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.
After a highly competitive 2024/25 NCAA basketball season, regular-season conference champions will be crowned this weekend — an accolade that comes with coveted No. 1 seeding in conference tournaments as teams eye March’s national stage.
In the SEC, the fate of two top contenders is coming down to the wire, as No. 1 Texas and No. 6 South Carolina sit in a dead heat ahead of their final two regular-season games.
Tied 13-1 in conference play with 1-1 head-to-head records, both teams will split the regular-season title should they win-out their final matchups — forcing conference commissioner Greg Sankey to literally flip a coin to determine which elite squad receives the SEC tournament’s No. 1 seed.
Who deserves to be the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament if both squads win out? ⬇️
— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) February 26, 2025
(h/t @MattDowellTV) pic.twitter.com/83Vk0uVm5y
Of course, conference realignment may have played a role in the SEC’s current conundrum. Imbalanced schedules seem to have created unexpected crowding at the top of the conference table.
"I think we could have thought a little bit more ahead of this situation, knowing that we were bringing a Texas and an Oklahoma into the SEC," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said earlier this week.
"[Texas will] probably want us to drop a game," the three-time national champion coach joked. "I hope they drop a game, too — take it out of the commissioner's hands."
While photo finishes can be exciting, a coin toss in this scenario could ultimately serve as a catalyzing force for teams to harness some revenge on March's tournament courts.
How to watch Texas and South Carolina basketball in the SEC this week
Both top-ranked teams will shoot to dominate the court on Thursday night, with No. 1 Texas visiting unranked Mississippi State at 7:30 PM ET, with live coverage on SECN+.
Subsequently, No. 6 South Carolina will take on unranked Ole Miss at 9 PM ET, airing live on ESPN.
Thursday night wins would set Texas up to close out the 2024/25 NCAA basketball season by hosting unranked Florida at 2 PM ET on Sunday. At the same time, No. 15 Kentucky will visit South Carolina for their regular-season finale.
The 2024/25 NCAA basketball season is down to its 10 final days of competition, with conference tournament seeding hanging in the balance as top teams try to build up some March Madness momentum.
Proving that nothing is guaranteed, two teams suffered upset losses on Thursday night.
In the ACC, No. 11 Duke fell to unranked Louisville 70-62. Though senior guard Jayda Curry led both the Cardinals and the game with 24 points, Louisville's victory came largely from the free throw line, where the Cards snagged 22 points but the Blue Devils only banked four.
The Big Ten followed suit, when unranked Indiana downed No. 8 Ohio State 71-61. Fueled by double-digit performances from four different Hoosiers, Indiana took an early lead and never relented, outshooting and out-rebounding the Buckeyes to hand them their fourth loss on the season.
NCAA conference titles take center court in decisive weekend matchups
While some teams are stumbling at the finish line, others have a shot at clinching conference hardware this weekend.
With a two-win lead on the ACC table, No. 1 Notre Dame has the chance to lock down the conference's regular-season title on Sunday, when the Irish will take on second-place No. 13 NC State.
The consequential clash has earned Raleigh a visit from ESPN’s College Gameday, with the pre-game show slated to build upon last weekend’s success in South Carolina with another high-stakes matchup.
Meanwhile in the SEC, No. 7 LSU’s season is also on the line. Unlike the Irish, however, the Tigers are simply trying to keep their dwindling conference title hopes alive, facing a must-win game against No. 14 Kentucky on Sunday.
To claim the SEC’s No. 1 seed, LSU would also need both No. 2 Texas and No. 6 South Carolina to stumble in their regular-season home stretch.
Beyond conference titles, the regular season’s wind-down can provide insights into how far teams can run into the postseason, as any upsets this week could spell busted brackets — or unexpected surges — come March.
How to watch Sunday's Top 15 NCAA basketball games
No. 1 Notre Dame will tip off the ranked Sunday action against No. 13 NC State at 12 PM ET, with live coverage of the ACC titans airing on ESPN.
Then at 4 PM ET, No. 7 LSU will try to steal a road win over No. 14 Kentucky, with ESPN also airing the decisive SEC meeting.
No. 4 Texas basketball claimed their revenge over No. 2 South Carolina on Sunday, taking down the reigning NCAA champs 66-62 to even the pair's regular-season series at 1-1.
In the process, the Longhorns snapped South Carolina's 57-game regular-season SEC winning streak — a victory chain dating back to December 2021.
Texas star sophomore Madison Booker led all scorers with 20 points and 11 rebounds, prompting South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley to levy high praise by calling her "a beast on the boards" after the game.
Strength of SEC sets up fight for NCAA tournament positioning
This weekend's results ultimately bottlenecked Texas, South Carolina, and LSU into a three-way regular-season tie for first-place in the SEC — one of the NCAA's toughest leagues.
