The final sprint toward an NCAA women’s basketball regular-season conference title begins this week
The GIST: Welcome to the final week of regular-season women’s basketball! Conference titles are about to be clinched — and a few are coming down to the wire.
The sure bets: No. 8 Virginia Tech and No. 2 Ohio State have already secured at least a piece of their respective titles, and it’s unlikely they’ll have to share. If VT chokes in their final two games, their only ACC challenger, No. 17 Syracuse, could steal a portion of the crown by beating No. 6 NC State on Thursday — no small task, even considering NC State’s shocking 69–58 loss to Duke last night.
- In the Big Ten, Ohio State can breathe a sigh of relief if they defeat an underwhelming Michigan on Wednesday. But if they’re upset, sole ownership of the title could come down to a dramatic showdown at challenger No. 4 Iowa on Sunday. Chills.
The chaos-makers: Like VT and Ohio State, No. 3 Stanford owns a piece of the final Pac-12 title. But after Friday’s stunning 68–61 loss to Arizona, they’ll need to pull their sh!t together to close the deal. No. 7 USC and No. 9 Oregon State could steal shares if they run the table, but they’re also in rough shape after upset losses last night. It’s unclear if anyone wants to win the Pac-12 at this point.
- The only Power Six conference title that’s truly up for grabs? The Big 12, where No. 23 Oklahoma holds a tenuous one-game lead over No. 5 Texas. The Sooners can claim sole ownership if they win Wednesday’s matchup against…you guessed it, Texas. Gulp.
The early birds: Two powerhouses have already locked down their trophies: No. 1 South Carolina and No. 15 UConn are both undefeated in conference play, placing them out of reach of their SEC and Big East rivals, respectively. Is anyone surprised?
