2025–26 Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball season

2025–26 Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball season
LeagueNCAA Division I
SportBasketball
DurationNovember 3, 2025 – March 1, 2026
Teams18
TV partner(s)ACC Network, ESPN
WNBA Draft
2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season
ACC Tournament
2025–26 ACC women's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 13 Louisville 2 – 0   1.000 12 – 3   .800
NC State 2 – 0   1.000 9 – 4   .692
Syracuse 1 – 0   1.000 11 – 1   .917
Stanford 1 – 0   1.000 11 – 2   .846
No. 18 Notre Dame 1 – 0   1.000 9 – 2   .818
Virginia 1 – 0   1.000 9 – 3   .750
Duke 1 – 0   1.000 6 – 6   .500
Virginia Tech 1 – 1   .500 11 – 3   .786
Wake Forest 1 – 1   .500 11 – 3   .786
Clemson 1 – 1   .500 9 – 4   .692
Miami (FL) 1 – 1   .500 8 – 4   .667
No. 16 North Carolina 0 – 1   .000 11 – 3   .786
California 0 – 1   .000 8 – 5   .615
SMU 0 – 1   .000 7 – 6   .538
Pittsburgh 0 – 1   .000 7 – 7   .500
Boston College 0 – 1   .000 4 – 10   .286
Florida State 0 – 2   .000 5 – 9   .357
Georgia Tech 0 – 2   .000 4 – 9   .308
† 2026 ACC tournament winner
As of December 22, 2025
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2025–26 Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball season will begin with practices in October 2025, followed by the start of the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season in November. Conference play will start in December 2025 and ended on March 1, 2026. After the regular season, the 2026 ACC women's basketball tournament will be held at the Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia.[1]

Head coaches

Coaching changes

  • After the 2024–25 season, on March 31, 2025, Georgia Tech head coach Nell Fortner announced her retirement after six years as head coach.[2] Karen Blair was announced as her replacement on April 6, 2025.[3]

Coaches

Team Head coach Previous job Years at school Record at school ACC record ACC titles NCAA tournaments NCAA Final Fours NCAA Championships
Boston College Joanna Bernabei-McNamee Albany 8 108–106 42–77 0 0 0 0
California Charmin Smith New York Liberty (Asst.) 7 81–89 12–6 0 1 0 0
Clemson Shawn Poppie Chattanooga 2 14–17 6–12 0 0 0 0
Duke Kara Lawson Boston Celtics (Asst.) 6 97–41 46–27 1 3 0 0
Florida State Brooke Wyckoff Florida State (Asst.) 5 80–39 46–24 0 4 0 0
Georgia Tech Karen Blair Maryland (Asst.) 1 0–0 0–0 0 0 0 0
Louisville Jeff Walz Maryland (Asst.) 19 486–146 227–73 1 10 4 0
Miami Tricia Cullop Toledo 2 14–15 4–14 0 0 0 0
NC State Wes Moore Chattanooga 13 301–95 145–56 3 9 1 0
North Carolina Courtney Banghart Princeton 7 125–64 63–44 0 5 0 0
Notre Dame Niele Ivey Memphis Grizzlies (Asst.) 6 117–38 65–22 1 4 0 0
Pittsburgh Tory Verdi UMass 3 21–43 7–29 0 0 0 0
SMU Adia Barnes Arizona 1 0–0 0–0 0 0 0 0
Stanford Kate Paye Stanford (Assoc.) 2 16–15 8–10 0 0 0 0
Syracuse Felisha Legette-Jack Buffalo 4 56–39 28–26 0 1 0 0
Virginia Amaka Agugua-Hamilton Missouri State 4 48–46 19–35 0 0 0 0
Virginia Tech Megan Duffy Marquette 2 19–13 9–9 0 0 0 0
Wake Forest Megan Gebbia American 4 33–62 9–45 0 0 0 0

Notes:

  • Year at school includes 2025–26 season.
  • Overall and ACC records are from time at current school and are through the end the 2024–25 season.
  • NCAA tournament appearances are from time at current school only.
  • NCAA Final Fours and Championship include time at other schools

Preseason

Preseason watch lists

Below is a table of notable preseason watch lists.

