Around women’s college hoops: Louisville tops ACC, hot seat watch,…

Around women’s college hoops: Louisville tops ACC, hot seat watch,…

Since becoming a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2014, the Louisville women’s basketball team has been the league’s most constant program. From 2018 by means of 2023, the Cardinals went to 5 consecutive Elite Eights, gained 4 straight ACC common season titles and appeared in the Final Four twice.Under coach Jeff Walz, the expectation for the Cardinals is competing for ACC crown and a Final Four bid every season. When Louisville didn’t do that in the past two years — shedding during the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and 2025 — of us began to surprise if Louisville’s reign was over.“There’s been good basketball played at Louisville for about 19 years now,” Walz said a few weeks in the past after an additional time win at North Carolina, pointing to the start of his tenure as coach in 2007. “You know, our standards are a little higher than most. When we get beat in the second round, it’s a bad year. When we lost in the first round, I had a for sale sign in my yard. I mean, people were like, ‘Get rid of this guy.’”There’s a little bit little bit of tongue-in-cheek hyperbole from Walz, nevertheless it’s true followers began counting them out in the race for the ACC title, a lot less contending for a national championship. Those who had pessimistic beliefs about Louisville have been validated in November, the place the Cardinals misplaced to UConn and rival Kentucky by double figures.But then December got here. Louisville practically beat South Carolina, shedding to the mighty Gamecocks by two factors, and then gained a ranked highway game at North Carolina, adopted by outclassing Tennessee on a impartial court docket.

More: Texas coach says SEC has ‘vendetta’ against Longhorns after LSU loss

Advertisement

Since shedding to the Gamecocks, Louisville has gained 9 straight games. Walz’s Cardinals not only appear to be the best in the ACC, however also the convention’s best hope at a top-16 seed in the NCAA Tournament and Final Four bid.Statistically, the Cardinals are playing nice protection and taking good care of the ball. They rank twelfth nationally in opponent 3-point capturing (25.1%), twenty first in opponent offensive rebound charge (24.7%), thirteenth in complete rebounds per game (44.1), and 18th in assist-turnover ratio.

“When we pass the ball and we’re unselfish, we’ve got six or seven kids that can make open shots that you have to guard, and when we do that, then we can spread the floor,” Walz said last week. “We can put pressure on you, and that’s why I think we’re having success now.”This team is also rising and maturing as the season goes alongside. It’s a younger squad with a mixed 10 freshmen and sophomores. Imari Berry and Elif Istanbulluoglu have made the largest enhancements, Tajianna Roberts is still playing at an All-ACC level after incomes a nod there as a freshman, and Laura Ziegler has lived as much as the hype since transferring in from Saint Joseph’s.Louisville is 4-3 in Quad 1 games, has a NET of 11 and is seventh in WAB (wins above bubble). The losses to UConn and Kentucky really feel like a lifetime in the past.“We competed and played well (in non-conference). We had a really nice win over Tennessee. I think part of it is, our league, our teams played,” Walz said. “Like Duke, you know, we’re playing good teams. We’re playing ranked opponents.”Ahead are two big exams. The Cardinals play at Notre Dame on Thursday and at N.C. State on Sunday, each locations that aren’t type to highway groups. If Louisville comes out on top on each, they need to be taken critically as a contender again.

Top prospect shelved for Duke

Since the preseason, Duke head coach Kara Lawson has been complimentary of freshman, Emilee Skinner. Ranked as the fourth-best prospect in the 2025 class by ESPN, the 6-foot point guard got here into this season with lots of hype.“She’s the best passer we’ve had here since I’ve been at Duke, and it’s not really close,” Lawson said after Duke’s Nov. 12 win over Norfolk State. “She sees the floor in an advanced way. She’s able to deliver catchable passes, passes that are easy for people to shoot or easy for people to lay up. And she has a great intelligence about her. She understands the playbook, understands the strengths of her teammates, and that’s again, more advanced than the typical freshman.”But Skinner hasn’t performed all that a lot, with a complete of 47 minutes across three games for the Blue Devils, seemingly because of a nagging decrease physique injury on which Lawson has been principally mum. Skinner hasn’t taken the flooring for Duke since Dec. 7, when the Blue Devils beat Virginia Tech.A source near Skinner conversant in her state of affairs told USA Today Sports that she’ll be redshirting this season. Since Skinner performed in three games, she ought to retain this 12 months of eligibility.Meanwhile, Duke has adjusted, as they’ve now gained eight consecutive games.

