ACC 2024-25 Season

[FanInNC]

Perhaps time to ditch the offseason thread now that the season is upon us?

The conference opened up 14-1 yesterday with the lone loss being Louisville dropping one to 5th ranked UCLA.

To start the season the conference has 6 ranked schools :

6 Notre Dame
9 NC State
11 Duke
15 UNC
17 Louisville
19 Florida State

I’ll be in Raleigh tonight to watch the Packs season opener and witness a banner raising for last years Final Four run.

 

[FanInNC]

3-0 for the ACC last night.

I was at the State game where they beat East Tennessee State 80-55. Sloppy start for the Pack, I think they had 12 first half turnovers before settling in and only having 2 in the second half.

State clearly doesn't have an answer yet in the post. They started former transfer, senior Lizzy Williamson who has good size but honestly is very unathletic and stiff. She doesn't move fluidly and is a major weakness on offense. She was benched fairly early and barely was used again the remainder of the game. Sophomore Mallory Collier perhaps looked the best as far as scoring, she has nice touch in the post however doesn't move well defensively and isn't much of a rim protector or plus rebounder. True Freshman Lorena Awou I think has the highest ceiling, she is very raw (I think didn't start playing basketball until a couple years ago) but she has great size, a good strong frame, and is physical. I really think she has potential to be a force down the road - just not sure that is going to be THIS year.

The other option for the Pack would be to go small or at least more finesse. Disappointingly, Sophomore Maddie Cox didn't show much at all last night. I thought last year she flashed at times and showed potential as sort of a stretch 4, she didn't have it last night for whatever reason. She only played 8 minutes, very surprised honestly. True Freshman Tilda Trygger played 10 minutes and she has great size at 6'5 maybe 6'6, moves very fluid, very comfortable handling the ball and can stroke the long range jumper and 3 pointer. She is not the most physical player ever though. Did block 2 shots and grab 3 boards while finishing with 3 points in her 10 minutes - I think she has a lot of potential if she can gain confidence and embrace a little more physicality in her game.

Now on the bright side...Zoe Brooks had a career high 21 points, knocked down 2 3's which is notable because that was not something she really even attempted much last season and would be a huge boost if she's able to be a respectable shooter from deep as well. She was great last night, Saniya did what she always does - deflects passes, pokes away dribbles, gets steals and generates easy looks in transition. She finished with 11 and 7 as well as 3 steals. Aziaha James didn't break a sweat and had 17 points and 9 boards. Maddison Hayes was her typical perfect complimentary piece with 11 points on 5-7 shooting. And I thought both Freshman guards showed they have promise. Zam Jones didn't have her shot going but you can see she belongs. Devyn Quigley looked good too I thought, maybe has moved ahead of Laci Steele on the depth chart, she played 13 minutes and had 4 points and a couple rebounds.

Next up for the Pack is a Final Four rematch with South Carolina. I don't expect much there as a State fan, going into a game against SC with no one you feel good about in the post is probably not going to end well. But we will see how the young bigs do and see just how much the Pack can successfully ride their guard play or not.

 

[cancontent]

Just came across this. Nice to see Alex Ohanian out to support the women's program at the start of the season.

 

[12au]

Did the AP voters break a long Stanford top 25 streak by not ranking them in preseason poll? Smh

 

[WBBTakeover]

Watching UVA/OU game. While Oklahoma may be slightly underrated as just a "Top 10" team (could be a Top 5 team), man--UVA looks awful. Their best player won't shoot the ball and would rather hunt assists while her team is down nearly 30. They don't have one reliable post presence (Camryn Taylor was a huge loss that they failed to replace). They're turning the ball over like crazy (Paris Johnson does not look the part of an upperclassman). Oh, and they still don't defend.

I know that Oklahoma has the huge advantage in Beers inside (she looks every bit the part of an All-American/possible SEC POY), but they've missed quite a few FTs and layups. They could probably be up by 40 or more if they were truly clicking.

