There have been many Game of the Year candidates so far in the 2024-25 season. Texas taking Notre Dame to overtime in South Bend stands out, as does USC and UConn relitigating last season’s Elite Eight matchup. Kailyn Gilbert’s game-winner over Tennessee capped an entertaining night in Knoxville, and UCLA’s victory over South Carolina was memorable for the sheer surprise of the outcome.

On Sunday, Ta’Niya Latson and Florida State added another contender to the mix in their dramatic 86-84 win over North Carolina. The game was within single digits for the full 40 minutes, and the final minute featured three shots that felt worthy of deciding the game.

Florida State was up eight in the second quarter, but that was short-lived as the Tar Heels entered halftime with a lead. The two teams traded the lead in the third, and North Carolina seemed so close to pulling away in the fourth once Mikayla Timpson fouled out. Instead, Lexi Donarski missed a wide-open 3 that would have given North Carolina an eight-point lead, and the Seminoles responded with a 9-1 run. The lead traded hands three times in the final minute, with Latson putting the finishing touches on an instant classic.

Latson leads the nation with 26.5 points per game, yet with Florida State residing in the ACC’s second tier, at best, her play can go overlooked. There was no missing her in Chapel Hill, as she mean-mugged her way through Carmichael Arena, putting her hands to her ears to ask where the noise was from the stunned UNC fans after her game-winner beat the buzzer. Maybe it doesn’t get better than this for the Seminoles, but it was pretty great for Latson and Co. on Sunday as they put on one of the shows of the season.

Three teams rising

UConn’s steadiness

This isn’t really the time of the year to give UConn plaudits, not as the Huskies face the easiest conference schedule of any team realistically contending for the Final Four. But there is something to be said for UConn’s metronomic consistency during Big East play. With the Huskies’ 11-point victory at Creighton on Sunday, they have now won every single conference game over the last two seasons — including the 2024 Big East tournament — by double digits. They haven’t lost a conference game since Feb. 21, 2023, and have never lost a league matchup when Paige Bueckers is healthy.

As UConn cruises through its conference slate, pacing itself for the challenges to come in March, Sarah Strong is taking advantage of the developmental time. The freshman busted out a little bit of everything against Creighton, with face-up jumpers, slips to the basket, direct post-ups and relentlessness on the offensive glass. She’s too strong to be defended with single coverage in the post, especially against a team like the Bluejays who lack frontcourt size, but her speed in the half-court is also overwhelming. When the defense tries to front her near the foul line, she turns and zooms to the rim. Once she gets up a shot, good luck, because Strong is third in Division I in 2-point percentage — as a freshman.

That’s before getting to her defense, which is arguably ahead of her offense. Connecticut mostly plays Strong at power forward, but her rim production is good enough for a center. She blocks 4.8 percent of opponents’ 2-point field goals in conference play, and when she is at the five for the Huskies, those lineups have a net rating of plus-58.6 points per 100 possessions. UConn was plus-14 with Strong at center against Creighton, including most of the game-breaking 15-2 run in the second quarter.

The Huskies have the gift of lower-stakes games while other power conference teams are beating each other up. Finding new lineup wrinkles for the NCAA Tournament is the best way to use this time.

Michigan State makes defensive gains

As the Spartans transitioned into a press team this season, they have succeeded by forcing turnovers and winning the field-goal margin. Their 30-point rivalry win over Michigan, however, was a victory for their half-court defense and not just the full-court press. The Wolverines had the same number of free-throw attempts as Michigan State and two fewer field-goal attempts (63-61), but they were absolutely clobbered as the Spartans limited them to 31.1 percent shooting. This was Michigan State’s best defensive effort of Big Ten play, coming on the road against a ranked opponent.

The extra stops have helped the Spartans get into an offensive rhythm. Coach Robyn Fralick has emphasized the effort it takes for her team to achieve its defensive goals, and the more they can hold opponents to one shot — or even none — the more energy they have to expend scoring the ball. MSU’s assist percentage has jumped over the past five games and it’s shooting better from every zone of the floor, highlighted by making 61 percent of their 2s against the Wolverines, by far its best showing of conference play.

Oklahoma State’s comeback

A week after being upset by Houston, the Cowgirls flipped the script, eking out a one-point victory over TCU despite trailing by 15 at halftime and 11 with six minutes remaining. Sophomore Stailee Heard continues to lead the way for Oklahoma State, with her ball control and ability to draw fouls making her a particularly tough cover. It also helps that she’s shooting 44.8 percent on 3s, including the go-ahead dagger against the Horned Frogs.

The Cowgirls could use a more consistent source of secondary offense. Micah Gray was electric during nonconference play but her scoring average has dropped to 11.2 points against Big 12 opponents. Anna Gret Asi is Oklahoma State’s only other double-digit scorer. Perhaps Jadyn Wooten could be the microwave scoring option off the bench; the freshman guard has done well as a playmaker with 3.7 assists per game, but it was her 10 points in five minutes that turned the tide against TCU. Wooten has a smooth pull-up jumper and needs very little space to release it. With Sedona Prince sitting back in the paint, Wooten easily came off screens and found room for her shot. That type of confident shot creation isn’t normal for a freshman, and the Cowgirls could use more of it as they chase a Big 12 title.

Two teams falling

Maryland’s hellish week

The Terrapins had a week from hell. Backup point guard Bri McDaniel tore her ACL and was ruled out for the season. Shyanne Sellers, their best player and starting point guard, injured her knee during a blowout defeat to the Longhorns, missing the next two games. Maryland’s schedule (against Texas, at Ohio State and versus UCLA) already made this the toughest week of the season, and the Terrapins simply had no chance with the backcourt injuries.

Without Sellers, there is no chance for Maryland to contend in the Big Ten, let alone nationally. The Terrapins’ hopes of a regular-season title are also diminished with already three conference losses, since USC and UCLA are both undefeated in Big Ten play. Ideally, Sellers returns quickly and Maryland holds on to a hosting seed in the NCAA Tournament. But one more week like this, and the promise of November and December will be gone in a hurry.

Georgia Tech looking for a go-to player

Dani Carnegie is back, but the Yellow Jackets aren’t out of the woods yet. Scoring 50 points at home against Duke — when the Blue Devils’ defense notoriously doesn’t travel — was a shocking result for a team ranked 26th in offensive rating. Oddly, scoring hadn’t been the problem for Georgia Tech in ACC play. It was the defense that suffered as the Yellow Jackets couldn’t force turnovers or keep opponents off the foul line.

But the freshman star had a game to forget against Duke, missing all nine of her 3-point attempts and turning over the ball four times. Without the burst from Carnegie, Georgia Tech doesn’t have enough perimeter weapons. This was a team that had an abundance of scoring options just a few weeks ago, and now that depth feels like a crutch, as there is no go-to player when the game slows down. Juniors Kara Dunn and Tonie Morgan need to be better.

Games to watch

North Carolina at Cal, 10 p.m. Thursday

Oklahoma State at West Virginia, 1 p.m. Saturday

Kentucky at Oklahoma, 4 p.m. Sunday

A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark are also both getting their jerseys retired on Sunday as South Carolina and Iowa host Auburn and USC, respectively.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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