Get ready for a new No. 1 team in women’s college basketball — again.
Notre Dame‘s stay at the top lasted just one week. NC State upset the Irish 104-95 in double overtime Sunday in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Notre Dame will undoubtedly tumble from the top spot when the Associated Press Top 25 is updated Monday. No. 2 Texas, which plays Georgia on Monday, looks like the front-runner for the No. 1 ranking. The Longhorns last held that spot in February 2004.
Defending NCAA champion South Carolina started the season No. 1, then UCLA took over after beating the Gamecocks on Nov. 24 in Los Angeles. Notre Dame moved up after UCLA’s loss at USC on Feb. 13.
The last time four schools held the top ranking during the same season was in 2020-21: South Carolina, Stanford, Louisville and UConn. Since the AP poll started in 1976, there has never been more than four teams to reach No. 1 in the same season.
Sunday’s loss ended the Irish’s 19-game winning streak. Notre Dame hadn’t dropped a game since back-to-back losses on Nov. 29-30 to TCU and Utah at a tournament in the Cayman Islands. But Notre Dame ran into the rare team that has three elite guards, just like the Irish.
Zoe Brooks, Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers scored or assisted on 93 of NC State’s 104 points. Sonia Citron, Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles accounted for 77 of the Irish’s 95. Expect all six to get a chance to play in the WNBA someday; that’s how good they are.
But NC State — which played in last season’s Final Four — was a little better Sunday, especially in the second overtime. Hidalgo, one of the contenders for national player of the year, didn’t score in either extra period.
The loss also tightened the ACC race with a week left in the regular season: Notre Dame still leads at 15-1, NC State is 14-2 and North Carolina, which won at Louisville on Sunday, is 13-3. The Irish finish with home games against Florida State and Louisville. NC State hosts Wake Forest and is at SMU, and the Tar Heels are at Duke and host Virginia.
ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, Charlie Creme and Michael Voepel break down Sunday’s meeting of ACC giants and what the result means for March Madness.
How did NC State knock off No. 1 Notre Dame?
Voepel: Guard, guards, guards. James, Brooks and Rivers were the keys offensively and defensively. The Irish guard trio rarely looks indecisive or hesitant, but NC State forced that at times Sunday.
Notre Dame trailed at halftime for the first time this season, 40-36. But it looked as if the Irish had a good chance to pull out the game after a Citron 3-pointer tied the score with less than a second left in regulation. Notre Dame appeared to have the momentum entering overtime, which was delayed due to a medical emergency in the stands.
Both teams still began the overtime with the same focus they had at the end of regulation, and the first extra period ended tied 84-84. In the second OT, NC State took over. The Wolfpack guard trio scored or assisted on 18 of the team’s 20 points in the second extra period.
The sophomore Brooks finished with 33 points and 10 rebounds. James had 20 points and five rebounds, while fellow senior Rivers had 14 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists.
0:37
Aziaha James goes behind the back for slick layup
NC State forces a Notre Dame timeout as Aziaha James goes behind her back for sweet layup.
Creme: Brooks was outstanding. Typically, James is the big shot taker for the Wolfpack, but they leaned heavily into the hot hand of Brooks. Her 33 points came on an efficient 20 field goal attempts and 14-for-14 effort at the free throw line. That was part of a 24-of-26 performance for the Wolfpack, which entered the day making 65.8% from the line. And Brooks did it with her friend and ball hawk Hidalgo playing on the other side. Hidalgo might be the player of the year candidate, but Brooks was the best guard on the court Sunday.
Andrews: Freshman Tilda Trygger added an extra threat for the Wolfpack. The 6-foot-6 forward entered Sunday averaging 6.3 points but finished the day with 19 — matching her season high — and continuously added pressure at the rim, giving NC State a balanced scoring attack.
Trygger shot 8-of-9 from the floor, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range. She added nine rebounds and two blocks in a career-high 43 minutes. Heading into this season, Trygger was expected to take on more of a developmental role in her first year. But she has worked her way into a starting role, and the Wolfpack are 13-2 in the 15 games she has started.