The No. 6 Tigers earned their own marquee win on Sunday, downing No. 19 Tennessee 82-77.
With that result, all three teams now have 10-1 conference records, though LSU and Texas could break from the line during their possible winner-take-all date this Sunday.
All in all, the Southeast's depth is both a blessing and a curse.
On one hand, the conference's elite teams are gearing up to take March Madness by storm: Each of the SEC's top trio is likely to finish the season as an AP Top-10 team, ultimately earning a strong seeding throughout the postseason.
Other strong squads, however, must grapple with under-seeding due to disappointing conference records suffered in the gauntlet of the SEC.
For example, despite last week's big win over No. 5 UConn, Tennessee's string of slim conference losses have them sitting 4-6 in SEC play. This means that the Vols will likely face an uphill battle to claim beneficial seeding in March's NCAA tournament, giving them a disproportionately difficult road to the Final Four.
Lauren Betts isn't done with the NCAA
Already looking beyond the 2024/25 NCAA postseason, star center Lauren Betts will return to UCLA next season and forego the 2025 WNBA Draft, the National Player of the Year candidate confirmed on Friday.
Ranked No. 1 out of high school, the 6-foot-7 junior transferred to the Bruins from Stanford after her freshman year, making the 21-year-old eligible to pass up her senior season and instead turn pro this spring.
"College is the best years of your life, and so I don't think I'd ever give that up," Betts told ESPN. "Why not be spoiled for a whole another year?"
"The way the coaches take care of us in this program, like, how comfortable I am here, and I think that the friendships I've created -- I'd want to do that for another year," she added.
She also cited the opportunity to play with her sister, incoming UCLA freshman forward Sienna Betts, as a factor in her decision to remain in the NCAA.
"I think that I would be crazy if I gave up the opportunity to play with my sister, so obviously, I'm going to come back next year," Betts said.
WNBA teams eye draft-eligible college athletes
Betts isn't the only top college player weighing her options. A number of factors are impacting the decision NCAA standouts currently face in deciding when to turn pro, from NIL money to the new CBA expected to reshape the WNBA in 2026.
Lottery locks like UConn's Paige Bueckers and Notre Dame's Olivia Miles could technically also opt to stay in school for another year. However, neither has indicated any plans to do so.
Accordingly, WNBA franchises eyeing the upcoming draft have noted that the volatility of the market is affecting first-round pick trades. Teams would be unwise to place their bets on every top NCAA prospect making the leap this April.
The NCAA's hottest conference shows no signs of letting up, with the SEC serving college basketball fans two of Thursday's most anticipated top-ranked clashes.
After last week's loss to No. 2 South Carolina and Sunday's low-scoring victory over unranked Texas A&M, No. 7 LSU ready to reclaim their previous firepower by gearing up for an offense-heavy battle with SEC newcomer No. 13 Oklahoma.
The Tigers have only met the Sooners once before, falling in to Oklahoma in a December 2019 matchup. However, head coach Kim Mulkey, who joined LSU in 2021, brings her own experience, tallying a 27-20 record against Oklahoma during her time at Baylor.
Both teams enter Thursday's matchup ranked in the nation's Top 3 for rebounding and Top 6 for scoring, with each having a particular penchant for points in transition.
Between LSU scoring leaders Flau'jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow — the nation's top rebounder who also leads the country with 19 double-doubles on the season — Oklahoma will need to lean on both defense and Sooner center Reagan Beers to tame the Tigers.
Don't sleep on Kentucky
Joining the Wildcats one year after leading Virginia Tech to their first-ever Final Four in 2023, No. 12 Kentucky head coach Kenny Brooks has taken the once-struggling team to the upper echelons of the SEC table. The Cats are currently in second place alongside LSU and No. 5 Texas, all trailing defending national champs South Carolina.
Much of Kentucky's success rests on star guard — and Virginia Tech transfer — Georgia Amoore, who leads the Wildcats in points, assists, and steals.
The Australian standout will look to defend the Wildcats' undefeated 2024/25 home record — and clinch the program's 500th win at Historic Memorial Coliseum — when No. 22 Alabama visits on Thursday.
How to watch Thursday's Top 25 SEC basketball games
Both of Thursday's ranked SEC matchups tip off at 7 PM ET, when No. 13 Oklahoma takes on No. 7 LSU on ESPN2 while No. 22 Alabama faces No. 12 Kentucky on SECN.
The SEC is running the NCAA table, kicking off week 13 of the college basketball season with eight of the 25 programs listed in Monday's AP Poll repping the powerhouse conference.
Boosting the SEC's profile in this week's rankings is No. 23 Vanderbilt, whose narrow 66-64 upset win over then-No. 19 Alabama on Sunday helped launch the Commodores into the AP standings for the first time since the 2013/14 season.