Wooden Award[6] Naismith[7] Lieberman[8] Drysdale[9] Miller[10] McClain[11] Leslie[12]
Rachel Rose – Clemson
Taina Mair – Duke
Zoe Brooks – NC State
Reniya Kelly – North Carolina
Hannah Hidalgo – Notre Dame
Kymora Johnson – Virginia 		Lulu Twidale – California
Ashlon Jackson – Duke
Tajianna Roberts – Louisville
Zamareya Jones – NC State
Laila Phelia – Syracuse 		Jadyn Donovan – Duke
Skylar Jones – Louisville
Nyla Harris – North Carolina 		Toby Fournier – Duke
Allie Kubek – Florida State
Khamil Pierre – NC State
Nunu Agara – Stanford
Sa'Myah Smith – Virginia 		Sakima Walker – California
Laura Ziegler – Louisville
Ra Shayla Kyle – Miami (FL)
Tilda Trygger – NC State
Kennedy Umeh – Stanford

ACC Women's Basketball Tip-off

The preseason poll and Preseason All-ACC Teams were released on October 14, before the season began and following ACC Media Day. The results of the poll and voting for the preseason players of the year are below.[13]

ACC Preseason poll

Team Points
1 Duke 1,525 (40)
2 NC State 1,487 (25)
3 North Carolina 1,374 (1)
4 Louisville 1,276 (2)
5 Notre Dame 1,255 (2)
6 Stanford 1,041
7 Virginia 987
8 Miami 889
9 Florida State 857
10 Virginia Tech 813
11 Clemson 738
12 California 669
13 Syracuse 540
14 SMU 483
15 Georgia Tech 447
16 Pittsburgh 299
17 Boston College 211
18 Wake Forest 157
Reference:[13]
(#) first-place votes

Preseason All-ACC Team

Player Position Class School Points
Hannah Hidalgo Guard Junior Notre Dame 833
Zoe Brooks NC State 606
Kymora Johnson Virginia 577
Toby Fournier Forward Sophomore Duke 535
Ashlon Jackson Guard Senior 333
Tajianna Roberts Sophomore Louisville 326
Khamil Pierre Forward Junior NC State 285
Reniya Kelly Guard Senior North Carolina 276
Nunu Agara Forward Junior Stanford 275
Laura Ziegler Sennior Louisville 78

ACC Preseason Player of the Year shown in Bold.[13]

Preseason All-Freshman Team

Source:[13]

Position Player School Votes
Guard Emilee Skinner Duke 415
Hailee Swain Stanford 324
Nyla Brooks North Carolina 310
Forward Lara Somfai Stanford 185
Guard Aliyahna Morris California 114
Forward Leah Macy Notre Dame 79

Regular season

Records against other conferences

2025–26 records against non-conference foes. Records shown for regular season only.
Updated through games played on December 22, 2025

Power 4 Conferences Record
Big East 1–5
Big Ten 2–7
Big 12 3–9
SEC 5–20
Power 4 Conferences Total 11–41
Other NCAA Division 1 Conferences Record
America East 6–2
American 2–1
A-10 3–2
ASUN 5–2
Big Sky 2–0
Big South 14–0
Big West 2–0
CAA 7–4
C-USA 4–0
Horizon 2–0
Ivy League 3–2
MAAC 6–1
MAC 3–1
MEAC 11–0
MVC 2–1
Mountain West 3–1
NEC 8–0
OVC 3–0
Patriot League 6–2
SoCon 6–0
Southland 2–0
SWAC 4–0
Summit League 2–0
Sun Belt 8–1
WAC 0–0
WCC 5–0
Other Division I Total 121–19
NCAA Division I Total 132–62
NCAA Division III Total 0–1

Record against ranked non-conference opponents

This is a list of games against ranked opponents only (rankings from the AP Poll):

