NCAA Week 12 Preview: Final Regular Season Week, ACC & Big 10 Championships

The sport’s blue blood conferences will crown champions Sunday, as the Big Ten and ACC host their finals. But the teams for said matchups aren’t set, nor are the teams in the still-unsettled Ivy League.

Plus, the MAAC begins its conference tournament, and teams elsewhere look to firm up seeding.

It makes the final week of the regular season worth watching and the perfect prelude to championship weekend and Selection Sunday. Here's what we’re watching.

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PICK FIVE

VILLANOVA AT NO. 20 DENVER
2 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: MIDCO SPORTS PLUS

Villanova storyline to watch: A win would give Villanova at least a share of the Big East championship for the first time in program history. The Wildcats secure the top seed if Georgetown, which beat Villanova 13-9 on April 2, loses to UConn.

Denver storyline to watch: The path to the tournament’s top seed and outright regular-season crown is more straightforward for the Pios: Just win and both are yours for the fifth-straight year. A loss muddies the water for Denver and would mean it would have to check the scoreboard on the UConn-Georgetown game after entering the locker room. The Pioneers fell to UConn — their first Big East loss since 2018 — on April 6. The Huskies are 3-2 and host Georgetown Saturday at noon. 

NO. 17 CLEMSON VS. NO. 1 NORTH CAROLINA
5 P.M. EASTERN FRIDAY | WATCH: ACCN

Clemson storyline to watch: The fifth-seeded Tigers stand to get some offensive reinforcements in the fall when top recruit Alexa Spallina arrives on campus. But right now it’s the defense that’s shining bright. The Tigers held Duke to seven goals on Wednesday, the Blue Devils’ second-lowest output of the season (UNC limited Duke to six goals in the regular-season finale). Clemson’s scoring defense ranks sixth nationally, yielding 8.71 goals per game, though Carolina had its way with it in an 18-5 win in March. That was six weeks ago, though. Keep an eye on Summer Agostino, who is tied for fifth in Division I with three caused turnovers per game, and Emily Lamparter, who is stopping 48.4 percent of the shots she faces.

North Carolina storyline to watch: 2025 has been about receipts, dominance and excellence for the Tar Heels, who are now one win away from returning to the ACC finals, which they missed for the first time since 2015 last year. The Tar Heels have stars up and down the field (Brooklyn Walker-Welch, the Humpreys, et. al) but are excelling as a team. The defense is letting in a Division I-low 6.13 goals per game, and the offense is pouring in 17.67 goals per game, a number that’s second nationally. It’s a championship recipe for this month and next.

NO. 12 STANFORD VS. NO. 2 BOSTON COLLEGE 
8 P.M. EASTERN FRIDAY | WATCH: ACCN

Johns Hopkins storyline to watch: Ashley Mackin entered the week fourth nationally in goals per game (4.58) and is a dark horse to be named a Tewaaraton Award finalist. She could become more of a favorite with a solid performance against Maryland.

Maryland storyline to watch: Maryland’s balanced draw unit of Kayla Gilmore, Kori Edmondson and Shelby Sullivan does a nice job of letting the Terps control the tempo. That could spell trouble for a Hopkins team that thrives on momentum. 

NO. 10 JOHNS HOPKINS AT NO. 3 NORTHWESTERN
5 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: BTN

Johns Hopkins storyline to watch: Reagan O'Brien caused 10 turnovers in the Blue Jays’ 18-8 KO of Penn State on Wednesday. She has 78 caused turnovers on the season and is four shy of breaking the single-season NCAA record of 82 set by Manhattan’s Moira Muthig in 2000.

Northwestern storyline to watch: The Wildcats’ offense gets its share of headlines, and Madison Taylor leads Division I in goals per game. But the defense blanked Hopkins in the second half when the two teams met in the regular season (a 18-5 Wildcats win). Northwestern is letting in 7.88 goals per game (fourth in D-I) and will be a tall task for a Hopkins offense that’s played without leading scorer Ashley Mackin for four games.

