Which teams have the most to prove in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and Jimmy V Classic?

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After a chaotic acceptable of Thanksgiving week tournaments successful which a slew of ranked opponents suffered early-season losses, galore astatine the hands of unranked teams, the women's assemblage hoops satellite has different slate of marquee nonconference matchups implicit the adjacent fewer days successful the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and Jimmy V Classic.

The erstwhile features 4 matchups betwixt ranked opponents, including the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes' 96-77 roadworthy triumph implicit the No. 18 Louisville Cardinals connected Wednesday. Thursday's ACC/Big Ten Challenge games includes meetings betwixt the No. 20 Maryland Terrapins astatine the No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the No. 6 North Carolina Tar Heels astatine the No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers, the No. 12 NC State Wolfpack astatine the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Jimmy V Classic follows connected Sunday, with the No. 9 Virginia Tech Hokies traveling to the Tennessee Lady Volunteers and the No. 3 UConn Huskies taking connected No. 7 Notre Dame successful South Bend, a revival of the programs' storied rivalry.

The ACC and Big Ten each person 5 teams successful the latest Associated Press poll, but the erstwhile has won 10 of the 14 iterations of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, which is successful its last year. A caller ACC/SEC Challenge volition statesman successful 2023-24, the conferences announced this week.

ESPN.com's sheet of experts -- M.A. Voepel, Charlie Creme and Alexa Philippou -- interruption down what we've learned astir immoderate of these programs frankincense far, which teams person the astir to beryllium implicit the adjacent fewer days and foretell each matchup.

Jump to crippled docket and predictions

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Diamond Miller nails the 3 vs. Baylor Bears

Which squad has the astir to beryllium oregon to summation successful these events?

Creme: Maryland is inactive searching for an identity. Are the Terps a perimeter shooting team? Do they request to play accelerated to win? Is this Diamond Miller's team? Can they rebound capable (Maryland is presently 249th successful antiaircraft rebounding rate, according to Her Hoop Stats)? All of these questions stay unanswered 8 games into the season.

Maryland does person an awesome roadworthy triumph astatine the Baylor Bears, but followed it with a lackluster and head-scratching nonaccomplishment successful Fort Myers to the struggling DePaul Blue Demons. Will the existent Terrapins delight basal up?

There was ever going to beryllium a learning curve for Maryland this play fixed its important roster turnover and incorporating 4 salient transfers, but the Big Ten play begins this weekend. The clip to get it each to jell is now, and a triumph implicit Notre Dame would assistance the Terps observe who they are.

Philippou: We're astir to find retired wherever precisely Notre Dame and Virginia Tech are to commencement the season. Both teams are undefeated truthful far, but haven't faced the strongest contention (neither has played a ranked hostile to this point). Expectations person been precocious for some programs: the Irish to instrumentality to the glory days of the Muffet McGraw era, the Hokies to spell wherever nary erstwhile Virginia Tech squad has ventured before.

If Notre Dame comes distant with wins implicit Maryland and particularly UConn, the content that this is Niele Ivey's champion squad yet, susceptible of the program's deepest tally successful immoderate time, volition turn adjacent stronger. Virginia Tech doesn't person quite arsenic pugnacious of a docket (Nebraska and Tennessee started the play ranked but person since fallen retired of the AP poll), but a brace of wins would solidify its presumption arsenic a apical contender successful the ACC, astatine the precise least.

Voepel: North Carolina doesn't person thing to prove, really, but a triumph astatine Indiana apt would propel them into the apical 5 successful the rankings -- a spot UNC hasn't been since 2009. That was 2 years aft the Tar Heels made back-to-back Final Four trips successful 2006 and 2007, truthful a truly antithetic era. Since Notre Dame and Louisville came into the ACC, they person been the ascendant teams, with league "old-timer" NC State. The Tar Heels are trying to reclaim their spot among the ACC's best, which volition besides enactment them among the nation's best.

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Eva Hodgson sinks a 3-pointer arsenic UNC trails vs. Iowa State.

Which crippled volition person the astir interaction connected Bracketology?

Creme: Indiana and North Carolina could beryllium playing for a No. 1 seed. The Hoosiers are already determination successful this week's Bracketology. A triumph successful Bloomington would beryllium the Tar Heels 3rd consecutive implicit a top-20 squad aft beating the Oregon Ducks and Iowa State Cyclones successful Portland implicit the weekend. That would beryllium capable to propel them to No. 4 wide and the last apical seed.

Missing retired connected the one-on-one conflict betwixt Berger and North Carolina's Deja Kelly volition beryllium each that's lacking successful this matchup betwixt teams that 1 period into the play look similar morganatic Final Four contenders.

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Following a show with 14 points and 8 rebounds, Jordan Horston discusses No. 23 Tennessee's assertive commencement against Eastern Kentucky.

What is the champion crippled oregon champion idiosyncratic matchup?

Philippou: Charlie already spoke to the intrigue of UNC-Indiana, and it's a existent shame Berger won't beryllium capable to play. One happening to watch: Can UNC debar a come-from-behind rally effort they seemed to trust connected to triumph the Phil Knight Invitational?

Two different matchups instrumentality out, for antithetic reasons: For Tennessee-Virginia Tech, it'll beryllium absorbing to spot however the Hokies look against stiffer competition, but besides whether the Lady Vols look person enactment their early-season struggles down them and tin amusement the federation wherefore they were considered a Final Four contender successful the archetypal place.

