ACC women’s basketball tourney tips in Greensboro this week. Who to watch, storylines and more

Fifteen teams are headed to Greensboro this week for the ACC women’s basketball tournament. Only one will leave with the championship trophy, but there’s plenty to be gained for teams from top to bottom.

N.C. State earned the No. 1 seed after finishing 15-2 in the ACC, its only losses coming on the road against Cal and North Carolina, and winning the head-to-head game against No. 2 seed Notre Dame.

Duke is the No. 3 seed, the second-highest seed among the teams in the Triangle, after pulling off a road win at Florida State. Multiple seeds were determined by the outcome of that game.

Finally, North Carolina — by way of the Duke win — lands as the No. 5 seed. It could’ve earned the double bye had the Blue Devils lost, but the Tar Heels still have a single bye.

“It’s not easy,” N.C. State coach Wes Moore said on Monday. “This is an unbelievable league now with 18 schools, 18 really talented teams with great players, great coaches. So to be able to get to this point is pretty special.

“It’s a whole new season now. You erase the records and start all over. Gotta go out and prove ourselves again.”

Here are storylines and things to watch as the teams descend onto First Horizons Coliseum this week, listed in order of game time.

North Carolina: Post presence priority

Alyssa Ustby has deservedly gotten plenty of attention throughout her career at Carolina, but Maria Gakdeng is a player for the Tar Heels who can — and does — make an impact on the Tar Heels’ ability to score and defend.

Despite being dominant this year in the post, she doesn’t get quite as much attention as other players in the conference but will be key if the Tar Heels want to make a run this March.

Gakdeng is averaging 11.6 points per game on 62.5% shooting and 7.3 rebounds per contest. She has scored in double figures 15 times this season and pulled down 10 or more rebounds in six games.

In the last four games, Gakdeng has scored 63 points and recorded 41 rebounds. That stretch included career-highs in scoring (25 points) and assists (5) and nine rebounds in the loss to Virginia on Sunday. Gakdeng was a major figure in Carolina’s offensive success against the Cavaliers, scoring at ease (9-10 FG) and finding her teammates for baskets.

UNC head coach Courtney Banghart doesn’t think Gakdeng receives enough credit, even though WNBA scouts attend games and practices to watch her.

“I don’t know if — because there’s just not a lot of dominant posts in the country — people even understand how hard it is to be one,” Banghart said. “She’s been really important to our success. She’s been durable. She’s shooting at a ridiculously high percentage, and (when) she plays all her shots are guarded. You don’t get the run out layups that sometimes guards can get. She’s really good, and the next level notices it.”

UNC is 11-4 when Gakdeng scores in double figures and 6-0 when she has 10 or more rebounds. Carolina needs her to have success, while staying out of foul trouble, to make a run this week and provide momentum entering the NCAA Tournament.

Gakdeng played two seasons at Boston College before transferring to Carolina last season. She has improved on all of her statistics from the last three seasons in the ACC.

Last season, the Tar Heels were the No. 8 seed and lost to No. 9 seed Miami by one point. They hope, powered by Gakdeng in the middle, their outcome will be different this time.

Ustby and Reniya Kelly have been out due to injuries but Banghart hopes they can play, at least in a limited capacity, in Greensboro. Regardless, Gakdeng will be a major factor in the Heels’ success.

Carolina plays at 11 a.m. Thursday against the winner of No. 12 Boston College/No. 13 Syracuse.

NC State: Reclaim the crown

The Wolfpack goes into Greensboro and seeks to win the ACC Championship for the first time since it went back-to-back-to-back from 2020-22. It played in last season’s title game but fell to Notre Dame, 55-51.

N.C. State features a veteran coach in Moore, an experienced staff and elite four-guard lineup. Saniya Rivers, Aziaha James and Madison Hayes have been on a college roster for at least four seasons.

Moore said he was worried at the beginning of the season that his veteran players would approach the regular season with a nonchalant attitude. It struggled early against ranked opponents but quickly turned things around. It holds a 6-5 record in Quad 1 games and is 18-0 in Quads 2-4 games.

Virginia Tech coach Megan Duffy called the Wolfpack “as good as advertised.”

“Their stud guards that we all know about have continued to get better, and they’re great in big games,” Duffy said. “I think that’s been the thing that I’ve noticed — coming from afar, being new. When they need to step up, they step up.”

Moore said his team is having fun right now and has momentum. He’s proud of his team. He’s also not satisfied.

