. 2-seed Notre Dame could have a shot at redemption against the Wolfpack on Sunday.
Similarly, if they make Sunday's game, the Longhorns will aim to humble co-SEC champion South Carolina after the Gamecocks grabbed the tournament's top seed thanks to a coin flip.
This weekend, however, it's not just redemption and hardware on the line. Conference tournament champions will also snag the ultimate prize: automatic entry into March Madness.
Those who fall short will still be fighting tooth and nail to impress the NCAA basketball committee with Selection Sunday looming on March 16th.
How to watch the top conference tournament games and finals
Seeking a Cinderella run to a record-breaking fourth Big Ten tournament title, No. 11-seed Iowa's Friday game against No. 3-seed Ohio State is arguably the quarterfinal with the most upset potential. The Hawkeyes and Buckeyes will tip off at 9 PM ET, airing live on BTN.
Should they both advance from their Friday quarterfinals, No. 2-seed Texas's Saturday game against No. 3-seed LSU will be the weekend's can't-miss semifinal, which is set for 7 PM ET on ESPN2.
Sunday will see all Power Four conferences crown their champions. ESPN will showcase three finals, airing the ACC at 1 PM ET, the SEC at 3 PM ET, and the Big 12 at 5 PM ET.
Meanwhile, Sunday's 4:30 PM ET Big Ten tournament championship game will air live on CBS.
Former perennial contender Stanford basketball's 36-season NCAA tournament streak are likely over, as the unranked Cardinal fell out of the ACC tournament in the first round on Wednesday.
No. 14-seed Clemson delivered the 63-46 tournament-ending blow to No. 11-seed Stanford, who shot just 31.5% from the field to score their fewest points of the season.
"We’re not going to let this one game define us or who we are," said head coach Kate Paye. "We’re hopeful we get to continue to play, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to be here today."
March Madness chances dim with Stanford loss
While the NCAA basketball committee will have the final say on March 16th's Selection Sunday, the loss is a statistical death knell for Stanford's March Madness hopes, as the Cardinal drops to an underwhelming 16-14 record with Wednesday's loss.
Stanford has featured in every edition of the NCAA tournament since failing to advance in the 1986/87 season, racking up three national championships and 15 Final Four berths in that time.
The Cardinal holds the second-longest streak of appearances in the Big Dance, trailing only eight-time champion Tennessee, who have featured in every one of the NCAA's 42 tournaments.
The dramatic drop-off comes during a season of significant change for the Cardinal, who saw star Cameron Brink graduate into the WNBA, legendary head coach Tara VanDerveer retire after 38 seasons at the helm, and standout forward Kiki Iriafen transfer to USC last spring.
Even more, the dissolution of the Pac-12 had Stanford joining the ACC in last summer's conference realignment fray.
Rebuilds shape NCAA as top teams become 2024/25 underdogs
While the Cardinal experienced arguably the biggest upheaval since last season, they're far from the only top NCAA program enduring a rebuilding era.
After losing a handful of 2023/24 standouts, Stanford’s former Pac-12 foe Oregon State — who now competes in the West Coast Conference — faces slim national prospects after going unranked all season despite last year’s Elite Eight finish.
Similarly, back-to-back Final Four contenders Iowa also finds itself on shaky ground, taking the No. 11 seed in the steep Big Ten tournament as they strive to rebuild in the post-Caitlin Clark era.
All in all, the 2024/25 NCAA bracket will likely look a little different than in years past, as former March Madness shoo-ins struggle to find their footing amid graduating stars, heightened transfer portal activity, and conference realignment growing pains.
Iowa eyes bracket-busting March Madness run
Of all the rebuilding programs, Iowa is potentially the team most poised to make some noise during March Madness, with the Hawkeyes snagging some key ranked wins already this season — including last month’s upset of No. 2 USC.
With Clark’s alma mater aiming to bust brackets in the Big Dance, the Hawkeyes will use Wednesday's big 81-54 win over No. 14-seed Wisconsin to fuel them in Thursday's second round of the Big Ten tournament, where they'll face No. 6-seed Michigan State.
Earlier this season, Iowa fell in a slim 68-66 December loss to MSU, and the teams enter Thursday's matchup with nearly identical season records.
How to watch Thursday's NCAA conference tournament games
The unranked Hawkeyes will tip off against the No. 24-ranked Spartans at 9 PM ET. Live coverage will air on Fox Sports.
