While NCAA basketball conference champions celebrate their trophies and automatic entries into March Madness, top contenders on the losing side are facing more questions than answers — with limited time to regroup before Selection Sunday.

After No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 7 NC State both fell to tournament champion — and emerging dark horse — No. 11 Duke this weekend, projections shifted such that the ACC is not likely to field a No. 1 seed in the national bracket.

No. 9 LSU similarly struggled, losing 56-49 in the tournament semifinal to eventual SEC runner-up No. 1 Texas.

That said, the Tigers' woes, however, could be short-lived. LSU endured the entire conference tournament without leading scorer Flau'jae Johnson due to a shin injury, and then saw standout senior Aneesah Morrow — the team's second most prolific scorer — exit their SEC semifinal loss with a re-aggravated foot sprain.

Both are expected to be back in action when the NCAA tournament tips off.

Win-or-go-home NCAA tournament looms large

Other teams are confronting harder-to-identify issues.

"I feel like we played below our standard. So that's frustrating. We’ve got to get better, and that’s on me," Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey said after Saturday’s ACC semifinal defeat. "I need to make this team get better, and that’s something that, when we’re back on the court, we will be better for this loss."

Even squads that fell in conference tournament finals departed the arena knowing that next time, there will be no second chance.

"I certainly think we have established ourselves as one of the top two teams in the cup when it comes to seeding," said Texas head coach Vic Schaefer after Sunday’s championship loss to No. 5 South Carolina. "We’ll learn from that [loss].… We’ve earned our way, and we’ll trust the committee to make that [seeding] decision. Whatever they make, we’ll roll with it."

Not every talent-laden team will make it to April's Final Four, but with adjustments, a conference tournament stumble could become a mere footnote in a longer postseason journey.

How to watch the NCAA tournament Selection Sunday Show

The road to Tampa officially kicks off when the NCAA basketball committee reveals the 68-team Division I tournament bracket on Selection Sunday, March 16th.

The Selection Show will air live at 8 PM ET on ESPN.

The 2024/25 NCAA basketball season continues to impress, as stunning upsets took over college courts this week.

Kicking off the drama was Trojan superstar JuJu Watkins, who set a new USC three-point record​ in Tuesday's 94-52 win over Cal Baptist, going 9-11 from behind the arc en route to a 40-point performance that led the Big Ten newcomer to a 7-1 season record.

"The goal is to have fun always," Watkins said after the game. "I shoot my best when I'm not really thinking."

Chaos reigns on Thursday's NCAA basketball courts

Watkins's big night set the stage for a stellar week of college hoops, with Thursday's slate serving up Top-10 matchups, upsets, and overtime thrillers.

While No. 3 South Carolina dispatched No. 8 Duke 81-70 behind Chloe Kitts' career-high tying 21 points, No. 10 Notre Dame snapped their two-game losing streak by handing No. 4 Texas their season's first defeat.

Even more impressive about the 80-70 overtime victory is that the Fighting Irish clinched it with an injury-hampered roster. Only six Notre Dame players took the court, battling 11 total Longhorns.

Sophomore star Hannah Hidalgo, who competed all 45 minutes, led the Irish with 30 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Guards Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron also contributed 18 points apiece. That said, defense clinched the upset win by holding Texas to just two overtime points while Notre Dame drained 12.

"They played with their hearts," Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey noted after the win. "They played with passion and fire. I'm just really proud of this group."

Also shaking up higher ranked teams on Thursday was NC State and No. 16 UNC, who downed No. 18 Ole Miss and No. 14 Kentucky, respectively. On the West Coast, Cal humbled No. 19 Alabama 69-65, sending the Tide home with their first season loss to end Bama's first 9-0 start in 24 years.

Narrowly escaping Thursday's upset party was No. 5 LSU, who needed overtime to take down unranked Stanford 94-88. Cardinal sophomore Nunu Agara impressed with a 29-point, 13-rebound double-double, but the Tigers bit back with Mikaylah Williams, Kailyn Gilbert, and Flau'jae Johnson combining for an astounding 78 points to keep LSU undefeated on the season.

Top NCAA teams take over Barclays in new Champions Classic

The madness continues on Saturday with the first-ever Women’s Champions Classic. Four college basketball powerhouses will hit the court at Brooklyn's Barclays Center — home to the 2024 WNBA champion NY Liberty.

