NCAAW: Could the SEC sweep the ACC/SEC Challenge?

This season marks the third year of the ACC/SEC Challenge.

In 2023, the conferences split the set of 14 games at seven a piece. Last year, the SEC won 10 of the 16 games. Could the SEC run the table in 2025, sweeping all 16 games?

Per ESPN Analytics, the SEC team is favored in all but three games. Homecourt advantage likely accounts for Virginia Tech’s perceived edge in their Thursday game against Florida. The Hokies are 5-2 compared to the 8-1 Gators. Despite three-straight losses, SMU also is favored when they host Arkansas on Thursday, although the Hogs, at 7-2, have a record that exceeds the Mustangs’ 3-5 start, which includes two home losses.

As those outcomes seem far from assured for the ACC, the conference’s best chance of avoiding an 0-fer might come on Wednesday, when Syracuse takes on Auburn at home (5 p.m. ET, ACC Network). Undefeated at home, the Orange are 6-1 overall, with their only loss coming to No. 6 Michigan. The Tigers just lost their first and only game, entering the contest at 8-1 after they allowed an Oregon comeback on their home floor on Sunday afternoon.

The Orange will be relying on a pair transfers, plus a promising freshman, to attempt quiet any claims of SEC superiority. After a lost season at Texas, super senior guard Laila Phelia is beginning to resemble the bucket getter she was at Michigan, averaging a team-best 13.3 points per game while making 46.2 percent of her 3s. Having never gained traction as a contributor at UCLA or USC, super senior forward Dominique Davis is applying her abilities defensively for the Orange, nabbing 2.4 steals per game to go with her nearly 12 points. Freshman big Uche Izoje is taking care of the interior, leading the team in rebounds and blocks.

But here more on why, outside of ‘Cuse, the SEC should prevail in the rest of Wednesday’s ACC/SEC slate:

Mikayla Blakes’ buckets will boost Vanderbilt over Virginia

Across two games at the Paradise Jam, Mikayla Blakes poured in more than 60 points for still-undefeated and No. 15 Vanderbilt, torching Oregon State for 35 points before dropping 27 on BYU.

In their only matchup against a Power Four opponent, a loss to Nebraska, Virginia allowed 91 points, suggesting they will have difficulty slowing, much less stopping, the sophomore guard’s scoring spree. Overall, the Commodores have a top-15 ranked offense, with their nearly 10 made 3s per game giving the team a scoring punch beyond Blakes’ individual brilliance.

UK’s Morgan-Strack tandem will be too much for The U

Senior guard Tonie Morgan and junior center Clara Strack continue to do a pretty good job of impersonating a former ACC guard-big duo in Georgia Amoore and Elizabeth Kitley. They’ve steered the No. 17 Wildcats and head coach Kenny Brooks, in his second season at Kentucky after a long tenure at Virginia Tech, to an 8-1 start, only suffering a defeat to No. 9 Maryland.

Morgan, who made her own jump from the ACC to the SEC in transferring from Georgia Tech to Kentucky for her final college season, has unlocked a new level of playmaking, leading the nation in assists with 8.7 per game. Many of those dimes find Strack, who is averaging a 15.6-point and 11-rebound double-double, in addition to providing the kind of defense that earned her SEC Defense Player of the Year honors last season.

The Dawgs’ defense will shut down the Seminoles

Georgia has the nation’s eighth-best defense, allowing only 50.4 points per game across their nine wins. Florida State, permitting opponents to score 78.8 points per game, is ranked 311th on defense.

On the other side of the ball, things don’t improve for the Seminoles. Florida State is ranked 83rd on offense, clearly missing the services of Ta’Niya Latson, the Seminole-turned-Gamecock who led the nation in scoring last season and spurred the ‘Noles to a top-five offense. Georgia, in contrast, has gone from 204th to 28th on offense, benefitting from the arrival of Dani Carnegie, the sophomore guard who, after moving from Georgia Tech to Georgia, is currently the best 3-point shooter in the SEC.

Aaliyah Chavez and Oklahoma will outpace NC State

On opening day, NC State did score a win for the ACC over the SEC, as the Wolfpack snuck past Tennessee in a thriller. Since then, now-unranked NC State has been a bit out of sorts, epitomized by their home loss to Rhode Island.

Following their lone loss to UCLA, No. 6 Oklahoma has only gained momentum, propelled by the rapid improvement of point guard Aaliyah Chavez. The freshman isn’t always efficient, but she’s relentless, driving the fast-paced, high-scoring Sooner offense with her ball-handling and scoring dynamism. The Sooners have scored over 100 points in three-straight games. Most recently, Chavez notched a new career-high 29 points, going 7-for-14 from 3 in a win at the Coconut Hoops Tournament over aforementioned Florida State.

Ny’Ceara Pryor will power A&M past Tech

Thanks to the transfer portal, the SEC should secure another victory when Texas A&M takes on Georgia Tech.

Ny’Ceara Pryor, who spent the first three years of her college career tearing up the MEAC for Sacred Heart, is ready to do Power Four damage, having already led the 5-1 Aggies to wins over a pair of Big 12 foes in Kansas State and Colorado. Only 5-foot-3, Pryor makes a big impact, as the senior guard leads the Aggies in scoring with 17 points per game while also swiping 4.5 steals per contest. Junior forward Fatmata Janneh, who was an All-MAAC selection last season at Saint Peter’s, takes care of the glass for A&M, grabbing 11.2 rebounds, including 3.3 offensive ones, per game.

Tennessee will win the showdown of traditional powers

No, this is not your matchup of traditional women’s college basketball titans of yesteryear, with Pat Summitt and Tara VanDerveer stalking the sidelines for clear-cut championship contenders.

Head coach Kim Caldwell has introduced a modernized brand of ball to the Big Orange, with lots of 3s, aggressive defense and frequent substitutions resulting in a Lady Vol squad that strives to succeed with controlled chaos rather than the exacting discipline of the Summitt era. At Stanford, Kate Paye, VanDerveer’s chosen successor who, like Caldwell, is in her second season, is relying on promising freshmen to try to ensure that the NIL-infused era of college sports doesn’t leave the nerds of Palo Alto behind.

Although they are coming off a loss in Southern California in which they were eventually outclassed by UCLA, Tennessee’s depth and athleticism, on top of their overwhelming 3-point shooting advantage, makes it hard to envision them falling prey to a Stanford upset. In particular, look for a big game from Talaysia Copper. While she always finds a way to impact the action, the loss to the Bruins was the second-straight off-scoring game for the junior wing who averages 15.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals per game for the Lady Vols.