As conference play creeps closer, non-conference schedules are finally getting consistently competitive. Teams from two of the nation’s top conferences, the ACC and SEC, are meeting for some promising marquee matchups in the SEC/ACC Challenge. Wednesday’s games are:

• No. 11 Oklahoma at No. 22 Louisville (5 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
• Vanderbilt at Miami (5 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
• Virginia Tech at Georgia (5 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
• Florida State at Tennessee (7:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
• Mississippi State at Georgia Tech (7:15 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
• Syracuse at Texas A&M (7:15 p.m. ET, ESPNU)

Here’s a closer look at two of the games we’ll have our eyes on:

Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech

Neither Mississippi State (8-0) nor Georgia Tech (7-0) have been ranked by the AP at any point this season, but both programs certainly are trending towards that level of recognition. In the most-recent poll, Georgia Tech received the second-most votes of any team that didn’t make the top-25 cut, while Mississippi State was the eighth team off the list. However, there’s a more important number on the minds of both teams: zero.

Zero losses, that is. Of the 362 Division I basketball teams, Mississippi State and Georgia Tech are two of the 22 remaining undefeated programs. One won’t be on that list come Thursday morning. Mississippi State hadn’t faced remarkable competition until the Cayman Islands Classic last week; they left the Caribbean battle-tested after single-digit wins against both Utah and South Florida. Georgia Tech has won every game by 14 or more points—but dominant performances against Georgia and Oregon suggest that the Yellow Jacket’s aren’t just feasting on lesser programs. Both teams are legit.

It’s near impossible to predict which squad has an edge in Atlanta. Georgia Tech has weathered a tougher schedule thus far, but they’re generally less experienced. Freshman guard Dani Carnegie leads the team in points despite not starting a single game. Mississippi State hangs their hat on the defensive end of the floor. The Bulldogs boast the eighth-best defensive rating in the country. They’re led by senior Kentucky transfer Eniya Russell, who’s averaging 14 points while shooting over 50 percent from the floor. Expect fireworks on the court at McCamish Pavilion on Wednesday night.

Oklahoma vs. Louisville

Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images

Citing Louisville (5-2) for two November losses would be dishonest. They fell to now-No. 1 UCLA by just seven points in their season opener, and couldn’t best No. 14 Kentucky in an overtime thriller just two weeks later. Closely competing with some of the country’s best talent is a good sign for the Cardinals, and they’re steadily keeping pace with the ACC’s best.

A matchup with No. 11 Oklahoma (6-1) will give Louisville a third shot at felling a ranked opponent, but topping the Sooners is a tall task. Oklahoma’s Raegan Beers, who was named to the AP All-American Third Team last season as a sophomore with Oregon State, is one of the most dominant paint scorers in the nation. She’s averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, and leads all of Division I in field goal percentage, hitting over 72 percent of all her shots.

The isolated stain on Oklahoma’s record is a 109-99 overtime loss to Duke last week. While Louisville has the talent to beat the Sooners, Duke’s formula can’t be easily replicated. Evidenced by the shockingly high final score, the Blue Devils couldn’t contain Beers and her scoring prowess. They relied on lapping Oklahoma from the 3-point line, shooting 55 percent from beyond the arc in the matchup. Louisville only shoots a modest 33 percent from distance, so they may have to find some miracles on the margins to match the Sooners efficiency. Their hands will be undoubtedly full on Wednesday night.

Game information

No. 11 Oklahoma (6-1) vs. No. 22 Louisville (5-2)

When: Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 5 p.m. ET

Where: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY

How to watch: ESPN2

Vanderbilt (8-1) vs. Miami (7-0)

When: Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 5 p.m. ET

Where: Watsco Center in Coral Gables, FL

How to watch: ACC Network

Virginia Tech (6-2) vs. Georgia (5-4)

When: Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 5 p.m. ET

Where: Stegaman Coliseum in Athens, GA

How to watch: SEC Network

Syracuse (4-4) vs. Texas A&M (4-4)

When: Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7:15 p.m. ET

Where: Reed Arena in College Station, TX

How to watch: ESPNU

Florida State (8-1) vs. Tennessee (5-0)

When: Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7:15 p.m. ET

Where: Food City Center in Knoxville, TN

How to watch: SEC Network

Mississippi State (8-0) vs. Georgia Tech (7-0)

When: Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7:15 p.m. ET

Where: McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, GA

How to watch: ACC Network

Rachid Meziane will be the new head coach of the Connecticut Sun, the organization announced on Wednesday afternoon.

