# 2019–20 Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball season

The 2019–20 Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball season began with practices in October 2018, followed by the start of the 2019–20 NCAA Division I women's basketball season in November. Conference play started in January 2020 and will conclude in March with the 2020 ACC women's basketball tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC.
The postseason was cut short due to the COVID-19 outbreak. On March 12, the NCAA announced the tournament would be cancelled, along with all remaining winter and spring championships. The NCAA tournament and WNIT were both cancelled before they began.

## Head coaches
### Coaching changes

* Georgia Tech fired MaChelle Joseph amid controversy after the 18–19 season. In April, Nell Fortner was announced as the new head coach.
* Sylvia Hatchell stepped down after 33 years as North Carolina's head coach after an investigation determined she had made “racially insensitive” comments and pressured injured players to compete. Courtney Banghart was announced as the new head coach on April 30.

### Coaches

| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years at school | Record at school | ACC record | ACC titles | NCAA Tournaments | NCAA Final Fours | NCAA Championships |
| Boston College | Joanna Bernabei-McNamee | Albany | 2 | 14–16 | 3–13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Clemson | Amanda Butler | Florida | 2 | 20–13 | 9–7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Duke | Joanne P. McCallie | Michigan State | 13 | 312–95 | 6–10 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Florida State | Sue Semrau | Wisconsin (Assistant) | 23 | 541–249 | 196–144 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Georgia Tech | Nell Fortner | Auburn | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Louisville | Jeff Walz | Maryland (Assistant) | 13 | 332–99 | 145–50 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Miami | Katie Meier | Charlotte | 15 | 277–172 | 111–103 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| NC State | Wes Moore | Chattanooga | 7 | 140–57 | 63–33 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| North Carolina | Courtney Banghart | Princeton | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Notre Dame | Muffet McGraw | Lehigh | 33 | 835–233 | 417–87 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 2 |
| Pittsburgh | Lance White | Florida State (Assistant) | 2 | 11–20 | 2–14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Syracuse | Quentin Hillsman | Syracuse (Assistant) | 13 | 288–145 | 66–40 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Virginia | Tina Thompson | Texas (associate head coach) | 2 | 12–19 | 5–11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Virginia Tech | Kenny Brooks | James Madison | 4 | 65–40 | 16–32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wake Forest | Jennifer Hoover | High Point | 8 | 98–124 | 30–84 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
* Year at school includes 2019–20 season.
* Overall and ACC records are from time at current school and are through the end the 2018–19 season.
* NCAA Tournament appearances are from time at current school only.
* NCAA Final Fours and Championship include time at other schools

## Preseason
### Preseason watch lists

Below is a table of notable preseason watch lists.
| Lieberman | Drysdale | Miller | McClain | Leslie |
| Taja Cole – Virginia Tech | Haley Gorecki – Duke Aislinn Konig – NC State Jocelyn Willoughby – Virginia | Francesca Pan – Georgia Tech Sam Brunelle – Notre Dame | Leaonna Odom – Duke Kiah Gillespie – Florida State | Jade Williams – Duke Beatrice Mompremier – Miami Elissa Cunane – NC State Janelle Bailey – North Carolina |

### ACC Women's Basketball Tip-off

Prior to the start of the season, the ACC hosted a media day at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina. At the media day, the head coaches voted on the finishing order of the teams, an All-ACC team, a Preseason Player of the Year, and Newcomers to watch. The media day was hosted on October 3, 2019. A selected group of student athletes also took questions from the media on this day.
At the media day, both the head coaches and the Blue Ribbon Panel predicted that Louisville would be league champion.

#### ACC preseason polls

2019 ACC Women's Basketball Preseason Polls :
| Head coaches | Blue Ribbon Panel |
| Louisville – (13) 223 NC State – (2) 201 Florida State – 190 Miami – 185 Notre Dame – 159 Syracuse – 150 Duke – 143 Clemson – 105 North Carolina – 92 Virginia Tech – 91 Georgia Tech – 70 Virginia – 67 Boston College – 58 Pittsburgh – 41 Wake Forest – 25 | Louisville – (34) 713 NC State – (8) 637 Florida State – (3) 623 Notre Dame – (4) 580 Miami – 579 Syracuse – 497 Duke – 432 Clemson – 353 North Carolina – 343 Virginia Tech – 291 Virginia – 229 Georgia Tech – 225 Boston College – 168 Pittsburgh – 122 Wake Forest – 89 |