The 2024/25 NCAA postseason officially tipped off on Wednesday, with top women's college basketball teams battling in conference tournaments in the lead-up to the Big Dance.
Kicking off this week's deluge of tournaments was No. 18 Tennessee, who avenged their season-ending two loss streak by opening the SEC tournament with a dominant 77-37 win over Texas A&M on Wednesday morning.
Shortly thereafter, UCF tipped off the Big 12 tournament by immediately ousting BYU 81-69, fueled in large part by senior guard Kaitlin Peterson's 35-point performance.
The ACC's debut Wednesday matchup will pit Syracuse against Boston College, while Minnesota and Washington have been tasked with kicking off the race to the Big Ten tournament title.
Most ranked squads like No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 14 North Carolina, and No. 20 Kansas State are waiting in the wings ahead of Thursday’s second-round slate, while AP Poll heavy-hitters No. 1 Texas, No. 2 USC, No. 4 UCLA, and No. 5 South Carolina won’t see their respective conference courts until Friday.
Underdogs aim to upend conference tournaments
While higher seeds have a distinct edge when it comes to conference tournament success, this week also provides underdogs one last shot at impressing the NCAA basketball committee.
Each tournament champion will book their conference's lone automatic ticket to March Madness, while the rest of the field's fate will rest in the selection committee's hands.
Top teams earn byes through to later conference competition rounds, which means lower seeds face significantly longer and more grueling schedules through the single-elimination contests.
Plus, the underdogs have arguably more to lose. Without a standout regular-season record, lower seeds must win their conference title to extend their season into the NCAA tournament, as their at-large selection chances grow dimmer the further they finished down the conference standings.
All in all, though NCAA tournament vets often see Champ Week as just another stepping stone to March Madness, bottom-of-the-table teams have much more at stake, as conference tournaments can upend both seasons and brackets.
How to watch Wednesday's NCAA conference tournament games
ACC debutant Stanford's 36-season March Madness streak is on brink of collapse, with the unranked Cardinal needing a stellar conference tournament run — or an outright title — to make this year's Big Dance.
No. 11-seed Stanford's first hurdle will be No. 14-seed Clemson, with the pair's Wednesday matchup set for 6:30 PM ET on ACCN.
After two straight Final Four appearances, unranked Iowa will begin their Big Ten tournament campaign against also-unranked Wisconsin in Wednesday's highly anticipated first-round matchup.
The No. 14-seed Badgers and No. 11-seed Hawkeyes will tip off in Indianapolis at 8:30 PM ET, with live coverage streaming on Peacock.
With the 2024/25 NCAA basketball regular season officially wrapped, the AP dropped its final Top 25 rankings on Monday, with shifts mirroring last weekend’s rollercoaster finale.
While not enough to dethrone co-SEC champion No. 1 Texas, newly minted Big Ten title-winner USC's series sweep of crosstown rival UCLA earned the Trojans their highest ranking in 39 years, taking over the Bruins's No. 2 spot on Monday.
"A goal was to come here and bring USC back to what it was at one point," USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb told AP after the rankings announcement.
In a full swap with USC, UCLA shifted an identical two spots down to No. 4, with Big East winner UConn jumping up to the No. 3 position.
Tough losses shake up AP Poll rankings
After a tough run that saw the struggling Irish lose two straight games — and their outright claim to the ACC regular-season title — Notre Dame slid three spots to No. 6, just below defending NCAA champs No. 5 South Carolina. ACC foe NC State, who beat the Irish to the conference tournament's No. 1 seed, is now chasing Notre Dame in the rankings at No. 7.
A recent flurry of high-profile unranked losses also impacted Monday's AP update, with LSU sinking two spots to No. 9 after falling to No. 19 Alabama and unranked Ole Miss, allowing first-time Big 12 champion TCU to rise to No. 8.
Similar to the Tigers, No. 14 North Carolina, No. 18 Tennessee, and No. 20 Kansas State all saw precipitous drops after giving up games down the stretch, falling at least six spots to their current positions.
The week’s greatest gain went to No. 11 Duke, who leapt five spots after closing out their regular season with a pair of ranked wins over UNC and No. 22 Florida State.