Further up the poll, a trio of wins last week — including victories over No. 18 Tennessee and then-No. 8 Maryland — fueled Texas's return to the Top 5, with the Longhorns claiming the No. 5 spot after LSU's Friday loss to No. 2 South Carolina dropped the previously undefeated Tigers to No. 7.
Ultimately, the SEC is steadily eclipsing early season favorite the Big Ten — an unexpected turn of events that has the traditionally Midwest conference clinging onto the coattails of West Coast newcomers No. 1 UCLA and No. 4 USC.
Big swings in the Big Ten
The Big Ten's ranked programs dwindled to five after Michigan and Minnesota joined the Big 12's Baylor in exiting Monday's poll, helping pave the way for the SEC to claim more AP spots this week.
Fully entrenched in Monday's rankings drama, the Big Ten ultimately owned the highs and lows of this week's poll.
While Wolverine-ouster Michigan State earned the week's largest leap in a five-spot rise to No. 16, Maryland suffered the deepest fall. The Terps tumbled six spots to No. 14 after logging three ranked losses last week — to the still-undefeated UCLA, Texas, and new-No. 8, Ohio State.
Monday action solidifies the SEC basketball spotlight
SEC basketball wasted no time in proving its competitive mettle after taking over the AP poll, as a tough matchup between unwavering No. 2 South Carolina and No. 18 Tennessee took Monday's court.
Despite a first-quarter blitz and an impressive last-ditch 24-8 comeback run from the Vols, the Gamecocks managed to beat Tennessee 70-63.
Behind a game-leading 18 points from freshman Joyce Edwards, South Carolina held Tennessee's top-ranked offense to season-lows in points, field goal percentage (30.7%), and three-pointers made (3-for-26).
"Joyce plays the right way," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said about Edwards' big outing. "Joyce makes good basketball decisions. That’s why you see her flourish."
AP College Basketball Top 25: Week 13
1. UCLA (20-0, Big Ten)
2. South Carolina (20-1, SEC)
3. Notre Dame (17-2, ACC)
4. USC (18-1, Big Ten)
5. Texas (20-2, SEC)
6. UConn (19-2, Big East)
7. LSU (21-1, SEC)
8. Ohio State (19-1, Big Ten)
9. TCU (20-2, Big 12)
10. Duke (17-4, ACC)
11. Kansas State (19-2, Big 12)
12. Kentucky (17-2, SEC)
13. Oklahoma (16-4, SEC)
14. Maryland (16-4, Big Ten)
15. North Carolina (18-4, ACC)
16. Michigan State (17-3, Big Ten)
17. NC State (16-4, ACC)
18. Tennessee (15-5, SEC)
19. California (18-3, ACC)
20. Georgia Tech (17-4, ACC)
21. West Virginia (16-4, Big 12)
22. Alabama (17-4, SEC)
23. Vanderbilt (17-4, SEC)
24. Oklahoma State (17-3, Big 12)
25. Florida State (16-4, ACC)
One of the NCAA's fiercest rivalries hits the hardwood on Friday, when undefeated No. 5 LSU travels to No. 2 South Carolina for yet another high-stakes SEC basketball battle.
Anticipation for the matchup has been building since Wednesday, when the NCAA postponed the game. Originally set for Thursday, winter weather disruptions in Louisiana delayed LSU's ability to safely travel to Columbia.
"It's a rivalry, it really is," newly re-signed South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said earlier this week. "It's not only a rivalry between the programs on the floor, but it's a rivalry with the fanbases."
A championship-fueled SEC basketball clash
With the last three national championships under their belts, LSU (2023) and South Carolina (2022, 2024) have seen WNBA superstars like Angel Reese and Aliyah Boston pass through their ranks.
This season's lot is just as talented, with LSU's Aneesah Morrow and Flau'jae Johnson preparing to lead the Tigers against the a dominant Gamecock defense anchored by team rebounds leader Chloe Kitts.
Coach Kim Mulkey's roster will have their work cut out for them in Columbia, where South Carolina is on a 68-game home winning streak. Even more, the Gamecocks haven't lost to the Tigers since January 2012, winning 16 consecutive meetings between the pair.
That said, while last year's South Carolina team ran the table on their way to a national title, LSU is one of just two Division I teams to still hold a perfect season. The Tigers' 20-0 record is the second-best start in program history, just below their 2022/23 team who strung together 23 wins before South Carolina handed them a first season loss.
If Staley's squad can do it again on Friday, they'll earn an eighth victory over currently ranked teams — and third over a Top 10 roster — so far this season. Their lone loss came at the hands of No. 1 UCLA, the only other program still holding an undefeated record.
On the other hand, LSU has just two victories over ranked teams so far, with Friday's matchup marking their first Top 10 test of the season.
How to watch LSU vs. South Carolina college basketball
LSU tips off against South Carolina at 5 PM ET on Friday, airing live on ESPN.