#### Preseason All-ACC Teams

2019 ACC Women's Basketball Preseason All-ACC Teams :
| Head coaches | Blue Ribbon Panel |
| Kobi Thornton – Clemson Haley Gorecki – Duke Kicki Ekhomu – Florida State Kiah Gillespie – Florida State Elizabeth Balogun – Louisville Beatrice Mompremier – Miami Elissa Cunane – NC State Aislinn Konig – NC State Janelle Bailey – North Carolina Jocelyn Willoughby – Virginia | Kobi Thornton – Clemson Haley Gorecki – Duke Kicki Ekhomu – Florida State Kiah Gillespie – Florida State Elizabeth Balogun – Louisville Dana Evans – Louisville Beatrice Mompremier – Miami Elissa Cunane – NC State Janelle Bailey – North Carolina Jocelyn Willoughby – Virginia |

#### Preseason ACC Player of the Year

2019 ACC Women's Basketball Preseason Player of the Year :
| Head coaches | Blue Ribbon Panel |
| Beatrice Mompremier – Miami | Beatrice Mompremier – Miami |

#### Newcomer Watchlist

2019 ACC Women's Basketball Newcomer Watchlists :
| Head coaches | Blue Ribbon Panel |
| River Baldwin – Florida State Nyah Green – Louisville Jakia Brown-Turner – NC State Sam Brunelle – Notre Dame Anaya Peoples – Notre Dame | River Baldwin – Florida State Nyah Green – Louisville Jakia Brown-Turner – NC State Sam Brunelle – Notre Dame Anaya Peoples – Notre Dame |

## Regular season
### Rankings

Legend :
* Increase in ranking
* Decrease in ranking
* Not ranked previous week
* First Place votes shown in
| | | Pre | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 | Wk 19 | Final |
| Boston College | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | RV | RV |
| Boston College | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | N/A |
| Clemson | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Clemson | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | N/A |
| Duke | AP | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | RV | RV | RV | RV |
| Duke | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | RV | RV | RV | RV | N/A |
| Florida State | AP | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 т | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 18 | 19 |
| Florida State | C | 13 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 20 | N/A |
| Georgia Tech | AP | | | | | | | | | | | RV | | | | | | | | | |
| Georgia Tech | C | | | | | | RV | RV | RV | | RV | | | | | | | | | | N/A |
| Louisville | AP | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 2 (5) | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 (2) | 5 (2) | 5 (1) | 5 (1) | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Louisville | C | 9 | 9 | 9 | 2 (5) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 (1) | 3 | 4 (1) | 4 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | N/A |
| Miami | AP | 18 т | 17 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 25 | RV | 24 | 23 | RV | | | | | | | | | | |
| Miami | C | 19 | 17 | 18 | 22 | RV | | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | N/A |
| North Carolina | AP | RV | | | | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| North Carolina | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | N/A |
| NC State | AP | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 т | 13 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| NC State | C | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | N/A |
| Notre Dame | AP | 16 | 15 | RV | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Notre Dame | C | 14 | RV | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | N/A |
| Pittsburgh | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Pittsburgh | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | N/A |
| Syracuse | AP | 21 | 20 | 17 | 18 | RV | | | | | RV | | | | | | | | | | |
| Syracuse | C | 17 | 15 | 16 | RV | | | | | RV | | | | | | | | | | | N/A |
| Virginia | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Virginia | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | N/A |
| Virginia Tech | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | RV | | |
| Virginia Tech | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | N/A |
| Wake Forest | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wake Forest | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | N/A |
Note: The Coaches Poll releases a final poll after the NCAA tournament, but the AP Poll does not release a poll at this time. Due to the cancellation of the NCAA and WNIT tournaments, the Coaches Poll did not release a final poll.