Advertisement

More: LSU’s national title hopes start (and end) with Flau’jae Johnson

Duke Blue Devils guard Emilee Skinner (5) shoots a free throw at the Countdown to Craziness at the Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Coaching carousel warming up

Joe McKeown announced last March this season could be his last as coach at Northwestern. The 69-year-old has been a head coach in Division I women’s basketball for 40 years with earlier stops at New Mexico State and George Washington.He’s 783-442 and 19 of his groups have been to the NCAA Tournament. But since taking the reins at Northwestern in 2008, the Wildcats have gone dancing just twice and appear to be on monitor to overlook March Madness again with a 6-10 total document this season.Knowing McKeown’s retirement is looming, Northwestern is already vetting candidates, a number of sources told USA Today Sports. Second round interviews with candidates will start this week. Some of the best mid-major coaches in the nation — from the Ivy League, Atlantic 10 and CAA — can be in the combine for this opening. Michigan native Carrie Moore, who gained the Ivy with Harvard last season, is among the frontrunners.Elsewhere, colleges who’ve yet to announce teaching modifications are quietly placing feelers out to brokers and potential candidates about who is likely to be occupied with their job if it have been to open. Two of those that bubbled up last week, a number of sources told USA Today Sports, have been Texas A&M and VCU.At Texas A&M, Joni Taylor is 14-39 in SEC play in 4 seasons with one NCAA Tournament look. Beth O’Boyle has been the head coach at VCU since 2014, however has gone dancing just as soon as — in the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season — and is on-pace for her third shedding season in 4 years.

Advertisement

More: Transfers pushing women’s basketball parity. Just ask this ACC coach.

Northwestern head coach Joe Mckeown is in his final season with the Wildcats.

UCLA’s dual-sport star has to cut back time on the court docket

One of the feel-good moments of this women’s college basketball season was when Megan Grant notched an And-1 for UCLA in a win over Long Beach State. It didn’t impression the game, as the Bruins led by 60, however the bench erupted after they noticed the softball star join on the basket.This is Grant’s first season playing college basketball. Softball followers are conversant in Grant, an All-American utility participant, who has featured in the outfield and infield corners for the Bruins across three seasons, mashing 49 dwelling runs in 180 games.But with softball season approaching, basketball coach Cori Close has to share Grant with softball skipper Kelly Inouye-Perez. And so, Close said, Grant gained’t journey with the basketball team for the remainder of the common season, however will play in dwelling games when it doesn’t battle with softball.“She’s pretty much all of softball’s until we get to the postseason,” Close said after UCLA’s win at Nebraska on Sunday. “And then we’re going to sort of reevaluate at that point. But she’s been a great addition to our team and even though she’s not here in the day-to-day right now, she’s here in spirit.”Grant has performed in 12 basketball games this season and scored in three of them, including a win over North Carolina.

UCLA utility Megan Grant will stop touring with the basketball team to give attention to softball.

This article initially appeared on USA TODAY: Louisville women’s basketball, as soon as again, rises to top of ACC

Do you want sports activities? Stay informed with the latest in sports activities. At
TheGossipBlogger.com,
we cowl breaking news, match outcomes, athlete updates, and key developments from major leagues and competitions worldwide.

From soccer, basketball, and tennis to global tournaments and local games, our reporting highlights the performances, information, and rivalries shaping today’s sporting panorama.

Beyond scores and outcomes, we also share analysis, exclusive interviews, training insights, and tales from behind the scenes — providing you with an entire view of the action.

Bookmark
Sports
and check back often for correct, well-curated updates that preserve you related to the athletes and occasions making headlines.