“I’m pretty good at keeping us down to earth, and one game at a time,” Moore said. “I’ve probably been tougher on them this last week than I have been all season, because the finish line is right there.”

Moore didn’t stop making corrections when his team held a 32-point fourth-quarter lead over Wake Forest. After claiming the No. 1 seed against SMU, he said the team could’ve been better on defense and turnover discipline.

The Pack hopes, with Moore’s tough coaching and experienced players, it can hold the trophy again.

N.C. State plays at 1:30 p.m. Friday against the winner of No. 8 Virginia Tech/No. 9 Georgia Tech.

Duke: A little bit older this time

The Blue Devils enter the ACC Tournament as a strong contender for the title with much more experience than they had last season.

Duke has not won the ACC Championship since 2013 nor has it been in the title game since 2017, when Notre Dame rolled past the Blue Devils, 84-61. This could be the season it gets to the final day once again.

Duke remains one of the younger teams in the country. Four of its six players who have played at least 500 minutes this season are underclassmen. Reigan Richardson and Ashlon Jackson are the only two upperclassmen. However, five of those players were part of Duke’s 2023-24 squad that advanced to the Sweet 16 and had a chance to defeat UConn.

“They have an understanding for the postseason, which I think will help us. They kind of didn’t have an understanding of it (last year); hadn’t been through it yet,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said Monday. “All of our players with the exception of Toby (Fournier) have been through the postseason. That’s helpful. I think there’s no doubt experience matters in March and the postseason.”

Lawson led her program to a Top 3 finish in the league, with wins over every ACC team except Notre Dame, N.C. State and Louisville. It split the series with North Carolina. Duke finished 11-0 in regular season Quad 3 and 4 games, 6-2 in Quad 2 games and 6-5 in Quad 1 matchups. The Blue Devils rank No. 7 in the NET.

Additionally, the Blue Devils finished the regular season with the best defense in the league, holding teams to 54.1 points per game in ACC play, nearly 8 ½ points better than No. 2 Notre Dame. On the other end, Duke averaged 70.7 points scored in the conference slate.

“Our players have gotten exposure to hard games at young stages in their career,” Lawson said. “They have been put in tough situations. As freshmen, sophomores they’ve had to play well for us to win. The goal is, in the long run, that pays dividends. At some point we won’t be the young team. Hopefully, at some point we’ll be the experienced team in some of the matchups. But, I think there’s advantages to both sides. At the end of the day in March, you just gotta play better than the other team that day.”

Duke opens its ACC Tournament at 7:30 p.m. Friday against the winner of Game 7. Its opponent could be No. 6 Louisville, No. 11 Stanford or No. 14 Clemson.

Worth noting

N.C. State vs. Notre Dame could be on a collision course for a rematch of the 2024 title game. The Wolfpack has won three straight games, including its head-to-head against the Irish at home. Meanwhile, Notre Dame started the ACC schedule 15-0 before dropping consecutive games against the Wolfpack and Florida State.

While there’s the possibility of another 1-2 rematch, Florida State is a team that could easily be in the title game. Ta’Niya Latson leads the nation in scoring this season, averaging 25.4 points per appearance. She is assisted by Makayla Timpson and O’Mariah Gordon, both of whom can score, rebound and defend effectively. The Seminoles are also 3-0 this season at neutral sites.

Several coaches mentioned the lack of pressure as lower seeds. They don’t have expectations, which helps them play with toughness and freedom. California was picked to finish No. 14 in the ACC. It has the No. 7 seed and could improve its seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, Syracuse coach Felisha Legette-Jack specifically mentioned the N.C. State men’s basketball run last season and said her team — the No. 13 seed — is embracing that same mentality, “Why not us?”

Unlike the double-digit seeds, Notre Dame has plenty of pressure. Its backcourt has been lauded by many as the best in the nation; a Final Four favorite. The Irish, however, have lost two of their last three games and want to get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It was a No. 1 seed in the second Top 16 bracket preview, but ESPN’s Charlie Creme has the Irish as a No. 2 seed after its losses. Last season, it won the ACC but lost in the Sweet 16. Can it handle the expectations?

Louisville started the season poorly, falling to N.C. State in its ACC opener by 30 points. It turned things around quickly and won six in a row. Two of its other losses came on the road, while UNC and Notre Dame beat the Cardinals at home.

Jadyn Watson-Fisher

The News & Observer