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The 2025-26 women’s college basketball season will NOT smoothly slide into March. Instead, the second-to-last Sunday of the regular season for Power Four conferences sent a tremor through the top 10, as three top-10 teams were taken down.
Here’s how Clemson, Virginia and No. 13 Iowa earned upsets over No. 9 Duke, No. 8 Louisville and No. 6 Michigan.
Kohn’s clutch 3 clinches Clemson’s 53-51 comeback win over Duke
Duke’s 17-game winning streak is done, sniped by a spirited Clemson comeback win.
Things began as expected in this one, as the Blue Devils led 20-8 after the first quarter, appearing on their way to win No. 18 in a row and preserving their shot at a perfect ACC season. The Tigers clawed back in the second, only for the Blue Devils to again assert control heading into the fourth.
A never-quit defensive spirit from Clemson, captained by Mia Moore, flipped the script. With just over three minutes remaining, Moore gave the Tigers the lead, swiping a steal, driving to the basket and converting the tough and-1. The Tigers would maintain a slight edge as the time ticked away, only for Riley Nelson to nail a corner 3 for the Blue Devils with 9.3 seconds remaining, putting Duke up by one, 51-50, and seemingly saving them from the upset.
Yet, plenty of time was left for Clemson to hit an even bigger 3. On the Tigers’ final possession, Moore drove before kicking out to Hannah Kohn at the top of the key. Despite being 0-for-4 from deep, Kohn shot it with confidence and cashed it. 53-51 Tigers.
The upset, however, was not official, as three seconds remained for Duke to rescue themselves. The Blue Devils flubbed the final possession, with Toby Fournier failing to get a shot off. The final play capped a disappointing second half from Fournier, who scored 14 points in the first half but only four points after the break. Turnovers and missed free throws also contributed to Duke’s first loss since Dec. 4.
Moore finished with 11 points and six assists for Clemson, while Taylor Johnson-Matthews provided 11 points and seven boards from off the bench. Demeara Hinds led Clemson with 13 points and eight boards. A 43 percent free throw shooter for the season, she was a clutch 5-for-6 at the line.
Entering Sunday, Clemson was projected as one of the last four teams to make the NCAA Tournament field, according ESPN Bracketologist Charlie Creme. The upset of Duke might have guaranteed that the Tigers will be dancing.
With Levy’s game-winning 3, Virginia sends Louisville to a rare ACC home loss, 74-72
While Hannah Kohn handed the L to Duke, Romi Levy sealed Louisville’s fate.
Virginia led by as many as 13 points on the Cardinals’ homecourt before the home team worked their way back into the game, setting up a back-and-forth contest to close the fourth quarter.
With just over a minute and a half on the clock, a triple from Reyna Scott gave Louisville the one-point advantage, 69-68. Kymora Johnson then issued a response, with her 3 putting Virginia back in front by two points, 71-69, with slightly more than a minute remaining. Imari Berry then would go 3-for-4 from the line on the Cardinals’ next two possessions, giving Louisville the lead, 72-71, with 31 seconds left.
On the Cavaliers’ final possession, Paris Clark pondered a drive before kicking out to Levy on the wing, who fired off what would be the winning triple without hesitation.
Down 74-72 with 13 seconds left, the Cardinals had two chances on their final possession, but Scott missed a layup and Berry could not cash a good look from 3. The loss marks just the second time Louisville has lost to an unranked ACC opponent at the KFC! Yum Center.
The Cardinals certainly missed the services of leading-scorer Taj Roberts, who exited the game in the first quarter with a leg injury. Elif Istanbulluoglu assumed the scoring load for Louisville, leading the team with 20 points while Scott and Berry both scored in double figures from the bench. As a team, it was a poor shooting afternoon for the Cardinals. The highest-scoring team in the ACC with a season-long field goal percentage of 46.4 percent, Louisville shot 36 percent from the field and 31 percent on 26 3-point attempts.
The Cavaliers, in contrast, enjoyed an excellent shooting performance. Virginia made 50 percent of all their field goals, while shooting 47 percent from 3. The Cavs’ season-long average from deep is just 32 percent. Including the game-winner, Levy was 3-for-5 from downtown, finishing with 15 points. Johnson led the team with 16 points, as Clark contributed 14 points and eight assists.
Like Clemson, Virginia was one of the last four teams in the NCAA Tournament field according to Creme, making this upset similarly significant.
Iowa makes Michigan miserable, taking over 2nd place in the Big Ten with 62-44 win
In contrast to the ACC teams that authored top-10 upsets, Iowa’s spot in the NCAA Tournament field was secure. Instead, they delivered a blow to a Michigan team that had designs on potentially rising to a No. 1 seed.
The highest-scoring team in Big Ten at 86.6 points per game, Michigan managed a meager 44 points in Iowa City, held in check—and then some—by a Hawkeye defense that forced the Wolverines into 24 turnovers. Despite shooting 31 percent from the field and from 3, plus all those miscues, Michigan trailed by just four points, 39-35, after Syla Swords hit a 3 near the end of the fourth quarter. But, Kylie Feuerbach responded with a triple for Iowa, presaging the 20-9 fourth-quarter advantage that would carry the Hawkeyes to the comfortable upset, 62-44
It was not shooting, but interior dominance, that powered Iowa to the upset. Ava Heiden and Hannah Stuelke posted double-doubles for the Hawkeyes, with Heiden scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 boards as Stuelke scored 11 points, corralled 12 rebounds and tossed seven assists.
With the win, Iowa also takes over second place in the Big Ten from Michigan.