Snagging a photo finish was mid-major titan South Dakota State, who managed to break through into the No. 25 spot in the Power Four-heavy Poll after a third straight undefeated conference season. The Summit League champion Jackrabbits finished 2024/25 play with just three losses, falling only to No. 1 Texas, No. 11 Duke, and Georgia Tech — who spent 11 of the season's 18 weeks in the AP rankings.
Top-ranked teams will next jump into this week's conference tournament play, giving them one last chance to impress the NCAA tournament committee ahead of Selection Sunday on March 16th.
AP College Basketball Top 25: Week 18
1. Texas (29-2, SEC)
2. USC (26-2, Big Ten)
3. UConn (28-3, Big East)
4. UCLA (27-2, Big Ten)
5. South Carolina (27-3, SEC)
6. Notre Dame (25-4, ACC)
7. NC State (24-5, ACC)
8. TCU (28-3, Big 12)
9. LSU (27-4, SEC)
10. Oklahoma (23-6, SEC)
11. Duke (23-7, ACC)
12. Kentucky (22-6, SEC)
13. Ohio State (24-5, Big Ten)
14. North Carolina (25-6, ACC)
15. Maryland (23-6, Big Ten)
16. West Virginia (23-6, Big 12)
17. Baylor (25-6, Big 12)
18. Tennessee (21-8, SEC)
19. Alabama (23-7, SEC)
20. Kansas State (25-6, Big 12)
21. Oklahoma State (24-5, Big 12)
22. Florida State (23-7, ACC)
23. Creighton (24-5, Big East)
24. Michigan State (21-8, Big Ten)
25. South Dakota State (26-3, Summit League)
No. 4 USC is taking over the Big Ten, claiming both the regular-season conference title and the Big Ten tournament’s No. 1 seed after Saturday's dominant 80-67 win over No. 2 UCLA.
To book their first conference title since 1994, the Trojans looked to star sophomore JuJu Watkins, who posted 30 points against the Bruins — 23 of them in the first half alone.
Meanwhile, the Trojan defense stifled UCLA standouts like guard Kiki Rice and center Lauren Betts, limiting them to just 16 and 11 points, respectively.
For most of the 2024/25 NCAA basketball campaign, UCLA has outranked USC. However, the Trojans have comfortably owned the pair's head-to-head competition, handing the Bruins their only two losses on the season.
USC's four-game winning streak against UCLA dates back to last season. Subsequently, Watkins has scored at least 30 points in each of those Trojan victories. She finishes the 2024/25 regular season with an impressive 68 points in USC's two wins over the Bruins.
"I think I would be remiss to say playing UCLA doesn't motivate me extra," a smiling Watkins said after Saturday's regular-season finale.
"She's 19 years old. Her talent is off the charts," USC head coach Lindsey Gottlieb said about the likely National Player of the Year frontrunner. "But it's her humility and the stuff you can't teach, the inner drive."
Watkins helps USC book Big Ten tournament bye
The Trojans are riding high into this week's Big Ten basketball tournament, which tips off in Indianapolis on Wednesday and will ultimately determine the team who'll book the conference's lone automatic bid into March Madness.
As the conference's top seeds, both USC and UCLA earned byes through the 15-team competition's first two rounds, meaning they will begin their tournament campaigns in Friday's quarterfinals.
Should both live up to their seedings, the duo will meet again in Sunday's championship game, where both Big Ten hardware and the NCAA tournament's top seeds will be on the line.
How to watch USC in the Big Ten basketball tournament
The Big Ten basketball tournament's 14 games will air across three broadcasters, with Peacock covering Wednesday's opening round.
Rounds will air live on BTN Thursday through Saturday, before CBS hosts Sunday's 4:30 PM ET Big Ten championship game.
The weekend’s NCAA basketball action saw the field settle into their conference tournament seeds — and pick up some 2024/25 regular-season hardware along the way.
With Sunday wins over unranked Florida and No. 15 Kentucky, respectively, No. 1 Texas and No. 6 South Carolina finished regular-season play tied atop the SEC table, prompting a coin flip that saw the Gamecocks claim the conference tournament’s No. 1 seed.
No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 9 NC State similarly split regular-season honors in the ACC after Sunday victories over No. 25 Louisville and unranked SMU. With a head-to-head victory over the Irish last month, however, NC State exits the regular season as the conference’s No. 1 seed.