Meziane will arrive in the WNBA with a wealth of women’s basketball head coaching experience in Europe, both at the national team and club levels. He’s been the head coach of the Belgium Women’s National Team since Nov. 2022, with the team establishing itself as one of the world’s best under his watch. In 2023, the Belgian Cats won EuroBasket Women. This past summer, Belgium just missed the podium at the Paris Olympics, finishing fourth with a squad that featured former WNBA standout Emma Meesseman and the Washington Mystics’ Julie Vanloo.

Prior to leading the Belgians, Meziane served as an assistant coach for the France Women’s National Team from 2014 to 2021, helping the team win hardware in numerous continental and international competitions, including a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. The French native also has coached professionally in his home country, leading Villenueve d’Ascq LM, last season’s Ligue Feminine de Basketball champions and EuroLeague Women runners up, since 2019. This season, Villenueve d’Ascqu underperformed in EuroLeague Women, falling to advance to the competition’s second round. As our Eric Nemchock recently wrote of the French club, “To say things have been disappointing for Villeneuve-d’Ascq after a second-place finish last season would be an understatement.”

While such a sentiment might not inspire optimism among Sun fans, Meziane’s larger track record suggests he is WNBA ready. The potential of Meziane encouraging European players to jump to (or back to) the WNBA especially should excite Sun fans, as the organization prepares to encounter an offseason where many key players—headlined by Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner—are set to be unrestricted free agents. While the possibility of Meziane coaxing Meesseman back the WNBA most intrigues, he also has familiarity with Leïla Lacan, the Sun’s 2024 first-round draft pick who, after contributing for the French in their run to the silver medal at the 2024 Olympics, has performed well for Basket Landes, one of the most surprising teams in EuroLeague Women, and Janelle Salaün, another young French Olympian who played for Meziane at Villenueve d’Ascq last season and now is starring for Beretta Familia Schio. Having coached against Marina Mabrey during last season’s EuroLeague Women competition, when the Sun’s microwave scorer suited up for ÇBK Mersin, Meziane also could have interesting ideas about how to optimize a player who is under contract with Connecticut for the 2025 season.

On joining the Sun, Meziane said:

I am honored to represent a franchise like the Connecticut Sun, a team and organization with a rich history and a passionate fan base. I look forward to working with our talented roster and assembling a dedicated coaching staff, as we continue to build upon the Sun’s legacy and strive for a championship.

Morgan Tuck, who, on Tuesday, was named the organization’s new general manger, said of Meziane:

We are thrilled to welcome Rachid as the new head coach of the Connecticut Sun. He brings a wealth of experience, passion, and a proven track record of success that will help elevate our players and team as a whole. Rachid’s dedication and commitment to growing women’s basketball, internationally and domestically, brings a unique perspective both on and off the court that aligns with the values and vision of our organization. We look forward to the future under Rachid’s leadership and are excited for the positive impact he will have on our team and community.

In promoting Tuck, the team’s assistant general manager since to Nov. 2022, to general manager, the Sun named Darius Taylor, who had served as general manager for the past two years, to chief basketball strategist and director of scouting where he, according to the team’s press release, “will be responsible for providing strategy and recommendations around the expansion draft, roster management, free agency and scouting, as well as overseeing basketball operations.”

This week, the WNBL saw two Atlanta Dream players find themselves at opposite sides of a rematch of last year’s Finals between the Southside Flyers and the Perth Lynx. Naz Hillmon and Laeticia Amihere not only are both focal points for their teams, but their performances also are proving that the Dream’s future is in good hands.

Naz Hillmon improves and impresses

Coming off the best season of her WNBA career, Naz Hillmon is back in Australia. With the Melbourne Boomers, her previous WNBL team, now defunct, she joined the reigning champs, the Flyers, who started the season with a new coach and a new roster. Last season, she made the All-WNBL Second Team, with averages of 15.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

This season, the Flyers got off to a slow start, but the former Michigan Wolverine has been great. In the six games played so far, she has shot below 53 percent from the field only once, and scored below 17 points just one time as well. She’s averaging 19.7 points and 9.2 rebounds, and remains a bright spot for the Flyers, who were once again beaten by the Lynx in the second rematch of last season’s Finals, 89-82. The Flyers played without starting forward Alice Kunek and put up a fight, getting close to overcoming an 18-0 scoring run by the Lynx.

Laeticia Amihere is… here

The Lynx’s win came, in part, thanks to Laeticia Amihere’s 14 points and four boards. The Canadian forward has yet to start her first WNBA game, but after her second year in the W, she signed with the Lynx and is shining in a starting role. Her averages for the first seven games in Australia—all starts—tell you all you need to know. She’s putting up 16.9 points per game on 58 percent shooting, while also grabbing 4.6 rebounds for the second-best team in the league. Those numbers are way above her averages for the Dream, and even above her production at South Carolina.

