What’s on the road for the Energy 5’s final weekend of the common season?

Glad March, basketball followers. You have made it to one of the best month of the yr!

It has been an exciting school basketball season stuffed with twists and turns other than one unwavering fixed — the dominant South Carolina Gamecocks. The celebrities on the ladies’s facet have dazzled, from family names corresponding to Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers to transcendent newcomers in JuJu Watkins and Hannah Hidalgo. Girls’s school basketball has by no means had extra momentum than it does now. And that recognition surge will intersect with essentially the most important stretch of the season.

One can solely think about what awaits over the subsequent month with convention tournaments set to start subsequent week, Choice Sunday on March 17 and, earlier than we all know it, the Huge Dance. However there’s some enterprise to care for earlier than the actual enjoyable begins.

As we head into the common season’s ultimate weekend for Energy 5 conferences, listed here are a few of the main storylines to look at.

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NC State will get two clutch buckets late in OT

Aziaha James and Madison Hayes every give you enormous layups to assist NC State take the lead in time beyond regulation.

Convention races coming to an in depth

The entire Energy 5 regular-season titles had been determined Thursday night time, with every gained outright. South Carolina comfortably gained the SEC regular-season championship Sunday, its third straight outright title and eighth in 11 years. The Oklahoma Sooners clinched the Huge 12 championship Wednesday (OU’s first such title since 2008-09) with an exciting comeback win over the Texas Longhorns. Earlier Wednesday, Ohio State defeated Michigan to safe the Huge Ten title, its first since 2017-18 (although that title was later vacated attributable to NCAA violations).

Then Thursday, the Virginia Tech Hokies got here away with its first ACC title regardless of falling to the Notre Dame Preventing Irish (courtesy of the NC State Wolfpack beating the Syracuse Orange), and the Stanford Cardinal defeated the Oregon State Beavers to safe the Pac-12 title.

Of these regular-season champions, solely Virginia Tech was picked to win a title in its league’s preseason ballot.

Although the convention regular-season races have been determined, there’s nonetheless a lot to play for. The highest 4 groups within the ACC, Huge Ten, Huge 12 and SEC will safe double byes of their respective convention tournaments (these prime seeds within the Pac-12 obtain only one bye), and this weekend’s outcomes may jostle the standings on final time.

Convention participant of the yr races are (largely) broad open

Nobody sport or weekend will decide every convention’s participant of the yr, however a powerful end will help these within the operating with official bulletins possible coming earlier than match play kicks off subsequent week. The one Energy 5 league the place that honor appears utterly wrapped up is the Huge Ten, the place Clark has reigned supreme for 3 years and has been a must-watch record-breaker in 2023-24.

However what in regards to the ACC? Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley has been on a tear over the previous month, however Notre Dame’s Hidalgo has put up historic numbers this season. Dyaisha Truthful has turned Syracuse into an ACC contender and has the Orange on the perimeter of internet hosting March Insanity video games. Within the SEC, is the highest candidate Reese or South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso? Out West, Watkins, Stanford’s Cameron Brink, UCLA’s Lauren Betts and Utah’s Alissa Pili have all been stellar, although the race may even be extra open within the Huge 12, the place Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee, Texas’ Madison Booker and Oklahoma’s Skylar Vann are all within the operating.

One other undefeated common season for South Carolina?

The Gamecocks breezed via SEC play this season and with a win over Tennessee on Sunday, they will go undefeated within the common season for the second straight yr, extending their nation-best win streak to 29 consecutive video games and including to their SEC report of 46 straight regular-season convention victories.

The final time South Carolina dropped an SEC regular-season sport was in December 2021, throughout Aliyah Boston’s junior yr, they usually went on to win the nationwide title anyway.

The Gamecocks will conclude their common season at Colonial Life Area, the place they have been notably dominant lately, successful 56 consecutive house video games (the third-longest mark in SEC historical past), together with 28 straight by double figures (second-longest streak in SEC historical past). Their smallest margin of victory this season was six factors at LSU.

Ohio State-Iowa, half II and different large video games

No sport this week has been as anticipated as Ohio State-Iowa, a rematch in Iowa Metropolis after the Buckeyes handed the Hawkeyes their first Huge Ten loss final month in a 100-92 time beyond regulation thriller. And after Clark’s announcement Thursday that she’s going professional, feelings will probably be at an all-time excessive for Hawkeye trustworthy, as Sunday is senior night time and formally Clark’s ultimate regular-season house sport.

Winners of 15 straight, Ohio State has solely regarded increasingly harmful over the previous 5 weeks, whereas Iowa has since dropped street video games to Nebraska and Indiana. Per Vivid Seats on Wednesday, the typical ticket worth bought was $408, Vivid’s highest on report for a Division I ladies’s basketball sport — and sure even over final yr’s title sport between LSU and Iowa.

