Coming off a conference title and a trip to the Sweet 16, Notre Dame was voted first in the annual Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Predicted Order of Finish, voted on by the league’s 18 coaches and Blue Ribbon Panel.
In addition to Notre Dame being picked atop the Predicted Order of Finish, sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo was named the 2024-25 ACC Preseason Player of the Year after she garnered 62 of a possible 78 first-place votes. Hidalgo closed her first collegiate season as the ACC’s Defensive Player and Rookie of the Year after finishing second in the conference in scoring at 22.6 points per game and leading the nation in steals per game at 4.57. For her efforts, the Merchantville, New Jersey, native was named the recipient of the 2023-24 Dawn Staley Award.
Notre Dame (1726 points) received 70 of the 79 possible first-place votes to land at the top of this year’s poll. It marks the first time the Fighting Irish have been projected to win the league since 2018. Beginning the postseason as the No. 4 seed in the 2024 Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament, Notre Dame rattled off three straight wins capped off by a 55-51 win over second-seeded NC State in the title game. The Fighting Irish became the first No. 4 seed to win the title since Clemson in 1999.
Including Hidalgo, a conference-best three Notre Dame players were selected to the Preseason All-ACC Team, as guards Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron landed on the list. A pair of Notre Dame players were also named to the Newcomer Watch List with freshman Kate Koval and graduate transfer Liza Karlen.
After a trip to the Final Four, NC State (1617) earned eight first-place votes and was picked second in the Predicted Order of Finish. Standouts Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James both landed on the Preseason All-ACC team, as the duo received the third and fourth highest point total, respectively. Freshman Zamareya Jones was named to the Newcomer Watch List.
Duke (1446) was picked third and senior guard Reigan Richardson was the lone Blue Devil on the Preseason All-ACC Team. Freshman Toby Fournier was the top vote getter for the Newcomer Watch List.
Louisville (1370) landed fourth in the annual poll, while freshman Imari Berry was named to the Newcomer Watch List. Florida State (1335), which placed two players on the Preseason All-ACC team, was picked to finish fifth, as junior guard Ta’Niya Latson and senior forward Makayla Timpson were named to the Preseason All-ACC team.
North Carolina (1279) was next in the poll at sixth, while graduate standout Alyssa Ustby earned a spot on the Preseason All-ACC Team. League newcomer Stanford (1214) earned the final first-place vote and finished seventh. Miami (883) followed in eighth, while Virginia (877) and Georgia Tech (855) rounded out the top 10, respectively. UVA sophomore guard Kymora Johnson claimed the final spot on the Preseason All-ACC team.
The rest of the Predicted Order of Finish included Syracuse (11th – 801), Virginia Tech (12th – 786), Clemson (13th – 533), California (14th – 546), Boston College (15th – 533), SMU (16th – 274), Wake Forest (17th – 259) and Pitt (18th – 233).
The 2024-25 campaign begins Monday, November 4, with 15 teams in action, headlined by Louisville’s trip to Paris, France, to face UCLA in “Oui Play” at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. It marks the second straight year an ACC team will open the season in France after Notre Dame battled South Carolina in 2023-24.
The ACC has sent eight teams to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last six seasons, as those 48 teams are the most among all conferences in that span. Current membership has appeared in eight Final Fours in the last six seasons, capped off by NC State’s trip a season ago.
Preseason Player of the Year
Hannah Hidalgo, So., G, Notre Dame
Preseason All-ACC Team (First-place votes – 79 voters)
Hannah Hidalgo So., G, Notre Dame 921 (62 first-place votes)
Ta’Niya Latson, Jr., G, Florida State 734 (9 first-place votes)
Saniya Rivers, Sr., G, NC State 527 (2 first-place votes)
Aziaha James, Sr., G, NC State 473 (1 first-place vote)
Olivia Miles, Jr., G, Notre Dame 457 (4 first-place votes)
Sonia Citron, Jr., G, Notre Dame 331
Makayla Timpson, Sr., F, Florida State 315
Alyssa Ustby, Gr., G/F, North Carolina 308
Reigan Richardson, Sr., G, Duke 202
Kymora Johnson, So., G, Virginia 193 (1 first-place vote)
Newcomer Watch List
Toby Fournier, Fr., F, Duke 222
Imari Berry, Fr., G, Louisville 180
Kate Koval, Fr., F, Notre Dame 177
Zamareya Jones, Fr., G, NC State 116
Liza Karlen, Gr., F, Notre Dame 109
Predicted Order of Finish (79 voters)
1. Notre Dame (70), 1726
2. NC State (8), 1617
3. Duke, 1446
4. Louisville, 1370
5. Florida State, 1335
6. North Carolina, 1279
7. Stanford (1), 1214
8. Miami, 883
9. Virginia, 877
10. Georgia Tech, 855
11. Syracuse, 801
12. Virginia Tech, 786
13. Clemson, 553
14. California, 546
15. Boston College, 533
16. SMU, 274
17. Wake Forest, 259
18. Pitt, 233
Atlantic Coast Conference