Asked about her impact on the games, Amierhere has said:

I think my team is great at having my back and our defense is one that we have each other’s back in every situation. I would just say looking up at the scoreboard and knowing my team needs me to be more aggressive is all the motivation I need to turn things up a little.

League standings

1. Bendigo Spirit (7-0)

2. Perth Lynx (6-1)

3. Townsville Fire (4-2)

4. Sydney Flames (2-4)

5. Southside Flyers (2-4)

6. Geelong United (2-4)

7. Canberra Capitals (2-5)

8. Adelaide Lightning (1-5)

On Black Friday, now-No. 10 TCU pulled off the upset win of the season against then-No. 3 Notre Dame in the Cayman Islands Classic, 76-68. Not only did the win tie the highest-ranked victory in program history, but it was also a testament to the potential of this offense and the growing draft stock of Hailey Van Lith.

Van Lith always had a high draft potential—until last season. She struggled in her only year at LSU, where she posted career lows in scoring efficiency and saw her points per game decrease by eight points. Her season with the Tigers dropped her draft stock significantly, leading to doubts about whether she could play at the WNBA level. During that season, she played mostly on-ball, which was an adjustment that she struggled with.

This win against Notre Dame showcased Van Lith’s improvement as a lead guard.

On the game’s first possession, Notre Dame started by putting two on the ball, doubling Van Lith at the point of the screen. She makes a nice hanging pass here, which is a play she made a few times throughout this game when Notre Dame was in a trapping coverage.

Van Lith has always had the quickness to punish defenses with her wicked crossover. Sonia Citron was her primary defender for most of this game, and Van Lith was able to buckle her a few times. HVL also found success against two-way star Hannah Hidalgo and Cassandre Prosper.

This ability to collapse the defense with a crossover meant that Notre Dame couldn’t be as aggressive hedging ball screens because of Van Lith’s threat to reject the screen and drive unimpeded to the basket. Even when the Irish tried forcing Van Lith to her right hand, they were mostly unsuccessful.

So the Irish then tried playing drop coverage with Kate Koval, while relying on Citron to fight over the screens and stay attached to Van Lith. HVL was able to punish the Irish’s drop coverage by finding space in the middle of the paint to rise up for jumpers or collapse the defense and find open teammates. Even though some of these plays don’t result in made baskets, the shot quality is what matters here, as Van Lith was able to create a quality look on almost every drop coverage possession the Irish played.

This pick-and-roll mastery was also unlocked because of the outside shooting ability of Sedona Prince, the 6-foot-7 senior center who has a respectable shot that can punish defenses that give her the space to shoot long 2s.

Van Lith and Prince were able to carve up Notre Dame’s defense by running pick-and-roll and dribble handoffs, largely due to Prince’s passing ability from the free throw line and a subtle second half adjustment from TCU’s head coach Mark Campbell.

At LSU, Van Lith largely was used solely as an initiator on the ball. However, in the second half of this game, Campbell had Van Lith playing off the ball and had her flow into Spanoulis actions to catch Notre Dame’s defense off guard and put unexpected downhill pressure on their defense. Spanoulis action is when a guard cuts from under the rim towards the top of the key for a handoff. Van Lith would often give the ball up and curl from the right side of the floor to under the basket to the weakside corner and up to the top of the key to receive and handoff or screen from a big, giving her momentum to get downhill with a defender on her back.

This move worked pretty well. Fatigue was obviously a factor for the Irish, but Van Lith was able to get great shots for herself, scoring 19 of her 21 points in the second half.

Trailing by double digits headed into the fourth quarter, the only way for the Horned Frogs to get back into the game was through defense. Van Lith was solid on that end, forcing Hidalgo and Citron into difficult shots and even forcing a deflection in pick-and-roll.

While Van Lith had a great game as the lead guard against an elite Notre Dame defense, room for more improvement remains. I would love to see her become more comfortable keeping her dribble alive when her driving lanes are cut off. She did have a few possessions where she took bad shots or missed opportunities to create a mismatch because she picked up her dribble.

Overall, TCU’s upset win against Notre Dame game showcased the potential of Van Lith as a prospect in this year’s draft. She isn’t very high up on most draft boards because of her size and struggles on the ball. But she made strides in her weakest areas as a player, all while leading the Horned Frogs to one of the biggest upsets of this season and in program history.