It's early, but UVA 2024-25 looks an awful lot like the UVA of the past two seasons. If this is a tournament team, then I'm not sure I want to watch the tournament until at least the second weekend.

 

[sivad40]

I'm not the one than usually have hot takes on one game and project it to a whole season but Virginia Tech looked more impressive beating UNC-W than UNC did. Cal and Stanford might do better than expected in the ACC if they can get keep hitting 3 pointers at an above average rate because most ACC teams don't the offensive firepower to keep it and the key will be slowing them on defense.

 

[Gate81]

Watching UVA/OU game. While Oklahoma may be slightly underrated as just a "Top 10" team (could be a Top 5 team), man--UVA looks awful. Their best player won't shoot the ball and would rather hunt assists while her team is down nearly 30. They don't have one reliable post presence (Camryn Taylor was a huge loss that they failed to replace). They're turning the ball over like crazy (Paris Johnson does not look the part of an upperclassman). Oh, and they still don't defend.

I know that Oklahoma has the huge advantage in Beers inside (she looks every bit the part of an All-American/possible SEC POY), but they've missed quite a few FTs and layups. They could probably be up by 40 or more if they were truly clicking.

It's early, but UVA 2024-25 looks an awful lot like the UVA of the past two seasons. If this is a tournament team, then I'm not sure I want to watch the tournament until at least the second weekend.

do not underestimate the Beers effect. Or to quote Kiki Iriafen when Haley Jones interviewed her in her podcast, "I'm glad I never have to play her again."

 

[WBBTakeover]

do not underestimate the Beers effect. Or to quote Kiki Iriafen when Haley Jones interviewed her in her podcast, "I'm glad I never have to play her again."

Trust me, I'm not underestimating Beers. She looks even better than she did last season (quicker, putting the ball on the floor with ease)--and she was an All-American last year. OU is a legit SEC Championship contender/Final Four threat with her. I think she's better than Lauren Betts, but that's just my opinion. I also think that OU's better than LSU but again--just my opinion.

My concerns were Virginia-based. Honestly, they looked like they were still being coached by Tina Thompson. While they were clearly supposed to lose the game (they were 12-point underdogs and I had them losing by about 20-25), I never would've imagined that they'd lose by 45. They do not seem like they're taking that next step as a program. The defense is still poor. Players are still out of control offensively and confused about their roles. To make things worse, post play took a huge step back (no Taylor, Clarkson, Brunelle, or McLean) because Mox and her staff were unable to bring in the level of post talent that Tina Thompson, of all people, was able to pull in.

Oh--and this team does not have any noticeable leadership. Kymora Johnson has talent, but she's inefficient, doesn't know when to pass versus shoot, and isn't vocal. No way does a player like Hannah Hidalgo see her team continuing to fall behind and continue to pass. That's not winning basketball. Johnson should've had at least 20 shot attempts last night. Hannah sure would've.

I know that some in WBB are high on Coach Mox (she has been badly outclassed by Jennie Baranczyk both last year and this year), but I'm not seeing it with her. They have some pieces that look good on paper, but the only player who looked like she belonged on the court against Oklahoma last night was Breona Hurd (their freshman). Paris Clark's play was unacceptable for an upperclassman and former elite recruit. I'm sure this group will win a few easy games and shut people up momentarily, but I can't see them being anything significantly better than average--which is what they've been since Mox arrived.

 

[cancontent]

do not underestimate the Beers effect. Or to quote Kiki Iriafen when Haley Jones interviewed her in her podcast, "I'm glad I never have to play her again."

Maybe at the college level, save for the tournament. If her goal is the WNBA, they may see each other more often than she'd care to.

 

[WBBTakeover]

I hate losing to Maryland. I hate losing to Maryland by playing almost no defense even more!

 

[triaddukefan]

I hate losing to Maryland. I hate losing to Maryland by playing almost no defense even more!

