Five teams in the most recent AP Poll, eight teams projected to make the NCAA Tournament, and eight teams finishing with 20 or more wins, one thing is certain, the ACC Women’s tournament bracket is filled to the brim with talent. With frontrunners such as No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 7 North Carolina State, that dueled it out in last year’s ACC championship, and whose most recent matchup went to double overtime, there are two very clear leaders of the pack in this year’s tournament, however, the ACC boasts three more ranked teams, in No. 11 Duke, No. 14 UNC, and No. 22 Florida State, that could pose a threat to the Irish and Wolfpack’s quest to a championship.

The ACC contains two top-ten teams in the AP Poll, in the No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the No. 7 North Carolina State Wolfpack. The two programs, who headlined last year’s ACC Tournament Championship, are both almost guaranteed to have a spot in the NCAA Tournament, however, their sights are currently set on competing for a higher seed at the ACC tournament in Greensboro. Notre Dame stands at 25-4 with losses to TCU, Utah, NC State, and Florida State. The Fighting Irish are led by first-team All-American Hannah Hidalgo, who boasts an impressive 24.2 points per game while shooting 40% from three-point range. Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles rounds out their impressive backcourt, as she averages 16.5 ppg, while shooting a whopping 50.9% from the field. The other front-runner in this year’s tournament hails from Raleigh, NC, sitting at No. 7 in the AP Poll. The NC State Wolfpack, led by veteran head coach Wes Moore, are a force to be reckoned with in this year’s tournament. The Wolfpack sit atop the ACC, claiming the 1st seed in this year’s tournament, led by Aziaha James who averages 18 ppg, including a 20-point performance against Notre Dame. The Wolfpack, who just narrowly lost to Notre Dame in last year’s tournament, will look for revenge against the Fighting Irish this year, in hopes of making a deep run in not only the ACC tournament but March Madness as well.

Despite their ranking, the Florida State Seminoles have been overshadowed by the top teams in the ACC. No. 22 FSU boasts wins over three ranked teams, including Notre Dame and North Carolina. The Seminoles are led by Ta’Niya Latson, who averages 25.4 ppg, leading all of the NCAA in ppg. Latson also leads FSU in assists and has scored 30 or more points this season, on 16 different occasions. If Latson is able to continue her dominance in the ACC tournament, the Seminoles may be able to pose a serious threat to the other teams in the tournament, and possibly make a deep run in Greensboro this year.

The Miami Hurricanes, who competed in the Elite 8 just two years ago, have seemed to disappear from the world of college basketball, however, don’t count out the squad from Coral Gables just yet. Despite the fact that they sit at 16th in the ACC, the hurricanes have been known to make an unexpected run during the month of March. Led by one of college basketball’s most familiar faces, the Hurricanes leading scorer Haley Cavinder, averages 18.2 ppg. Cavinder, a seasoned CBB veteran, has very valuable experience in the NCAA tournament and may be able to lead the Hurricanes to a miraculous bid to play in March.

The ACC makes a serious case for one of the most talented conferences in all of College Basketball this year. Nearly every time in the conference is able to make a run in this year’s tournament, and there are sure to be at least a few major upsets. With this being taken into consideration, my prediction for the semifinals of this year’s tournament has No. 4 Florida State taking on No. 1 NC State, with the Wolfpack advancing to the finals. On the other side of the bracket, I have No. 2 Notre Dame taking on No. 6 Louisville, following Louisville upsetting No. 3 Duke. My ACC Women’s championship prediction this year is a rematch of last year’s matchup of No. 2 Notre Dame Vs. No. 1 NC State, with Notre Dame taking home the victory, following an explosive performance by Hannah Hidalgo. No matter the outcome, this year’s tournament is sure to contain many fireworks, as any team in this conference is poised to make a run at any time. The first tournament matchup is set to tipoff on March, 5, as No. 13 Syracuse takes on No. 12 Boston College.