### Conference matrix

This table summarizes the head-to-head results between teams in conference play. Each team played 18 conference games, and at least 1 against each opponent. This marked the first year that teams played an eighteen-game conference schedule.
| | Boston College | Clemson | Duke | Florida State | Georgia Tech | Louisville | Miami | North Carolina | NC State | Notre Dame | Pittsburgh | Syracuse | Virginia | Virginia Tech | Wake Forest |
| vs. Boston College | – | 68–70 | 85–73 | 56–65 | 48–55 | 81–70 68–48 | 64–75 | 75–93 | 72–54 | 65–75 55–56 | 70–79 59–70 | 89–79 81–88 | 69–52 | 70–49 | 54–67 |
| vs. Clemson | 70–68 | – | 58–62 | 81–64 81–54 | 49–47 56–44 | 75–50 | 68–64 63–48 | 86–72 | 79–60 | 55–71 | 67–75 (OT) | 59–46 | 70–51 | 71–50 | 63–58 66–52 |
| vs. Duke | 73–85 | 62–58 | – | 64–66 | 46–58 | 60–55 | 55–74 | 61–71 54–73 | 63–60 65–70 | 47–50 | 56–73 | 58–88 | 66–63 47–62 | 67–72 (OT) 70–56 | 60–58 |
| vs. Florida State | 65–56 | 64–81 54–81 | 66–64 | – | 67–52 65–62 | 59–67 | 62–73 61–79 | 64–78 | 68–51 | 70–67 | 41–66 | 90–89 (OT) | 55–63 | 62–86 | 65–70 67–78 |
| vs. Georgia Tech | 55–48 | 47–49 44–56 | 58–46 | 52–67 62–65 | – | 58–47 | 54–61 54–49 (OT) | 67–60 (OT) | 61–65 | 59–51 | 48–77 | 64–82 | 51–61 | 64–61 (OT) | 65–60 52–62 |
| vs. Louisville | 70–81 48–68 | 50–75 | 55–60 | 67–59 | 47–58 | – | 41–87 | 67–74 | 59–66 | 54–86 49–82 | 49–83 47–79 | 58–62 59–51 | 56–71 | 53–70 | 61–75 |
| vs. Miami | 75–64 | 64–68 48–63 | 74–55 | 73–62 79–61 | 61–54 49–54 (OT) | 87–41 | – | 78–58 | 50–48 | 76–53 | 54–73 | 62–77 | 69–64 | 69–45 | 56–59 63–79 |
| vs. North Carolina | 93–75 | 72–86 | 71–61 73–54 | 78–64 | 60–67 (OT) | 74–67 | 58–78 | – | 60–66 76–68 | 83–65 | 62–70 | 74–56 | 47–65 68–78 | 76–70 72–63 | 82–79 (OT) |
| vs. NC State | 54–72 | 60–79 | 60–63 70–65 | 51–68 | 65–61 | 66–59 | 48–50 | 66–60 68–76 | – | 56–90 | 44–88 | 60–69 | 60–80 64–75 | 69–76 59–71 | 45–59 |
| vs. Notre Dame | 75–65 56–55 | 71–55 | 50–47 | 67–70 | 51–59 | 86–54 82–49 | 53–76 | 65–83 | 90–56 | – | 52–60 52–74 | 74–63 (OT) 70–72 | 90–60 | 68–62 | 71–75 |
| vs. Pittsburgh | 79–70 70–59 | 75–67 (OT) | 73–56 | 66–41 | 77–48 | 83–49 79–47 | 73–54 | 70–62 | 88–44 | 60–52 74–52 | – | 69–51 71–53 | 66–55 | 68–56 | 48–53 |
| vs. Syracuse | 79–89 88–81 | 46–59 | 88–58 | 89–90 (OT) | 82–64 | 62–58 51–59 | 77–62 | 56–74 | 69–60 | 63–74 (OT) 72–70 | 51–69 53–71 | – | 57–41 | 65–67 | 65–60 |
| vs. Virginia | 52–69 | 54–70 | 63–66 62–47 | 63–55 | 61–51 | 71–56 | 64–69 | 65–47 78–68 | 80–60 75–64 | 60–90 | 55–66 | 41–57 | – | 69–61 76–86 | 0–0 |
| vs. Virginia Tech | 49–70 | 50–71 | 72–67 (OT) 56–70 | 86–62 | 61–64 (OT) | 70–53 | 45–69 | 70–76 63–72 | 76–69 71–59 | 62–68 | 56–68 | 67–65 | 61–69 86–76 | – | 62–56 62–73 |
| vs. Wake Forest | 67–54 | 58–63 52–66 | 58–60 | 70–65 78–67 | 60–65 62–52 | 75–61 | 59–56 79–63 | 79–82 (OT) | 59–45 | 75–71 | 53–48 | 60–65 | 0–0 | 56–62 73–62 | – |
| Total | 11–7 | 3–15 | 12–6 | 11–7 | 10–8 | 16–2 | 7–11 | 7–11 | 14–4 | 8–10 | 1–17 | 9–9 | 8–10 | 11–7 | 7–11 |

