It all comes down to this
From The GIST College Sports (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy Friday!
The reward for making it through another week? A weekend packed with college sports galore, including the NCAA volleyball tournament, which began yesterday and is already serving up plenty of excitement.
- Sit back, relax, and start the best three days of the week in the best way possible — today’s newsletter.
— LSU women’s basketball standout Flau’jae Johnson, on signing an NIL deal with Unrivaled, the 3v3 professional basketball league founded by WNBA and former UConn stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, set to launch next month. Changing the game.
Women’s soccer
⚽ Going for goal (and the title)
The GIST: At long last, the College Cup is about to kick off. ICYMI: The 64-team field has been whittled down to four, with No. 1 seed Duke playing No. 2 seed North Carolina, and No. 2 seed Wake Forest taking on No. 3 Stanford in today’s all-ACC semifinals. The winners advance to Monday’s championship game — LFG.
Wake Forest vs. Stanford — 5 p.m. ET — ESPNU: Led by MAC Hermann Trophy (aka MVP) semifinalist junior Caiya Hanks, the Demon Deacons punched their ticket to the College Cup with a dramatic penalty shootout win over USC.
- As for Stanford, the 2023 runners-up got here by avenging an early-season loss to Notre Dame with a 2–0 quarter-finals victory, powered by junior forward Andrea Kitahata who had a hand in both goals — scoring one and assisting on another.
- Now, the Cardinal will be looking for even more revenge against Wake Forest, who beat them 1–0 back in September. Pop that corn.
Duke vs. North Carolina — 7:30 p.m. ET — ESPNU: Rivals in a semifinal game? What could be better? After 23 years at the helm, Duke head coach Robbie Church announced back in July that he’ll be retiring at the end of the season. Church has never won a natty, so hoisting one would be the perfect send-off gift.
- And speaking of perfection, the Blue Devils have yet to allow a single goal in four games this tournament. Take that, Hannah.
- On the flip side, the decorated Tar Heels have won 21 NCAA Tournaments, but haven’t taken home the title since 2021. Can they return to the big stage once again?
Footiball
🏈 Put it all on the line
The GIST: It’s officially conference championship time, and tomorrow’s games come with College Football Playoff (CFP) spots on the line. After teasing us all season, the selection committee will turn around and drop the official 12-team CFP field on Sunday.
- Here are the biggest games to watch ahead of a massive, must-see Saturday slate.
🌪️ No. 16 Iowa State vs. 😈 No. 15 Arizona State — 12 p.m. ET — ABC: The Sun Devils are one of the hottest teams in the country with five straight wins, while Iowa State earned a spot in the Big 12 title game thanks to freshman quarterback (QB) Rocco Becht, who’s thrown for an impressive 3,021 yards this season. On the line? An automatic CFP bid. No pressure.
🐶 No. 5 Georgia vs. 🐮 No. 2 Texas — 4 p.m. ET — ABC: A rematch of an October matchup that Georgia won decisively thanks to its defense, the stakes are significantly higher this time around with the SEC Championship…and a likely first-round CFP bye up for grabs.
- Plus, while the Bulldogs were nearly upset last week, Texas has improved since their loss, posting ranked wins over then-No. 25 Vanderbilt and then-No. 20 Texas A&M. Rematch ready.
🐱 No. 3 Penn State vs. 🦆 No. 1 Oregon — 8 p.m. ET — CBS: A clash of two high-powered titans, both teams are all but locks for the CFP, so they’ll be playing for seeding and a potential bye. Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel will have his hands full with a Penn State defense that allows just 267 yards per game — the fourth-best mark in the country.
- Penn State’s been relatively untested for the majority of the year, while the Ducks have led the CFP poll for the past five weeks.
🐯 No. 17 Clemson vs. 🐴 No. 8 SMU — 8 p.m. ET — ABC: This game brings all the drama. If SMU wins, three-loss No. 11 Alabama (who aren’t playing this weekend) will likely snag the final at-large CFP spot.
- But if Clemson wins the ACC Championship, the Tigers will earn an auto-bid, sparking a debate over whether SMU or Alabama deserves that final spot. Watch this space.
Together With NIL Store
🏀 Dripping in finesse
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- Our personal faves? UConn’s I Love Women’s Sports apparel and Bueckers’ oversized streetwear tee, perfect for catching the game with pals.
- Invest directly in your favorite hooper’s success and shop the complete Bueckers collection today, then keep up with the latest drops on the NIL Store Instagram.
🐦 Creighton men’s basketball takes down No. 1 Kansas
For the second straight season, the Creighton men have upset the nation’s No. 1 squad. The Bluejays soared to a 76–63 victory over Kansas on Wednesday, handing the Jayhawks their first loss of the season. Junior guard Pop Isaacs led Creighton with 27 points, lifting his team to victory in this battle of the birds.
😈 No. 9 Duke men beat previously unbeaten No. 2 Auburn
The Blue Devils handed Auburn their first loss of the season with an 84–78 victory on Wednesday, thanks to a couple of freshmen. Household name Cooper Flagg posted 22 points and 11 rebounds, while lesser-known Blue Devil Isaiah Evans came off the bench and drained six three-pointers in the first half.
- And it’s an extra BFD considering Evans made just seven threes all season prior to Wednesday’s dub. Stepping up and balling out.
🍀 No. 10 Notre Dame women snap two-game losing streak with overtime (OT) win over No. 4 Texas
It took OT, but the Fighting Irish are back on track thanks to last night’s 80–70 victory over the Longhorns. Sophomore sensation Hannah Hidalgo led Notre Dame with 30 points and eight rebounds, while senior teammates Sonia Citron and Oliva Miles added 18 points each. Talk about a triple-threat?
🐺 Unranked N.C. State women top No. 18 Ole Miss
The Wolfpack started the season ranked No. 9 in the country, but three early losses quickly dropped them out of the AP poll. Now, N.C. State’s notched a signature win, beating Ole Miss 68–61 yesterday and potentially earning their ticket back into the top-25.
- Freshman guard Zamareya Jones came off the bench and was a perfect four-for-four from three-point land, finishing with 14 points. On fire.
Together With The GIST
Looking for more of The GIST? Hit play on our twice-weekly podcast, The GIST of It. Hosts Ellen Hyslop and Stephanie Rotz are sports fans, feminists and childhood besties. Their fresh, female perspective on trending sports news feels like listening to your friends. Join the conversation by tuning into The GIST of It wherever you listen to podcasts.
Hi. It’s us. We’re the recommenders, it’s us.
👗 Where to find the ultimate winter dress
REI Co-op, where you can snag this Mountain Hardwear Summit Grid Dress for 25% off thanks to their Cyber Week deals — perfect when layered over leggings for a snowy walk through the woods or a cute outfit at an après ski. So cozy.*
⚽ What to follow
Caitlin Clark’s role in Cincinnati’s bid for an NWSL expansion team. The basketball star is throwing her influence behind women’s soccer, hoping to make Cincinnati the home of the league’s 16th team.
🏃 Who to know
Denise Hall, a 65-year-old running her 100th half marathon. Never too old to hit the ground running.
*P.S. This is a sponsored post. Look good, feel good.Today’s email was brought to you by Eden Laase and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Lindsay Jost. Fact checking by Mikaela Perez. Ops by Marga Sison and Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of Content Ellen Hyslop.