1:12
Sonia Citron’s desperation 3-pointer ties NC State in final second
Notre Dame sends game to overtime as Sonia Citron hits tough 3-pointer.
What went wrong for the Irish, and how does this impact their status as an NCAA title contender?
Creme: This was a game of anomalies, starting with Notre Dame’s uncharacteristic poor shooting. The third-most accurate shooting team in the country (50.0%), the Irish made 41.2% of their field goal attempts Sunday. They entered the game shooting a nation-best 41.4% on 3-pointers. Notre Dame made just 7-of-27 from behind the arc against the Wolfpack. Besides the Citron 3-pointer that tied that score at the end of regulation, it was an Achilles heel for the Irish all afternoon.
Credit NC State’s defense for making things tougher on the Irish than any other ACC team has this season; Notre Dame hadn’t trailed at the half or in the fourth quarter of any previous conference game. But shot selection was also an issue for Notre Dame. Hidalgo and Miles forced some shots and ended the game a combined 17-for-49 from the field. But anomaly is the key word here. This hasn’t been who the Irish are all season, and it doesn’t change Notre Dame’s status as one of the teams on the short list to win it all.
Andrews: Notre Dame’s cold shooting was particularly costly in the second overtime. NC State opened the period on a 10-0 run, ultimately outscoring Notre Dame 12-3 in the final frame (and the Irish scored their points when the game was already out of reach).
Notre Dame shot 1-of-6 in the final five minutes, compared with the Wolfpack’s 4-of-7, and the Irish shot just 33.3% through both overtime periods. Hidalgo was held scoreless through both extra frames before fouling out with about one minute remaining.
How will Sunday’s upset affect Bracketology and the No. 1 seeds?
Creme: Notre Dame remains a No. 1 seed. However, the Irish fall to the fourth No. 1 seed and shift to the Spokane Regional. The big winner here is NC State, which makes a jump from No. 10 overall to No. 8, making the Wolfpack the fourth No. 2 seed.
The ACC tournament presents plenty of opportunities for both teams. As big of a win as this was for NC State, an early exit from Greensboro or a loss to either North Carolina or Duke, two teams right behind on the 3-line, could cost NC State that No. 2 seed. Notre Dame is now a more vulnerable No. 1 seed. Anything short of reaching the ACC tournament championship game could cost the Irish, depending on the results in the Big Ten (UCLA and USC) and SEC (LSU and South Carolina). But Notre Dame still holds an advantage with wins over USC and UConn, the teams closest to it on the seeding list.
Which team will take over No. 1 in the AP Top 25?
Creme: This has been a fun few weeks with the No. 1 spot changing hands, and now it’s Texas’ turn. The Longhorns enter Monday’s game with Georgia on a 10-game winning streak, and as the current No. 2 should move up in the rankings. With Mississippi State and Florida left on its regular-season schedule, there is a good chance Texas carries that No. 1 ranking into the SEC tournament.
Voepel: Agree with Charlie. In last week’s AP poll, three teams got No. 1 votes: Notre Dame (16), Texas (8) and UCLA (6). The Bruins escaped Iowa 67-65 on Sunday, hitting two free throws for the winning margin with three seconds left. Considering how Texas has played of late — coming off three consecutive top-10 wins — the edge for No. 1 goes to the Longhorns.
How does Sunday’s upset and Hidalgo’s performance impact the national player of the year race?
Creme: I still list Hidalgo and USC’s JuJu Watkins as co-favorites for the award, but Hidalgo’s candidacy might have taken a small hit. She played well (26 points, 5 rebounds), but we are used to seeing her at another level in big games. Not scoring in either overtime period in the Irish’s first loss in more than two months and fouling out is a slight ding to the resume.
Lauren Betts was also good in UCLA’s narrow win at Iowa on Sunday — 22 points, 12 rebounds — but it wasn’t enough to overtake Hidalgo or Watkins. This race is far from over and likely won’t be decided until Champ Week.