NO. 9 MICHIGAN AT NO. 6 MARYLAND
7:30 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: BTN

Michigan storyline to watch: Michigan’s defense once again ranks in the top 10 in Division I (5th at 8.62 goals-allowed per game), but its offense went off against conference newcomer USC on Wednesday, pouring in 20 goals and setting records along the way. Jill Smith’s 10 points (8G, 2A) set a Michigan single-game mark, and her eight goals are tied for third in Big Ten tournament history. And wing-woman Kaylee Dyer’s six assists are a new Michigan single-game record. Ava Cass didn’t score Wednesday night but dropped six goals in the Wolverines’ 14-12 loss to Maryland in the regular season.

Maryland storyline to watch: The Terps are seeking a return trip to the Big Ten tournament championship, which they missed for only the second time last season (2015 was the other). Kori Edmson is a multi-point queen, notching the 40th of her career against Rutgers on four goals and a helper.

ANCIENT EIGHT ABSURDITY

CORNELL AT NO. 8 YALE
12 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: ESPN+

There’s been a decent amount of “if this, then that” and number crunching in the Ivy League over the last couple weeks, as teams in the tightly contested conference rose and fell. But this matchup will have a rather straightforward outcome: The winner gets the No. 4 seed in the Ivy League. The loser doesn’t make the cut.

It’s a bit of a surprise for Yale, last year’s regular-season and tournament champion and this season’s favorite. The Bulldogs have marquee wins over Syracuse and Michigan and could get an at-large even with a loss to Cornell. However, they’re in this spot courtesy of losses to Brown and Princeton. Yale is on a four-game winning streak since the loss to Princeton and has scored conference Ws over Dartmouth, Penn and Harvard.

The Big Red lost to Penn last weekend but has wins over Brown, Columbia and Harvard. Cornell is seeking its first appearance in the conference tournament since 2022.

Also notable in the Ivy League: Princeton secures Ivy League tournament hosting rights with a win over Dartmouth. If the Tigers lose and Penn beats Brown, the Quakers will have home-field advantage.

RETURN OF THE MAAC

5 SEED NIAGARA VS. 8 SEED RIDER
12 P.M. EASTERN FRIDAY | WATCH: ESPN+

Maddy Gill leads last year’s tournament champion, Niagara, with 51 goals, and rookie Michaela Delles is having a standout year, one with 36 goals and six assists. Rider is in its second season in Division I and will look to Katie Walsh (47G, 5A, 106DC, 24GB) and Selana Carrington (40G, 5A) to have a day versus the defending champs. The winner draws No. 4 Iona Sunday at noon in round two.

6 SEED SACRED HEART VS. 7 SEED QUINNIPIAC
12 P.M. EASTERN FRIDAY | WATCH: ESPN+

Sacred Heart edged Quinnipiac 14-11 behind a six-goal day from junior Maggie Araneo. EllaGrace Delmond and Abby Wise netted hat tricks that day and pace Quinnipiac offensively with 61 goals and 56 goals, respectively. EllaGrace’s sister, Mia, has 51 points.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT...

LIBERTY AT JACKSONVILLE
11 A.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: ESPN+

Both teams enter the game undefeated in conference play. The winner will get the outright regular-season Atlantic Sun title and top seed for next weekend’s tournament. It’s a rematch of last year’s ASun semifinal, a 10-9 Jacksonville victory. (The Dolphins lost to Coastal Carolina two days later.)

The Flames boast a loaded offense, with Taiva Reinerston (46G, 14A), Mackenzie Lehman (45G, 14A) and Cami Merkel (28G, 21A) hitting the 50-point mark. Ava Rajala and Katie Colavito aren’t far behind, with 49 and 44 points, respectively. But Brookelynn Hodgin (.446SV%) has been solid between the pipes for Jacksonville.

DIVISION II DON'T MISS

NO. 5 MARYVILLE VS. NO. 19 ROCKHURST
4 P.M. EASTERN FRIDAY | WATCH: GLVC SPORTS NETWORK

Maryville carries a 14-game winning streak into this Great Lakes Valley Conference matchup and is trying to secure the top seed and home-field advantage for next week's GLVC Championship tournament. The Saints have been perfect since their season-opening loss against defending national champion Tampa and lead the nation in scoring at 19.6 goals per game. But despite their success in recent seasons, Maryville has yet to win a GLVC tournament title, having lost to UIndy in the championship game each of the last two years. Securing home field for the tournament may be the needed first step towards claiming that initial GLVC trophy.