### Player of the week

Throughout the conference regular season, the Atlantic Coast Conference offices named a Player(s) of the week and a Rookie(s) of the week.
| Week | Player of the week | Rookie of the week |
| Week 1 – Nov. 11 | Jocelyn Willoughby – Virginia | Elizabeth Kitley – Virginia Tech |
| Week 2 – Nov. 18 | Nausia Woolfolk – Florida State | Malu Tshitenge – North Carolina |
| Week 3 – Nov. 25 | Haley Gorecki – Duke | Kylie Kornegay-Lucas – Virginia |
| Week 3 – Nov. 25 | Beatrice Mompremier – Miami | Kylie Kornegay-Lucas – Virginia |
| Week 4 – Dec. 2 | Dana Evans – Louisville | Anaya Peoples – Notre Dame |
| Week 5 – Dec. 9 | Kiah Gillespie – Florida State | Amber Brown – Pittsburgh |
| Week 6 – Dec. 16 | Elissa Cunane – NC State | Sam Brunelle – Notre Dame |
| Week 7 – Dec. 23 | Kiah Gillespie (2) – Florida State | River Baldwin – Florida State |
| Week 7 – Dec. 23 | Beatrice Mompremier (2) – Miami | River Baldwin – Florida State |
| Week 8 – Dec. 30 | Kendall Spray – Clemson | River Baldwin (2) – Florida State |
| Week 9 – Jan 6 | Elissa Cunane (2) – NC State | Amber Brown (2) – Pittsburgh |
| Week 10 – Jan 13 | Jocelyn Willoughby (2) – Virginia | Shemera Williams – Virginia |
| Week 11 – Jan 20 | Dana Evans (2) – Louisville | Amari Robinson – Clemson |
| Week 12 – Jan 27 | Leaonna Odom – Duke | Shemera Williams (2) – Virginia |
| Week 13 – Feb 3 | Emma Guy – Boston College | Dayshanette Harris – Pittsburgh |
| Week 13 – Feb 3 | Janelle Bailey – North Carolina | Dayshanette Harris – Pittsburgh |
| Week 14 – Feb 10 | Kiah Gillespie (2) – Florida State | Katlyn Gilbert – Notre Dame |
| Week 15 – Feb 17 | Taylor Soule – Boston College | Elizabeth Kitley (2) – Virginia Tech |
| Week 16 – Feb 24 | Taylor Soule (2) – Boston College | Elizabeth Kitley (3) – Virginia Tech |
| Week 17 – Mar 2 | Haley Gorecki (2) – Duke | Sam Brunelle (2) – Notre Dame |

## Postseason
### ACC tournament

| First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | | | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Championship | Championship | Championship |
| | | | | | | 1 | Louisville | 71 | | | | | | |
| | | | 8 | Syracuse | 67 | 8 | Syracuse | 46 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 9 | Virginia | 50 | | | | | | 1 | Louisville | 60 | |
| | | | | | | | | | 4 | Florida State | 62 | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Florida State | 76 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | Virginia Tech | 55 | 13 | Wake Forest | 47 | | | | | | | |
| 12 | North Carolina | 73 | 13 | Wake Forest | 58 | | | | | | | | 4 | Florida State | 66 |
| 13 | Wake Forest | 83 | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | 2 | NC State | 71 |
| | | | | | | 2 | NC State | 57 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 7 | Georgia Tech | 68 | 7 | Georgia Tech | 48 | | | | | | | | |
| 10 | Notre Dame | 65 | 15 | Pittsburgh | 58 | | | | | | 2 | NC State | 82 | | | |
| 15 | Pittsburgh | 67 | | | | | | | | | 6 | Boston College | 75 | | | |
| | | | | | | 3 | Duke | 77 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 6 | Boston College | 85 | 6 | Boston College | 84 | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Miami | 56 | 14 | Clemson | 58 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Clemson | 71 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### National Invitation tournament
## Honors and awards
### ACC Awards

