The ACC/SEC challenge kicked off this week as teams from both conferences met across the country. The games offer many ACC teams — who have largely endured slow starts to the 2025-26 NCAA season — the chance to catch up to their SEC counterparts. There's a slate of compelling games happening all week, but Thursday night's match between Notre Dame and Ole Miss is set up to potentially be the biggest of them all.
Both teams underwent massive changes ahead of the 2025-26 season. Notre Dame fans likely recall Olivia Miles' surprise decision to depart the school back in April, only days after Notre Dame was booted from the NCAA tournament after losing to TCU (to make matters more dramatic, Miles ended up transferring to TCU).
Ole Miss added a massive nine new players to the team's roster this season, a change head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin refleceted on at SEC Media Day earlier this year. As she put it, the program is used to needing to "reload."
"We lost Shakira Austin," she said, "Everyone said, 'How do we replace her?' The next year we go to the Sweet Sixteen. Madison Scott, KK Deans, we graduated six players. They're all right now playing professionally."
This summer McPhee-McCuin also announced new coaching title changes. Quentin Hillman was named associate head coach and both Empress Davenport and Joy Smith were named associate coaches. "Recognizing the growth, leadership, and dedication of our team is essential to the continued success of our program," said McPhee-McCuin in a press release. "These title promotions are a direct reflection of the evolving roles and expanded responsibilities my staff have been tasked. In addition, I'm pleased to acknowledge their meaningful contributions and I support them in their journey as professionals in our industry."
Notre Dame has something to prove Thursday night
Notre Dame will enter Thursday's game after a 10-day break, a reality that could work in their favor — especially since the team has been slowly rebuilding momentum after suffering a 39-point loss to Michigan in mid-November (the Fighting Irish have since bested USC and Central Michigan).
But that extended break could result in a team that's a little rusty. Ole Miss has played two games in the same time span (both of which the won — the team beat Wisconsin on November 28 and and George Mason on November 29). The game is also Notre Dame's first against Ole Miss, and the Rebels are known for playing a defensive match all 40 minutes.