The one different matchup between two ranked groups this weekend is Louisville-Notre Dame in South Bend on Sunday, which has been a enjoyable ACC rivalry lately. The Cardinals gained their first assembly in February by seven factors.

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No. 7 USC survives at 2OT buzzer as Arizona’s 3 rims out

Arizona’s Jada Williams will get a fantastic take a look at a 3-pointer to win it, however she will’t join and USC hangs on for the win in double time beyond regulation.

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By tallying 33 factors Wednesday at Minnesota, Clark scored the precise quantity she wanted to move Lynette Woodard’s AIAW main school report of three,649 profession factors. Woodard achieved that distinction at Kansas from 1978 to 1981 earlier than the NCAA started governing ladies’s athletics.

On Sunday, Clark wants 18 factors to move LSU legend Pete Maravich’s 3,667 factors and turn out to be the highest scorer in NCAA Division I basketball historical past.

Ohio State might be pesky defensively, however Clark should not have an excessive amount of hassle getting at the very least 18. She put up 45 of their time beyond regulation assembly final month.

Talking of scoring information, one other participant could possibly be on the verge of including her identify to the report books. USC’s Watkins has scored 725 factors this season and wishes 174 extra to interrupt the all-time freshman scoring report, held by Tina Hutchinson of San Diego State, and simply 64 extra to crack the highest 5 of that record. If the Trojans can handle prolonged Pac-12 and NCAA match runs, Watkins may possible attain these thresholds. USC concludes its common season at Arizona State on Saturday.

Readability on the WNBA draft?

UConn star Bueckers made waves final month by asserting at her senior day that she is going to return to Storrs, Connecticut, subsequent season, whereas Clark posted Thursday that this will probably be her final season at Iowa. However we’re but to see which different seniors will be part of Bueckers in returning to varsity, utilizing the freebie yr of eligibility granted amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and which can choose to go professional like Clark. Whereas gamers needn’t make an official resolution till after their season wraps up, will others take a web page from Bueckers’ and Clark’s e book and get their bulletins over with earlier than March Insanity?

No single participant’s alternative figured to be as impactful as Clark’s, however different figures corresponding to Brink, Cardoso, Aaliyah Edwards, Reese and Georgia Amoore (a junior) have large selections on their fingers.

Looking forward to Champ Week

There’s not a lot time for a breather as Champ Week will get underway starting Tuesday, when the Horizon and Solar Belt conferences kick off their tournaments. On Wednesday, the ACC, Huge Ten, Pac-12 and SEC tournaments start.

The primary official ticket to the 2024 NCAA match will probably be punched March 9, when the OVC match title sport is held at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Seven extra computerized bids will probably be secured the next day when the Huge Ten, ACC, SEC and Pac-12 are among the many leagues concluding their tournaments. The Huge 12 does not crown a champion till March 12.

What to look at this weekend

Tennessee at No. 1 South Carolina

Sunday at midday ET, ESPN

The Woman Vols have had a tumultuous season, spending a portion of it not even within the Bracketology area after a lackluster nonconference run (granted, star Rickea Jackson was absent most of that point). At present, Charlie Creme tasks them to be a No. 9 seed. Since LSU pulled away late of their matchup in Knoxville on Sunday, Tennessee nonetheless does not have an actual marquee win and it does not appear possible it is going to get one in Columbia on Sunday. Nonetheless, it will be value watching how the Woman Vols shut out the common season and fare within the SEC match.

No. 2 Ohio State at No. 6 Iowa

Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, Fox

The newly topped Huge Ten champs have gained 15 consecutive video games and took down Iowa final month, however Clark & Co. are a troublesome out at Carver Hawkeye Area, the place they’re 12-1 on the season. Their sole loss got here towards Kansas State on Nov. 16.

The Buckeyes, who’ve held all however three Huge Ten opponents underneath 72 factors, have been clicking. Will the Hawkeyes have a solution for Cotie McMahon (who had 33 factors in Spherical 1) this time round? Ohio State has so many gamers who can harm you, together with future WNBA draft decide Jacy Sheldon and the more and more spectacular Celeste Taylor.

No. 22 Louisville at No. 17 Notre Dame

Sunday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN

Notre Dame is flying excessive after knocking off the most popular crew within the ACC in Virginia Tech, which had gained 10 straight earlier than falling to the Irish in South Bend on Thursday. If Niele Ivey’s squad can defend as successfully as they did towards the Hokies, the Irish could possibly be peaking on the proper time. Having Maddy Westbeld (19 factors vs. Virginia Tech) and Sonia Citron (21 second-half factors) get going and assist out Hidalgo from a scoring perspective will solely increase their probabilities.

Louisville is coming off a cushty win over Florida State.