CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The 49th season of Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball tips off on Monday, November 3, with nine league teams in action beginning at 11 a.m. ET.
Headlining Monday’s slate is California and Duke opening the season in Paris, France, for Oui Play against two nationally ranked opponents. The seventh-ranked Blue Devils will face No. 16 Baylor at noon ET on ESPN, followed by California taking on No. 19 Vanderbilt at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU. It marks the third consecutive season that at least one ACC team has opened the season in Paris.
In addition to the pair of games in Paris on Monday, ninth-ranked NC State and No. 20 Louisville will also play neutral-site games against ranked opponents. The Wolfpack will meet No. 8 Tennessee at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, while the Cardinals will face top-ranked UConn in the Peraton Armed Forces Classic in Annapolis, Maryland, on Tuesday.
On Sunday, NC State will play its second ranked opponent of the week when it travels to the Ally Tipoff in Charlotte, North Carolina, to face No. 18 USC, while Florida State visits UConn.
Weekly Schedule (All Times ET)
Monday, November 3
NC Central at #11 North Carolina | 11 a.m. | ACCNX
USC Upstate at Clemson | 11 a.m. | ACCNX
#7 Duke vs. #16 Baylor | Noon | ESPN
Oui Play - Paris, France
California vs. #19 Vanderbilt | 2:30 p.m. | ESPNU
Oui Play - Paris, France
Radford at Wake Forest | 5 p.m. | ACCNX
Hofstra at Miami | 5 p.m. | ACCNX
Florida A&M at Florida State | 6 p.m. | ACCNX
Holy Cross at Boston College | 6 p.m. | ACCNX
UNCG at Stanford | 10 p.m. | ACCNX
Tuesday, November 4
Grambling State at SMU | Noon | ACCNX
#9 NC State vs. #8 Tennessee | 4 p.m. | ESPN2
Battle in the 'Boro - Greensboro, N.C.
#20 Louisville vs. #1 UConn | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN
Peraton Armed Forces Classic - Annapolis, Md.
Towson at Virginia Tech | 6 p.m. | ACCNX
Drexel at Pitt | 6 p.m. | ACCNX
Stony Brook at Syracuse | 7 p.m. | ACCNX
Morgan State at Virginia | 7 p.m. | ACCNX
Wednesday, November 5
FDU at #15 Notre Dame | 7 p.m. | ACCNX
Thursday, November 6
Bethune-Cookman at Miami | 11 a.m. | ACCNX
New Hampshire at Boston College | 1 p.m. | ACCNX
Georgia Southern at Florida State | 6 p.m. | ACCNX
Presbyterian at Wake Forest | 6 p.m. | ACCNX
Radford at Georgia Tech | 6 p.m. | ACCNX
Elon at #11 North Carolina | 7 p.m. | ACCNX
Clemson at Mercer | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Santa Clara at Stanford | 10 p.m. | ACCNX
Friday, November 7
UAlbany at Syracuse | 7 p.m. | ACCNX
Saturday, November 8
Mount St. Mary's at Pitt | 1 p.m. | ACCNX
Kansas State at SMU | 5 p.m. | ACCNX
Sunday, November 9
UMass-Lowell at Boston College | Noon | ACCNX
Holy Cross at #7 Duke | 1 p.m. | ACCNX
Hampton at Wake Forest | 2 p.m. | ACCNX
Princeton at Georgia Tech | 2 p.m. | ACCNX
Bucknell at Virginia | 2 p.m. | ACCNX
Northern Kentucky at #20 Louisville | 2 p.m. | ACCNX
Loyola Maryland at Virginia Tech | 2 p.m. | ACCNX
#9 NC State vs. #18 USC | 3 p.m. | ESPN
Ally Tipoff - Charlotte, N.C.
Chicago State at #15 Notre Dame | 3 p.m. | ACCNX
Cal Poly at Stanford | 4 p.m. | ACCNX
Florida State at #1 UConn | 4:30 p.m. | FS1
Sacramento State at California | 10 p.m. | ACCNX
ACC Teams in the Top 25
• The 2025-26 season begins with six ACC teams in the Associated Press (AP) Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll.
- AP Poll: Duke (No. 7), NC State (No. 9), North Carolina (No. 11), Notre Dame (No. 15) and Louisville (No. 20). Stanford is currently receiving votes.
- USA Today Coaches Poll: Duke (No. 6), NC State (No. 8), North Carolina (No. 11), Notre Dame (No. 13) and Louisville (No. 19). California, Florida State and Stanford are receiving votes.
Preseason Outlook
• Duke was picked as the conference favorite in the annual Predicted Order of Finish. In addition, Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo was tabbed the Preseason Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
• Four All-ACC First Team members return for the 2025-26 season and all landed on the 10-member Preseason All-ACC. The list included: Hidalgo, Kymora Johnson (Virginia), Zoe Brooks (NC State) and Toby Fournier (Duke).
Preseason Honors
• Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo was named to the Preseason AP All-American for the second consecutive season.