Upsets shake up projected 2024/25 NCAA tournament seeds
Buoyed by this season's surging parity, half of the teams featured in the NCAA’s most recent Top 16 seeding projections have lost at least one game since last week’s rankings update.
Following the trend this weekend were six AP Top 25 teams, as Big Ten standouts No. 2 UCLA and No. 12 Ohio State fell to lower-ranked conference foes, while No. 7 LSU, No. 8 UNC, No. 11 Tennessee, and No. 14 Kansas State all stumbled at the regular-season finish line with Sunday losses against unranked opponents.
Last week's setbacks could put top teams like UCLA and Notre Dame in jeopardy of losing their projected NCAA tournament No. 1 seeds.
As a result, elite squads must now bank on strong conference tournament performances to bolster their regular-season records.
Boosted by their first-ever Big 12 regular-season championship, No. 10 TCU could now push past the SEC's Flau’jae Johnson-less LSU in the NCAA tournament committee's rankings, thanks in part to the Tigers’ Sunday upset loss to unranked Ole Miss on Sunday.
Similarly, Big Ten No. 3-seed Ohio State will have to use the conference tournament to bolster their prospects after Sunday’s overtime loss to No. 19 Maryland.
With parity-fueled upsets raising this week's stakes, most major Division I tournaments will tip off on Wednesday, as both conference hardware and national tournament odds hang in the balance.
Three Top 10 NCAA basketball teams suffered big upset losses on Thursday, shifting late-season momentum to the sport's underdogs ahead of next week’s conference tournaments.
No. 3 Notre Dame fell 86-81 to No. 24 Florida State, marking the Irish's second straight loss since reaching No. 1 in the AP Poll on February 17th.
"Just really frustrated with our performance defensively tonight," Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey after last night’s game. "I didn’t think that we were locked in for four quarters."
No. 7 LSU and No. 8 UNC also saw tough results, with the Tigers falling in a narrow 88-85 overtime battle to No. 20 Alabama while the Tar Heels stumbled 68-53 to in-state rival No. 16 Duke.
Even No. 1 Texas faced some adversity, eking out a 68-64 win after unranked Mississippi State pushed the Longhorns to the brink.
All in all, as the hyper-competitive 2024/25 women's college basketball season draws to a close, building exhaustion, waning focus, and minutes management are inducing game-changing upsets — putting the country’s top teams firmly on notice.
Conference titles on the line in final NCAA games
While most of Thursday's upsets affect seedings further down conference tables, Notre Dame's loss puts the Irish in danger of losing the ACC tournament’s No. 1 seed right at the finish line.
Notre Dame now sits alongside No. 9 NC State atop the conference table, with the Wolfpack holding a potential tie-breaking head-to-head advantage over the Irish. The only way Notre Dame can now book the top ACC tournament spot is with a win over No. 25 Louisville plus an NC State loss against unranked SMU this Sunday.
Even more, Notre Dame could now lose their projected top-seeded entry into the 2025 NCAA tournament.
Along with the ACC trophy, regular-season titles in the SEC, Big 12, and Big Ten will now come down to weekend finales. The Big East's No. 5 UConn stands alone as the only major conference team to have already secured their title.
Similar to the ACC, the No. 1 SEC seed relies on a pair of Sunday games featuring the conference's two top contenders: No. 1 Texas and No. 6 South Carolina.
The Big 12 and Big Ten, however, finish the season with table leaders meeting in winner-take-all finals this weekend. The Big Ten title will be decided in Saturday's clash between No. 4 USC and No. 2 UCLA, before No. 10 TCU and No. 17 Baylor will battle for the Big 12 trophy on Sunday.
In the pair's first rounds earlier this season, USC and TCU emerged with wins over their respective conference foes.
How to watch top women's college basketball games this weekend
The country's best NCAA teams are all aiming to take care of conference business this weekend, pushing for top seeds and eyeing deep postseason runs.
Saturday's spotlight belongs to No. 4 USC and No. 2 UCLA, with the crosstown rivales' rematch determining the Big Ten title. USC tips off against UCLA at 9 PM ET, live on Fox Sports.
Then, Notre Dame kicks off ESPN's Sunday coverage with a decisive game against No. 25 Louisville at 12 PM ET.
Sunday's DI finale belongs to the Big 12, where No. 10 TCU takes on No. 17 Baylor at 6:30 PM ET, airing live on FS1.