Notre Dame-UConn hasn't been competitory the past 2 iterations, but that could alteration this year. For it to happen, Olivia Miles volition person to person a overmuch much memorable crippled against the Huskies than she did past twelvemonth (eight points connected 4-for-10 shooting and 8 assists, but besides 5 turnovers). Still, UConn's 3 top-10 wins successful its archetypal 5 games are the astir by immoderate Huskies squad implicit the past 20 seasons, truthful possibly they'll proceed rolling with that momentum.

Voepel: UConn-Notre Dame isn't Geno Auriemma vs. Muffet McGraw anymore, but determination is inactive a amusive antipathy betwixt the programs. There are fewer things much enjoyable for Irish women's hoops fans than sending the Huskies packing with a loss, truthful they should beryllium retired successful afloat dependable Sunday.

As for a subordinate matchup, it volition beryllium absorbing to spot however Nebraska Cornhuskers' center/forward Alexis Markowski, past season's Big Ten freshman of the year, does against Virginia Tech halfway Elizabeth Kitley, the reigning ACC subordinate of the year. Both are averaging double-doubles, though Kitley (19.7 PPG) is scoring astatine a higher clip than Markowski (13.4 PPG).

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Creme: Picking a "best" successful this lineup isn't easy. Some of these matchups are Sweet 16/Elite Eight level. But NC State astatine Iowa has a accidental to beryllium a classic. Both teams emotion to dispersed the level and onslaught connected offense. They are each successful the top-20 successful points per game.

Iowa has 2 of the champion scorers successful the state successful Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano. The Wolfpack person equilibrium with six players averaging much than 7 points per game, and person the benignant of magnitude that could springiness the Hawkeyes' 2 stars fits. Will the Wolfpack outscore Iowa oregon volition their defence frustrate the Hawkeyes into a lower-scoring game? The victor collects a immense NCAA tourney resume gathering block, 1 that each could usage aft suffering losses to UConn.

What subordinate oregon squad was under-the-radar successful the preseason but is having a breakout season?

Voepel: Freshman defender Ta'Niya Latson is disconnected to a large commencement for the 7-1 Florida State Seminoles, averaging an ACC-best 24.4 PPG and shooting 48.1% from 3-point range. She was No. 14 successful the Class of 2022 for ESPN HoopGurlz, truthful we had a feeling she would beryllium good. But she has been amended than that truthful far.

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Indiana freshman Yarden Garzon hits 5 3-pointers connected her mode to a team-high 19 points successful a triumph implicit Vermont.

Creme: With Berger retired for Indiana, freshman Yarden Garzon truly stepped up successful the Hoosiers' 2 games successful Las Vegas, averaging 19.0 points and 5.0 assists. The 6-foot-3 defender from Israel could beryllium an aboriginal frontrunner for Big Ten Freshman of the Year. She has started each 7 games, is Indiana's third-leading scorer and has made 52.9% of her 3-point shots.

The Hoosiers had to regenerate 3 programme mainstays successful Aleksa Gulbe, Nicole Cardaño-Hillary, and Ali Patberg. But with the additions of transfers Sara Scalia and Sydney Parrish, the improved play of inferior Chloe Moore-McNeil, and the astonishment of Garzon, the Hoosiers mightiness beryllium amended than they were a play ago.

Philippou: I didn't expect overmuch from the Michigan Wolverines entering the play considering Naz Hillmon was leaving. That said, they are 7-0 heading into Thursday's crippled versus the Miami Hurricanes, and conscionable bushed a ranked Baylor squad (yes, the Bears were without Aijha Blackwell, but still). Emily Kiser and Laila Phelia person stepped up massively for the Wolverines, combining to mean 37.7 points per crippled and individually doubling their scoring averages from past year.

Sure, they mightiness inactive not beryllium favorites successful the Big Ten (see: Iowa, Indiana, Ohio State), but possibly they tin inactive marque immoderate sound this season. In summation to taking attraction of concern against the Hurricanes this week, support an oculus connected their precocious December drawstring of games against North Carolina (Dec. 20), Nebraska (Dec. 28) and Ohio State Buckeyes (Dec. 31).

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Check retired this saccharine dime from Olivia Miles

Give america 1 bold prediction for these games?

Philippou: Iowa and NC State are choky successful the rankings, but the Hawkeyes volition usage the momentum they established past play against UConn -- arguably their champion crippled this young play -- to truly instrumentality it to the Wolfpack, who inactive look to beryllium searching for an individuality pursuing truthful overmuch roster turnover. Iowa volition win, showing disconnected its emblematic violative prowess and the benignant of betterment connected the antiaircraft extremity that gave UConn fits -- and it mightiness not beryllium close.

Voepel: It's excessively overmuch to accidental that Sunday's crippled against Virginia Tech is make-or-break for Tennessee, due to the fact that thing is that monumental this aboriginal successful the season. However, it's beauteous big. The Lady Vols are 4-4 and request to found they person learned a batch from the rocky roadworthy truthful far. Otherwise, they mightiness beryllium showing this is truly conscionable who they are. A triumph against the Hokies could mean a batch successful presumption of their assurance being established oregon further watered down.

Creme: I should cognize amended than to prime against UConn. No squad has impressed maine much than the Huskies truthful acold this season. But I americium taking Notre Dame to triumph Sunday. UConn's docket is conscionable truthful tough. Eventually, the Huskies are going to person an disconnected nighttime against 1 of these elite teams, right? As bully arsenic they person been against the Texas Longhorns, NC State and Iowa, this crippled against the Irish volition beryllium their archetypal existent roadworthy game. Finding that other cogwheel mightiness conscionable beryllium a spot much hard distant from home. And careless of which squad wins, who isn't giddy astatine the thought of seeing Olivia Miles and Azzi Fudd, the 2 champion young guards successful the country, connected the aforesaid court?