2019 ACC Women's Basketball Individual Awards :
| Award | Recipient(s) |
| Player of the Year | Dana Evans – Louisville |
| Coach of the Year | Joanna Bernabei-McNamee – Boston College |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Kylee Shook – Louisville |
| Freshman of the Year | Elizabeth Kitley – Virginia Tech |
| Sixth Player of the Year | Trinity Baptiste – Virginia Tech |
| Most Improved Player | Taylor Soule – Boston College |
2019 ACC Women's Basketball All-Conference Teams (Blue Ribbon Panel) :
| First Team | Second Team | Honorable Mention | Freshman Team |
| Haley Gorecki – Duke Kiah Gillespie – Florida State Nicki Ekhomu – Florida State Dana Evans – Louisville Jazmine Jones – Louisville Kylee Shook – Louisville Elissa Cunane – NC State Janelle Bailey – North Carolina Kiara Lewis – Syracuse Jocelyn Willoughby – Virginia | Emma Guy – Boston College Taylor Soule – Boston College Leaonna Odom – Duke Aisha Sheppard – Virginia Tech Ivana Raca – Wake Forest | Francesca Pan – Georgia Tech Aislinn Konig – NC State Taylor Koenen – North Carolina Destinee Walker – Notre Dame Taja Cole – Virginia Tech | Amari Robinson – Clemson Jakia Brown-Turner – NC State Malu Tshitenge – North Carolina Sam Brunelle – Notre Dame Katlyn Gilbert – Notre Dame Anaya Peoples – Notre Dame Dayshanette Harris – Pittsburgh Elizabeth Kitley – Virginia Tech |
2019 ACC Women's Basketball All-Conference Teams (head coaches) :
| First Team | Second Team | Honorable Mention | Freshman Team |
| Emma Guy – Boston College Haley Gorecki – Duke Kiah Gillespie – Florida State Nicki Ekhomu – Florida State Dana Evans – Louisville Jazmine Jones – Louisville Elissa Cunane – NC State Kiara Lewis – Syracuse Jocelyn Willoughby – Virginia Aisha Sheppard – Virginia Tech | Leaonna Odom – Duke Francesca Pan – Georgia Tech Kylee Shook – Louisville Aislinn Konig – NC State Ivana Raca – Wake Forest | Taylor Soule – Boston College Janelle Bailey – North Carolina Taylor Koenen – North Carolina | Amari Robinson – Clemson Jada Boyd – NC State Jakia Brown-Turner – NC State Malu Tshitenge – North Carolina Sam Brunelle – Notre Dame Katlyn Gilbert – Notre Dame Dayshanette Harris – Pitt Elizabeth Kitley – Virginia Tech |
2019 ACC Women's Basketball All-ACC Defensive Team :
| Player | Team |
| Haley Gorecki | Duke |
| Jazmine Jones | Louisville |
| Kylee Shook | Louisville |
| Mykea Gray | Miami |
| Taja Cole | Virginia Tech |

## WNBA draft

The ACC lead all conferences with eight players selected in the 2020 WNBA Draft. This is the second year in a row that the ACC has had the most selections of any conference. The ACC has had at least one first round selection in the past fifteen WNBA Drafts. The next longest such streak is six.
| Player | Team | Round | Pick # | Position | School |
| Jocelyn Willoughby | Phoenix Mercury | 1 | 10 | G | Virginia |
| Jazmine Jones | New York Liberty | 1 | 12 | G | Louisville |
| Kylee Shook | New York Liberty | 2 | 13 | F | Louisville |
| Leaonna Odom | New York Liberty | 2 | 15 | F | Duke |
| Beatrice Mompremier | Los Angeles Sparks | 2 | 20 | F | Miami |
| Kobi Thornton | Atlanta Dream | 3 | 27 | F | Clemson |
| Haley Gorecki | Seattle Storm | 3 | 31 | G | Duke |
| Kiah Gillespie | Chicago Sky | 3 | 32 | F | Florida State |