Date Visitor Home Site Significance Score Conference record
November 3 California No. 19 Vanderbilt† Adidas Arena • Paris, France Aflac Oui-Play L 52–58 0–1
No. 7 Duke No. 16 Baylor† L 65–74 0–2
November 4 No. 8 Tennessee No. 16 NC State First Horizon Coliseum • Greensboro, NC Battle in the 'Boro W 80–77 1–2
November 4 No. 1 Connecticut No. 20 Louisville† Ramstein Air Base • Kaiserslautern, Germany Armed Forces Classic L 66–79 1–3
November 9 Florida State No. 1 Connecticut Harry A. Gampel Pavilion • Storrs, CT Ally Tipoff L 67–99 1–4
No. 18 USC No. 16 NC State Spectrum Center • Charlotte, NC L 68–69 1–5
November 11 Clemson No. 2 South Carolina Colonial Life Arena • Columbia, SC Rivalry L 37–65 1–6
November 13 No. 11 North Carolina No. 3 UCLA† Michelob Ultra Arena • Paradise, NV WBCA Challenge L 60–78 1–7
November 15 No. 18 Notre Dame No. 14 Michigan† Wayne State Fieldhouse • Detroit, MI Citi Shamrock Classic L 54–93 1–8
November 16 No. 17 TCU No. 10 NC State Reynolds Coliseum • Raleigh, NC L 59–69 1–9
November 21 No. 11 USC No. 24 Notre Dame Purcell Pavilion • Notre Dame, IN W 61–59 2–9
November 22 No. 20 Kentucky No. 21 Louisville KFC Yum! Center • Louisville, KY Rivalry L 62–72 2–10
Miami No. 19 Iowa† ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex • Orlando, FL WBCA Showcase L 61–64 2–11
November 23 Syracuse No. 6 Michigan† Mohegan Sun Arena • Uncasville, CT Hall of Fame Women's Showcase L 55–81 2–12
November 26 Duke No. 2 South Carolina† Michelob Ultra Arena • Paradise, NV Players Era Championship L 66–83 2–13
November 27 No. 3 UCLA† L 59–89 2–14
November 29 Miami No. 24 Oklahoma State† John Gray Gymnasium • George Town, Cayman Islands Cayman Islands Classic L 84–87 2–15
November 30 Clemson No. 20 Michigan State† Baha Mar Convention Center • Nassau, The Bahamas Baha Mar Hoops Championship L 64–72 2–16
Florida State No. 9 Oklahoma Alico Arena • Fort Myers, FL Coconut Hoops L 91–109 2–17
December 3 No. 17 Kentucky Miami Watsco Center • Coral Gables, FL ACC–SEC Challenge L 48–64 2–18
NC State No. 9 Oklahoma Lloyd Noble Center • Norman, OK L 98–103OT 2–19
No. 19 Tennessee Stanford Maples Pavilion • Stanford, CA L 62–65 2–20
Virginia No. 15 Vanderbilt Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN L 68–81 2–21
December 4 No. 5 LSU Duke Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC L 77–93 2–22
No. 11 North Carolina No. 2 Texas Moody Center • Austin, TX L 64–79 2–23
No. 18 Notre Dame No. 13 Ole Miss SJB Pavilion • Oxford, MS L 62–69 2–24
No. 3 South Carolina No. 22 Louisville KFC Yum! Center • Louisville, KY L 77–79 2–25
December 19 No. 22 Washington Stanford Maples Pavilion • Stanford, CA W 67–62 3–25
December 20 No. 16 Louisville No. 17 Tennessee† Barclays Center • Brooklyn, NY Women's Champions Classic W 89–65 4–25
December 21 California No. 19 USC† Chase Center • San Francisco, CA Invisalign Bay Area Women's Classic L 57–61 4–26

Team rankings are reflective of AP poll when the game was played, not current or final ranking
ACC team shown in bold.
† denotes game was played on neutral site

