College sports conferences might be mostly made out of vibes these days, but when top teams play each other, the vibes are always good.
Hitting the books — Claire Watkins |
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Let the conference showdowns begin
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Matthew Hinton/USA TODAY Sports
The first ACC-SEC Challenge begins this week, as top teams from the two conferences determine who has the upper hand early in the basketball season.
- The games replace the ACC-Big Ten and SEC-Big 12 Challenges, which both ended last year.
- All games will be broadcast on ESPN platforms.
Acing the test: Ranked matchups begin tonight with No. 18 Notre Dame vs. No. 20 Tennessee (5 pm ET, ESPN2) and No. 22 Louisville vs. No. 19 Ole Miss (8:15 pm, ESPNU).
- Volunteers star senior Rickea Jackson is still day-to-day with a lower leg injury, and the Irish are also carrying a number of injuries.
On Thursday, No. 1 South Carolina will battle No. 24 North Carolina (7 pm, ESPN), before No. 7 LSU takes on No. 9 Virginia Tech (9 pm, ESPN).
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USWNT set for inaugural Gold Cup
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Lynne Cameron/ISI Photos/Getty Images
- Their three-game group stage will take place from Feb. 20-26 in Carson, CA, followed by knockout stages in March and the final on March 10 in San Diego.
Background: The Gold Cup replaces the SheBelieves Cup in 2024, with the U.S. instead hosting a competitive tournament between two regions.
- The field will include Canada, the U.S., six Concacaf qualified teams and four teams from South America (Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay and Argentina).
With the tourney taking place during the NWSL preseason, the six-day window for the group stage could present fitness issues for U.S.-based players.
- The knockout stages will take place outside of the international window, and players based in Europe might also be at the mercy of their club schedules.
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Can anyone keep up with South Carolina?
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Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images
South Carolina had to replace their entire starting five this season, and few outside Columbia knew the No. 1 Gamecocks would be this good this quickly.
- At 5-0, the perennial contenders already have two comfortable wins over ranked opponents and are scoring with ease.
Share the rock: South Carolina has five players averaging double digits in scoring and no player averaging more than 17 points, promoting a balanced offense.
- Senior transfer Kamila Cardoso leads the team while averaging a double-double of 16.8 points and 11 rebounds per game.
Bottom line: Never count out head coach Dawn Staley's program, and in a season headlined by superstars, the Gamecocks' team approach is setting them apart.
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Volleyball takes center stage
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Dylan Widger/USA TODAY Sports
The NCAA volleyball tournament begins on Thursday, capping off one of the highest-profile seasons in the sport's history.
- Big crowds, major TV ratings and fierce competition have been the trademark of the 2023 season as it heads toward crowning a champion.
Big storylines: The rivalry between No. 1 seeds Nebraska and Wisconsin goes beyond regional grudges.
- Nebraska took the volleyball attendance record from the Badgers in August, with 92,003 fans for a match held at the university's football stadium.
- Wisconsin then spoiled their Big Ten rival's bid for a perfect season, taking the Cornhuskers down last week in straight sets.
Bottom line: With the title game broadcast on ABC for the first time, expect more fans tuning into what could be the fastest growing women's sport in the country.
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Freshmen carrying the scoring load
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Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images
Two of the top five college basketball scorers in the nation are only a few games into their careers.
- Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo and USC's JuJu Watkins are each averaging 25+ points a game to lead their respective teams.
Watkins recorded her fourth 30-point game of the season in a 85-44 win over Cal Poly on Tuesday.
- She broke Lisa Leslie's 32-year-old record for most 30-point games by a USC freshman, as the No. 6 Trojans reached their highest ranking since 1994.
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PWHL will begin play on New Year’s Day
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R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star via Getty Images
The Professional Women’s Hockey League will open its inaugural season on Jan. 1, 2024 when Toronto hosts New York.
- The other five teams in the league will host their own home openers over the following 12 days, the league announced on Tuesday.
The league also revealed home arenas, whose capacities range from 2,600 in Toronto to 18,000 in Minnesota.
- TV and streaming details have yet to be released, though every game is expected to be accessible on linear television or online streaming.
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USWNT to honor Ali Krieger
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Ira L. Black/Getty Images
- Krieger appeared in 108 matches for the USWNT, including at the World Cup in 2011, 2015 and 2019.
“I’m honored that I get to say goodbye to the women’s national team and our amazing fans one last time," Krieger said in a release.
- Krieger ended her illustrious career with her first NWSL Championship with Gotham FC in 2023.
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Big TV wins for Thanksgiving basketball
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Amanda Inscore/The News-Press USA Today Network-Florida/USA TODAY Network
No. 17 Indiana's 71-57 win over No. 20 Tennessee on Thanksgiving Day drew an impressive 1.12 million viewers on FOX.
- The number set a new women's basketball record for the network.
- It's also the most-watched women's basketball game of the still-young 2023-24 season.
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Ben Nichols/ISI Photos/Getty Images
“It felt like we were in ‘The Hunger Games’ or something.”
Savannah DeMelo
in the new trailer for the Netflix documentary recounting the USWNT's 2023 World Cup experience
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Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports
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