Naismith Preseason Watch Lists
- Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List: Rachael Rose (Clemson), Taina Mair (Duke), Zoe Brooks (NC State), Reniya Kelly (North Carolina), Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame), Kymora Johnson (Virginia)
- Ann Meyers-Drysdale Award Watch List: Lulu Twidale (California), Ashlon Jackson (Duke), Tajianna Roberts (Louisville), Zamareya Jones (NC State), Laila Phelia (Syracuse)
- Cheryl Miller Award Watch List: Jadyn Donovan (Duke), Skylar Jones (Louisville), Nyla Harris (North Carolina)
- Katrina McClain Award Watch List: Toby Fournier (Duke), Allie Kubek (Florida State), Khamil Pierre (NC State), Nunu Agara (Stanford), Sa'Myah Smith (Virginia)
- Lisa Leslie Award Watch List: Sakima Walker (California), Laura Ziegler (Louisville), Ra Shaya Kyle (Miami), Tilda Trygger (NC State), Kennedy Umeh (Stanford)
ACC and the NCAA Tournament
• Duke was the only ACC team to advance to the Elite Eight, as the league has sent at least one team in the Elite 8 for 23 straight seasons, the longest active streak of any conference. The next closest streak is 15.
• Duke, North Carolina, NC State and Notre Dame all clinched spots in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. The ACC has had at least three teams make the Sweet 16 in each of the last 11 NCAA Tournaments (including 2025). That is the longest active streak among all DI conferences.
• Current ACC member institutions have combined for six NCAA Championships (Stanford 3, Notre Dame 2, North Carolina 1) and made 40 trips to the Final Four. Ten current ACC institutions have earned a spot in the Women’s Final Four.
• Current ACC teams have made eight trips to the Final Four in the last seven NCAA Tournaments.
• In the last seven NCAA Tournaments, ACC teams have earned 56 selections, the most of any conference.
• The ACC is tied for the most NCAA Tournament victories since 2014 at 141.
• Tying a league-record for the seventh straight season, the ACC earned eight NCAA Tournament bids in 2025. The tournament field includes: Duke (2 seed), NC State (2), North Carolina (3), Notre Dame (3), Florida State (6), Louisville (7), California (8) and Georgia Tech (9).
• The ACC had four teams as a No. 3 seed or better in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, tied for the most by any conference (SEC). The only other times the ACC had this many teams seeded as such was in 2019 (four) and 2009 (four).
ACC & The WNBA
• For the 28th consecutive year, the ACC had at least one student-athlete selected in the WNBA Draft, as six former standouts heard their names called. The selections included:
- Round 1 – 3rd, Sonia Citron, G, Notre Dame – Washington
- Round 1 – 8th, Saniya Rivers, G, NC State – Connecticut
- Round 1 – 12th, Aziaha James, G, NC State – Dallas
- Round 2 – 16th, Maddy Westbeld, F, Notre Dame – Chicago
- Round 2 – 19th, Makayla Timpson, F, Florida State – Indiana
- Round 3 – 28th, Liatu King, F, Notre Dame – Los Angeles
• Selected third overall, Notre Dame’s Sonia Citron becomes the highest selected ACC player since former Louisville standout AD Durr went second overall to New York in 2019. Citron also becomes first ACC player selected in the first round since Louisville’s Emily Engstler in 2022.
• With three first-round selections, the ACC saw multiple players picked in the first round for the first time since 2019, when five ACC players were selected.
• Six former standouts from current ACC schools will participate in this year’s WNBA Finals, as the eventual WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces were represented by Dana Evans (Louisville), Chelsea Gray (Duke), Jewell Loyd (Notre Dame) and Jackie Young (Notre Dame). The Phoenix Mercury were represented by Kathryn Westbeld (Notre Dame) and Kiana Williams (Stanford).
On The Sidelines
• Two new head coaches will on ACC sidelines this season: Karen Blair (Georgia Tech) and Adia Barnes (SMU).
• Current ACC schools have earned 12 WBCA Coach of the Year awards since 1989. Six of the 10 WBCA Assistant Coach of the Year awards have gone to current ACC schools.
• NC State Head Coach Wes Moore ranks second among active Division I coaches in wins at 859 for his career. The next closest in the ACC is Miami's Tricia Cullop with 490 career victories.
• Duke Head Coach Kara Lawson was named the head coach of the USA Basketball Women's National Team. Notre Dame's Niele served as an assistant coach for the USA Basketball U19 Women's World Cup team, which captured gold in July 2025.
Ally ACC Women's Basketball Tournament
• Duke claimed its ninth ACC Tournament title and first since 2013. Duke avenged regular-season losses to Louisville, Notre Dame and NC State en route to the title, becoming the lone ACC team to beat all other 17 conference opponents.
• The tournament drew over 70.000 fans for the first time since 2009 (70,204). The championship game drew a record 11,823 fans.
• The 2025 Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament marked the 48th edition of the longest running conference women’s basketball championship in the nation and it was the 25th time in the last 26 years that First Horizon Coliseum hosted the event.
• In 2026, the Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament moves to Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia. It will mark the first time the tournament will be played outside the Carolinas since 1980.
ACC/SEC Challenge Returns for Third Season
• The ACC has posted 13 victories over two seasons of the ACC/SEC Challenge. The Challenge returns this season on December 3-4, as all 16 matchups will be featured on ESPN linear networks.