Rankings

Legend
  Increase in ranking
  Decrease in ranking
  Not ranked previous week
    First Place votes shown in ()
Main article: 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings
  Pre Wk
2		 Wk
3		 Wk
4		 Wk
5		 Wk
6		 Wk
7		 Wk
8		 Wk
9		 Wk
10		 Wk
11		 Wk
12		 Wk
13		 Wk
14		 Wk
15		 Wk
16		 Wk
17		 Wk
18		 Wk
19		 Wk
20		 Final
Boston College AP
C
California AP
C RV
Clemson AP
C
Duke AP 7 15 RV
C 6 11 24 RV RV RV RV
Florida State AP
C RV
Georgia Tech AP
C
Louisville AP 20 22 21 23 22 22 16 13
C 19 21 19 22 21 20 17
Miami AP
C
North Carolina AP 11 11 14 12 11 12 18 16
C 11 8 12 10 10 11 16
NC State AP 9 10 16 25 RV RV RV RV
C 8 9 16 24 25 RV
Notre Dame AP 15 18 24 19 18 19 20 18
C 13 17 23 19 19 19 20
Pittsburgh AP
C
SMU AP
C
Stanford AP RV RV RV RV RV RV RV
C RV RV RV RV
Syracuse AP
C RV
Virginia AP
C RV
Virginia Tech AP
C
Wake Forest AP
C

Conference Matrix

This table summarizes the head-to-head results between teams in conference play.

  Boston College California Clemson Duke Florida State Georgia Tech Louisville Miami North Carolina NC State Notre Dame Pittsburgh SMU Stanford Syracuse Virginia Virginia Tech Wake Forest
vs. Boston College – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 81–55 0–0 0–0
vs. California 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 78–69 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
vs. Clemson 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 65–54 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 41–73 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
vs. Duke 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 54–70 0–0
vs. Florida State 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 93–58 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 79–54 0–0
vs. Georgia Tech 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 87–58 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 57–56
vs. Louisville 0–0 0–0 54–65 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 66–76OT 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
vs. Miami 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 87–61 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 61–64
vs. North Carolina 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 76–66OT 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
vs. NC State 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 58–87 0–0 61–87 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
vs. Notre Dame 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 58–93 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
vs. Pittsburgh 0–0 0–0 73–41 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
vs. SMU 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 78–69 0–0 0–0 0–0
vs. Stanford 0–0 69–78 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
vs. Syracuse 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 69–78 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0
vs. Virginia 55–81 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0
vs. Virginia Tech 0–0 0–0 0–0 70–54 54–79 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0
vs. Wake Forest 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 56–57 0–0 64–61 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 –
Total 0–1 0–1 1–1 1–0 0–2 0–2 2–0 1–1 0–1 2–0 1–0 0–1 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–1 1–1

Player of the week

Throughout the conference regular season, the Atlantic Coast Conference offices name a Player(s) of the week and a Rookie(s) of the week.

Week Date Awarded Player of the week Rookie of the week Reference
Week 1 November 10, 2025 Hannah Hidalgo – Notre Dame Lara Somfai – Stanford [14]
Week 2 November 17, 2025 Hannah Hidalgo (2) – Notre Dame Puff Morris – California [15]
Week 3 November 24, 2025 Nunu Agara – Stanford Nyla Brooks – North Carolina [16]
Week 4 December 1, 2025 Indya Nivar – North Carolina Uche Izoje – Syracuse [17]
Week 5 December 8, 2025 Hannah Hidalgo (3) – Notre Dame Uche Izoje (2) – Syracuse [18]
Week 6 December 15, 2025 Laura Ziegler – Louisville Lara Somfai (2) – Stanford [19]
Courtney Ogden – Stanford
Week 7 December 22, 2025 Kymora Johnson – Virginia Uche Izoje (3) – Syracuse [20]

Postseason

ACC Tournament

NCAA tournament

Main article: 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
Seed Region School 1st Round 2nd Round Sweet 16 Elite Eight Final Four Championship
W–L (%): 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–)
Total: 0–0 (–)