We shouldn't even be playing those moneyflounder's If Duke FB or MBB ever schedules them I'll march to the AD's desk and complain in person.

Anyway...we are going to miss Kennedy Brown even more than I feared. Only 2 teams scored over 80pts on us (in regulation) all of last season. Guess we weill have to rely on our offense this year We got slaughtered on the offensive boards.. missed 24 layups. Its a problem for us that our two players that will live on the free throw line are terrible ft shooters.

 

[maple]

I thought Syracuse might struggle in the ACC this year given their performance yesterday, but this morning I’m reevaluating that. They’ll probably be solidly middle of the pack.

 

[Darwin]

We shouldn't even be playing those moneyflounder's If Duke FB or MBB ever schedules them I'll march to the AD's desk and complain in person.

Anyway...we are going to miss Kennedy Brown even more than I feared. Only 2 teams scored over 80pts on us (in regulation) all of last season. Guess we weill have to rely on our offense this year We got slaughtered on the offensive boards.. missed 24 layups. It’s a problem for us that our two players that will live on the free throw line are terrible ft shooters.

Don't sweat it. Your lady Duck blue devils should comfortably land in the top 7-8 of the ACC once again.

 

[FanInNC]

It’s early. Teams are trying to figure out rotations and new rosters are meshing. I wouldn’t take too much away from an early game against a good team.

 

[CAbballfan2]

I honestly don’t see any immediate concern with Duke this early. I don’t think most realize how much Kennedy Brown directed her teammates back there. She made sure everyone was in the right spot.

Duke getting exposed like that the 3rd game of the season is only going to help them going forward. They now have a lot of film to look at it. I think they will be fine.

 

[CardsWBBfan]

It was a brutal Sunday for the ACC. We went 2-7 yesterday. YIKES!

 

[WBBTakeover]

It was a brutal Sunday for the ACC. We went 2-7 yesterday. YIKES!

It was a bad weekend for the ACC--period. Those Thanksgiving tournaments loom large right about now.

 

[triaddukefan]

I honestly don’t see any immediate concern with Duke this early. I don’t think most realize how much Kennedy Brown directed her teammates back there. She made sure everyone was in the right spot.

Duke getting exposed like that the 3rd game of the season is only going to help them going forward. They now have a lot of film to look at it. I think they will be fine.

So you are saying I should hold off on ordering those large brown paper bags for now?

 

[triaddukefan]

Don't sweat it. Your lady Duck blue devils should comfortably land in the top 7-8 of the ACC once again.

Let us worry about Duke.... Yall need to worry about all those loose monkeys

 

[Darwin]

I honestly don’t see any immediate concern with Duke this early. I don’t think most realize how much Kennedy Brown directed her teammates back there. She made sure everyone was in the right spot.

Duke getting exposed like that the 3rd game of the season is only going to help them going forward. They now have a lot of film to look at it. I think they will be fine.

Dear Lord.
This is why the ducks can’t have nice things.

 

[jdote33]

Shout out to Duke bouncing back after the Maryland loss. They have like 4 long, athletic 4/5's. I really like Jordan Woods, and Toby Fournier is really fun to watch.

I'm watching Gonzaga vs Cal right now. Was really watching for Ines, but I've been really impressed with Lulu Twidale. She's scoring in transition, hitting threes. Has decent size for a guard. Cal looks really good right now. Also, Suarez looks to be in way better shape than she was at Tennessee or even last year.

 

[CalWBBfan]

Cal won 86-65 win over Gonzaga in Spokane. The Bears (4-0) had four players score at least 14 points led by Kayla Williams who had 2 buzzer beaters and a season high of 25 points (9-of-12) and four triples (4-of-6) plus six assists and four steals.

 

[FanInNC]

State led wire to wire and beat Kent State 79-51.

Zoe Brooks did not play due to a death in the family which meant freshman Zam Jones got the start. She had a disappointing first half before turning it on late to finish with 16 points. Azaiah James became the 39th player in Wolfpack history to top the 1000 career point mark with a 20 point 9 rebound effort.