Saturday's doubleheader sees eight-time NCAA champs Tennessee take on No. 17 Iowa in their first clash since 1993, when the Hawkeyes registered their only win over three matchups with the Vols.

The nightcap between 11-time title-winners No. 2 UConn and No. 22 Louisville has an even deeper history, with legendary coach Geno Auriemma's Huskies holding a 19-3 all-time record over the Cardinals.

Unlike the 13-year-old men's Champions Classic, which features the same four teams (Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, and Michigan State) each year, the new annual women's edition will always include UConn alongside three other rotating teams.

"There's never been a higher level of interest in women's basketball," Auriemma said ahead of the games. "The Champions Classic will give fans exciting, marquee matchups early in the season."

How to watch UConn college basketball at the Women's Champions Classic college basketball event

Saturday's action starts with No. 17 Iowa vs. Tennessee at 7 PM ET. No. 22 Louisville vs. No. 2 UConn follows at 9 PM ET. Both games will air live on Fox.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Niele Ivey doesn’t like to waste time.

It took her four days after being named the new head coach of Notre Dame women’s basketball in August 2020 to land two of the top recruits in the nation. Those freshmen, guards Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron, have quickly evolved into two of the top scorers and playmakers on the roster.

Then it took her one season to lead Notre Dame back to the Sweet 16, a place the program has become familiar with after two championships and four runner-up finishes under Muffet McGraw, Ivey’s former coach and predecessor.

And after Notre Dame’s heartbreaking 66-63 loss to NC State in the Sweet 16 on Saturday, Ivey said it wouldn’t take long for her to turn the page and begin preparing for next season.

“I’m excited to get back to work. Maybe I’ll take 24 hours off, and then I’m going to start watching film and get back to work because that’s what it is. This is a grind,” she said.

For nearly three quarters on Saturday, Notre Dame played like it didn’t want to waste any time, either. After going down 16-12 in the first quarter, Miles led the Fighting Irish on a 24-10 run in the second, scoring eight of her team-high 21 points during that stretch.

Notre Dame maintained its lead all the way into the fourth quarter, not letting NC State get within more than four points for nearly 15 minutes. Citron and Maddy Westbeld, the other two underclassmen in Notre Dame’s starting lineup, were key offensive catalysts, combining for 21 points and 13 steals in the game.

Olivia Miles is built for the moment. pic.twitter.com/kADbhpPY5R

— WSLAM (@wslam) March 26, 2022

Notre Dame’s offense was so potent, five days after scoring 108 points in their win over Oklahoma, that NC State coach Wes Moore switched things up at the start of the fourth quarter. The Wolfpack started pressing Notre Dame higher up the floor, forcing Miles as the ball-handler into making tough decisions.

From there, NC State methodically clawed its way back into the game, exploiting Notre Dame’s 16 turnovers for 22 total points. Raina Perez sealed the comeback with under 30 seconds to go, stripping Dara Mabrey of the ball at halfcourt and hitting the layup at the other end to put NC State up 64-63. She then closed out the win with two made free throws.

“I could have done a way better job of getting my team more organized,” Miles said after the game. “I was kind of quiet because I was trying to figure it out for myself, figure out the spots that I can go and get the ball up the floor. That caused some of my team to create turnovers, and I take the blame for that.”

Ivey spoke before practice on Friday about Miles’ leadership being the next step in her career evolution. Being vocal isn’t something that comes naturally to the freshman, so she’s had to push herself into uncomfortable situations to help her team.

“Coach Ivey is a national champion point guard, so she’s seen the worst of it, and she knows and she helps me,” Miles said.

A game like Saturday’s, though demoralizing for the way it ended, only strengthens that bond between a coach and her star player.

From now until the start of preseason next fall, Ivey can mull over Miles’ performance and the fact her team was 30 seconds away from upsetting No. 1 seed NC State and advancing to the Elite Eight. But she won’t be thinking about it that way.

Niele Ivey doesn’t have time to dwell on the past when her present and future are so bright.

“I was told, oh, you’re going to need three to four years. Well, I needed one,” Ivey said. “I’m hoping that what we showed as a program and as a team, I hope that attracts even more talented players to want to play for this family.”

Hannah Withiam is the Managing Editor at Just Women’s Sports. She previously served as an editor at The Athletic and a reporter at the New York Post. Follow her on Twitter @HannahWithiam.