WBIT tournament

Seed Region School 1st Round 2nd Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship
W–L (%): 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–)
Total: 0–0 (–)

Honors and awards

All-Americans

Associated Press WCBA USBWA
First Team
Second Team
Third Team

ACC Awards

2025-26 ACC Women's Basketball Individual Awards
Award Recipient(s)
Player of the Year
Coach of the Year
Defensive Player of the Year
Freshman of the Year
Sixth Player of the Year
Most Improved Player
2025-26 ACC Women's Basketball All-Conference Teams
First Team Second Team Freshman Team
2025-26 ACC Women's Basketball All-ACC Defensive Team
Player Team Votes

WNBA draft

Main article: 2026 WNBA draft
Player Team Round Pick # Position School

References

  1. ^ a b "Sites and Dates Announced for 2025-26 ACC Championships". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. July 2, 2025. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  2. ^ Michael Voepel (March 31, 2025). "Nell Fortner retiring after 6 years as Georgia Tech head coach". ESPN. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  3. ^ "Georgia Tech hires Maryland assistant Karen Blair as coach". ESPN. Associated Press. April 6, 2025. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  4. ^ Assimakopoulos, Lia (March 30, 2025). "SMU parts ways with women's basketball coach Toyelle Wilson". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  5. ^ "Adia Barnes leaves alma mater Arizona for SMU head coaching job". ESPN. Associated Press. April 5, 2025. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  6. ^ Michael Voepel (November 18, 2025). "Hidalgo, Betts, Booker, Miles lead '26 Wooden Award watch list". ESPN. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  7. ^ "2025-26 Jersey Mike's Naismith Women's Player of the Year Trophy Watch List Presented by AXIA Time". naismithtrophy.com. Atlanta Tipoff Club. October 30, 2025. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  8. ^ "NAISMITH BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES PRESEASON WATCH LIST FOR THE 2026 MEN'S AND WOMEN'S POINT GUARD OF THE YEAR AWARDS". hoophall.com. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. October 27, 2025. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
  9. ^ "NAISMITH BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES PRESEASON WATCH LIST FOR THE 2026 MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SHOOTING GUARD OF THE YEAR AWARDS". Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. October 28, 2025. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  10. ^ "NAISMITH BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES THE PRESEASON WATCH LIST FOR THE 2026 MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SMALL FORWARD OF THE YEAR AWARDS". hoophall.com. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. October 29, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  11. ^ "NAISMITH BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES THE PRESEASON WATCH LIST FOR THE 2025 MEN'S AND WOMEN'S POWER FORWARD OF THE YEAR AWARDS". hoophall.com. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. October 30, 2025. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
  12. ^ "NAISMITH BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES THE PRESEASON WATCH LIST FOR THE 2026 MEN'S AND WOMEN'S CENTER OF THE YEAR AWARD". hoophall.com. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. October 31, 2025. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  13. ^ a b c d "Duke Picked as Conference Favorite, ND's Hidalgo Named Preseason Player of the Year". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. October 14, 2025. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  14. ^ "Notre Dame's Hidalgo, Stanford's Somfai Named ACC Women's Basketball Players of the Week". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. November 10, 2025. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  15. ^ "Notre Dame's Hidalgo, California's Morris Named ACC Women's Basketball Players of the Week". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. November 17, 2025. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  16. ^ "Stanford's Agara, UNC's Brooks Named ACC Women's Basketball Players of the Week". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. November 24, 2025. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  17. ^ "UNC's Nivar, Syracuse's Izoje Named ACC Women's Basketball Players of the Week". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. December 1, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  18. ^ "ND's Hidalgo, Syracuse's Izoje Named ACC Women's Basketball Players of the Week". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. December 8, 2025. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  19. ^ "ACC Announces Women's Basketball Player of the Week Honors". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  20. ^ "UVA's Johnson, Syracuse's Izoje Named ACC Women's Basketball Players of the Week". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
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