Kent State hit 8 threes in the first half to keep it interesting but couldn’t keep up the pace in the second. State played 11 players and all 11 scored. Maddie Cox continues to log very few minutes which is surprising to me - I really thought or maybe hoped she would take a step this year, but it appears she’s behind freshman Tilda Trygger in the rotation.

State still is searching for a big to step up. Mallory Collier looked good tonight against a team without a ton of size or athleticism in the post. I’d say her and Trygger have earned maybe the most trust at this stage but no one is pulling away and taking the job. Big test this weekend against TCU for the Pack’s frontcourt.

 

[cancontent]

Shout out to Duke bouncing back after the Maryland loss. They have like 4 long, athletic 4/5's. I really like Jordan Woods, and Toby Fournier is really fun to watch.

I'm watching Gonzaga vs Cal right now. Was really watching for Ines, but I've been really impressed with Lulu Twidale. She's scoring in transition, hitting threes. Has decent size for a guard. Cal looks really good right now. Also, Suarez looks to be in way better shape than she was at Tennessee or even last year.

Re Jordan Woods @triaddukefan may owe one of his "favourite" land grants a thank you for releasing her from her NLI if this keeps up.

 

[Rooster C.]

ACC is a combined 0 -7 against ranked opponents and FSU lost to a very good (but unranked) Illinois team.

There are only 6 undefeated teams left this early in the season and NONE of them have played a ranked team as yet.

C'mon ACC - DO BETTER!!

 

[Rooster C.]

Today's games:

Miami (2 - 0) at Florida (3 - 0) Good rivalry game
Coppin State (2 - 2) at VT (2 - 1) CS gave SC a battle in the early going so could be more competitive than expected.
SMU (2 - 1) at ASU (1 - 2) and the main event:
#18 Louisville (2 -1) at #20 Kentucky (3 - 0) Not just a rivalry game but should "feel" like an ACC battle lol

All four of these games are a toss-up imo

 

[triaddukefan]

Re Jordan Woods @triaddukefan may owe one of his "favourite" land grants a thank you for releasing her from her NLI if this keeps up.

Id forgotten all about that. Wood is definitely taking advantage of the injuries to Roberson and Cotton to earn more minutes... Love that she is making the most of it.

ACC is a combined 0 -7 against ranked opponents and FSU lost to a very good (but unranked) Illinois team.

There are only 6 undefeated teams left this early in the season and NONE of them have played a ranked team as yet.

C'mon ACC - DO BETTER!!

1. Most of the SEC schools haven't played anyone of note yet.

2. I'll worry about the ACC.... You need to worry about the remaining loose monkeys and the dog sized lizards running rampant in SEC country

 

[BigTenGuy]

Ustby grew up in Minnesota and Donarski grew up in nearby LaCrosse, WI, both in the same high school class as Paige. Really thought these 2 5th-year Tar Heels would be poised to impress against UConn. If either had played well, UNC might have made it more than interesting against UConn.

 

[Rooster C.]

ACC is a combined 0 -7 against ranked opponents and FSU lost to a very good (but unranked) Illinois team.

There are only 6 undefeated teams left this early in the season and NONE of them have played a ranked team as yet.

C'mon ACC - DO BETTER!!

Well ACC won 2 and lost 2 today so an unimpressive 50% .

They are now a combined 0 -8 against ranked opponents.

At least Miami had a decent road win at Florida.

 

[Ladeeeeda]

Well ACC won 2 and lost 2 today so an unimpressive 50% .

They are now a combined 0 -8 against ranked opponents.

At least Miami had a decent road win at Florida.

Unfortunately, this trend will probably continue to get worse. The ACC as a conference just doesn't have the NIL firepower that the SEC and the Big 10 have and perhaps it is starting to show. It is what it is! I know some people don't want to think money is a major factor, but I think that is delusional.