Crossovers and croissants
From The GIST College Sports (hi@thegistsports.com)
Up and at ’em!
The anticipation is over — the women’s and men’s college basketball seasons officially tip off today, so today’s newsletter has your hoops highlights covered, along with updates on the latest fall sports action.
- P.S. Just like NCAA athletes do, double check your game plan to vote tomorrow. Watching sports and performing your civic duty? That’s a slam dunk.
— No. 20 Ole Miss women’s basketball coach Yolette McPhee-McCuin, on her team opening the season in France during today’s Aflac Oui-Play event (more on that below). Crossovers and croissants, anyone?
Basketball
🏀 Say bonjour to basketball
The GIST: So nice we had to say it thrice: College basketball is so back. And the season is starting off hot thanks to some opening-week top-25 matchups. Hoop yeah.
No. 8 Baylor men visit No. 6 Gonzaga for late-night thriller: This game marks the eighth all-time meeting between these two powerhouse squads, and since five of those matchups were decided by single-digits, we’re all set up for an instant classic tonight at 11:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
- The players to watch? Khalif Battle, who the Zags picked up in the transfer portal, and Baylor’s No. 3–ranked freshman VJ Edgecombe.
Top women’s teams take the court for Aflac’s Oui-Play doubleheader from Paris: The women’s hoops season will begin in the City of Light for a second straight year, a magnifique way to follow up last season’s record-breaking numbers.
- No. 3 USC and the aforementioned No. 20 Ole Miss kick things off at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN, the first chance to see USC’s preseason All-Americans JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen, who just transferred from Stanford. Beware these Trojans.
- Then, No. 5 UCLA and No. 17 Louisville meet at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, with UCLA’s Lauren Betts and Louisville’s Olivia Cochran leading their respective squads in a battle of the bigs. Oui oui!
Football
🏈 Football is life
The GIST: From near-upsets to actual upsets and bounce-back to bounce-forward wins, college football had a little bit of everything this weekend. Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s games before the College Football Playoff rankings drop tomorrow, offering an inside look at the selection committee’s current thoughts on who should make the national championship bracket.
No. 3 Ohio State bounces back: After last week’s humbling 21–17 close call against unranked Nebraska, Ohio State needed to prove themselves as a serious contender. A thrilling 20–13 win over then–No. 3 Penn State? Not a bad way to do it.
- Quarterback Will Howard threw for two touchdowns (TDs) in the W as the Buckeyes handed Penn State their first loss of the season.
South Carolina upsets then–No. 10 Texas A&M: The Aggies were riding high after defeating LSU last week, but the celebration was cut short thanks to the feisty Gamecocks. They routed A&M 44–20 behind two TDs each from running back Raheim Sanders and tight end Joshua Simon, sinking the Aggies to No. 15 in the latest poll.
- The No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs nearly suffered the same fate in a rivalry game against the Florida Gators where they trailed 13–6 at halftime before outscoring the Gators 28–7 in the second half en route to a 34–20 victory. Phew.
No. 4 Miami remains undefeated: Miami is still on top of the ACC after pummeling unranked Duke 53–31 on Saturday. Meanwhile, No. 13 SMU took care of No. 23 Pitt to slide into second place in the conference, while No. 25 Lousivlle handed No. 19 Clemson its first loss in ACC play. This conference competition is just getting started.
Together With The GIST
Looking to hire more women and nonbinary folks? Look no further than our very own job board. Submit your open roles to reach our incredibly talented and very hungry GIST community. Happy hiring!
🏐 No. 2 Nebraska women’s volleyball sweeps No. 7 Wisconsin
For the first time since 2013, Nebraska defeated Wisconsin at UW Fieldhouse, doing it in dominant, straight-set fashion for the Cornhuskers’ 19th win in a row. Bergen Reilly led the way with 32 assists, while Merritt Beason and Andi Jackson had 11 and 7 kills, respectively.
⚽ Syracuse men’s soccer stuns No. 3 Pitt 2–0 to close out the regular season
With conference tournaments looming, unranked Syracuse sent its seniors out in style, handing No. 3 Pitt an upset loss in the final game of the regular season for the Orange’s best win since 2022. Despite the L, Pitt earned the No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament, which begins Wednesday.
🏑 No. 1 Northwestern and No. 2 UNC field hockey finish regular season undefeated
UNC capped off their perfect regular season by defeating rival No. 6 Duke 5–2 yesterday to claim the ACC regular-season title outright. Meanwhile, No. 1 Northwestern topped No. 4 Ohio State 2–1 on Friday to post their first-ever unbeaten run. Not to get ahead of ourselves with conference tournaments on deck, but we could be in for an epic national championship rematch.
Together With The GIST
Looking for more of The GIST? Hit play on our twice-weekly podcast, The GIST of It. Hosts Ellen Hyslop and Stephanie Rotz are sports fans, feminists and childhood besties. They bring a fresh, female perspective on trending sports news that feels just like the chatter around your brunch table.
- Hear it for yourself by tuning into The GIST of It wherever you listen to pods. Turn it up.
Here’s what has GIST HQ buzzing:
📣 Where to cheer
From inside “The Wall,” the 4,500-seat die-hard fan zone at the LA Clippers’ Intuit Dome. Built to distract opponents and rally the NBA team’s home crowd, “The Wall” brings college fan-section energy to the pros.
🏀 Who to follow
NBA paint, the X account bringing incredible hoops-inspired art — like this Steph Curry meets Edvard Much homage — to your timeline. Literally screaming.
👟 What to explore
This database of all NBA and WNBA signature shoes, from old-school Chuck Taylors to modern Air Jordans. It’s a sneakerhead’s bible.
Today’s email was brought to you by Eden Laase, Katie Kehoe Foster, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Molly Potter. Fact checking by Mikaela Perez. Ops by Marga Sison and Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster and Alessandra Puccio. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of Content Ellen Hyslop.