The GIST: At this point, a massive upset on the men’s court — even USF’s 20-point comeback against No. 10 Memphis yesterday — barely registers as news. But the ACC women’s action last night? Jaws are still on the floor.

Another loss for No. 4 NC State: When NC State took their season’s first loss on January 7th, a 63–62 nailbiter to a very strong then–No. 13 Virginia Tech team, fans weren’t too worried. But last night was a totally different story: A 73–59 beatdown by unranked Miami has the Wolfpack sweating. It’s not quite time to panic…but if they don’t pull their sh!t together, it will be soon.

No. 14 Virginia Tech also stumbles: The momentum from that January 7th upset is long gone — the Hokies’ 63–46 disaster at Duke last night was their second straight loss. Star center Elizabeth Kitley racked up a double-double, but her one-woman show just couldn’t compete with the Blue Devils’ astounding 27-point third quarter.

Syracuse downs No. 15 Florida State: FSU was the ACC’s troublemaker, but they were the ones in trouble last night when the surging Syracuse Orange erased an 18-point deficit to steal the 79–73 win. ’Cuse fifth-year guard Dyaisha Fair balled TF out, nailing nine three-pointers — a program record — while leading all players with 31 points.

No. 3 Colorado’s big weekend: Looking ahead to the Pac-12 (the other dominant women’s hoops conference), the Buffs’ historic rise faces its toughest test when they host No. 5 UCLA tonight at 8 p.m. ET and No. 6 USC — led by freshman phenom JuJu Watkins — on Sunday at 3 p.m ET. If Colorado emerges unscathed, they’ll be the top team in the Pac-12…and maybe the country, too.

Want to show your support for women in sports? We thought so. And with The GIST’s capsule collection, you can. The pieces are sporty, bold, and playful…just like our GIST community.

Speaking of, this drop truly has something for everyone: Basketball-specific threads for hoops fans, “leveling the playing field” looks if you love making a statement, and tennis tees if you’re looking to, ahem, serve.

But don’t just take our word for it, check it out for yourself. Happy shopping!

The GIST: Strap on that trendy swim cap and sharpen those elbows — women’s water polo hits the pool deck tomorrow. While the men compete in the fall, the gals’ season spans January ’til May, so catch up with our handy primer, then let’s dive in.

The contender: Without a doubt, Stanford is this season’s squad to (egg)beat. Tied with the USC Trojans as the preseason Nos. 1, the Cardinal’s hunting a natty threepeat — and the program’s NCAA-leading 10th title.

The dark horses: Don’t sleep on Hawaii (tied for No. 5 with UC Irvine) or No. 8 Princeton. California schools dominate the sport, but this pair — the only non-Cali schools in the Top 10 — has the best shot at breaking up the Golden State monopoly on national championships.

What to watch: The season starts with a banger called Polo-Palooza. Hosted by No. 9 Fresno State, the two-day tournament features eight ranked squads: the aforementioned Stanford, Hawaii, UC Irvine, plus No. 4 Cal, No. 11 UC Davis, No. 13 Michigan, and No. 18 San Jose State. Check out the schedule and streaming options here — floaties not included.

🤸 Women’s gymnastics: No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks (1-0) vs. No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide (2-0) — Today at 7:30 p.m. ET — SEC Network

• These SEC rivals exploded onto the scene in the season’s opening weeks, with Arkansas especially exceeding preseason expectations. Prep for fireworks and Perfect 10s as athletes pull out all the stops to nab a Top-5 win.

🏐 Men’s volleyball: First Point Collegiate Challenge — Today and tomorrow at various times — FloVolleyball

• Six Top-15 teams, including top-ranked UCLA, will battle in this tourney. Adding to the spice? All but one are undefeated. In other words, there’s tons of high-quality, high-stakes volleyball ahead.

🏀 Men’s basketball: No. 24 Iowa State Cyclones (13-4) vs. No. 19 TCU Horned Frogs (13-4) — Tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET — ESPNU

• The Big 12 is going f**king wild, and these two are major instigators. They each played their part in ruining No. 5 Houston’s season earlier this month, but both suffered losses on Tuesday. Brace yourself for chaos.

🏊 Men’s swimming & diving: No. 1 Arizona State Sun Devils (1-0) vs. No. 3 Cal Bears (0-0) — Tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. ET — Pac12.com

• No need to wait for this summer’s Olympics for elite swimming — two NCAA heavyweights are going head-to-head alongside their No. 19 (ASU) and No. 9 (Cal) women’s teams. Don’t miss Sun Devil sophomore Zalan Sarkany, who crushed his season opener two weeks ago.

Are the winter blues catching up to you? Well, today’s your lucky day because the 305 is calling your name. We want you and a pal to enjoy a three-day, two-night stay at the beautiful Elser Hotel in downtown Miami.

• And that’s not even the best part. We’ll give you two tickets to watch the Boston Celtics take on the Miami Heat in a rematch of last season’s NBA Eastern Conference Finals on January 25th.
• Enter this contest today to start the year with a slam dunk.

Your podcast game. If you need some non-sports recs, check out Apple’s list of the most popular pods from 2023, then get your listening on.

The Wild Pitches series. If you’re a baseball fan and a book lover, this series from Megan Cousins is literally made for you.

Mona Stevens. The German football player is making a name for herself in Europe as an NFL ambassador for flag football. Love to see it.