Following a heart-breaking men’s loss to North Carolina on Saturday, the Notre Dame women’s team looks to redeem the Irish as they travel to Chapel Hill for a date with the Tar Heels.
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
It’s a matchup of two top 25 teams with the Tar Heels coming in as the 17th ranked team in college basketball. Despite the lower ranking than the Irish, who sit at number three, the Tar Heels have put together a solid start to their year as they are 13-2 through the first 15 games of the season.
North Carolina is led by its 6’3” senior forward Maria Gakdeng. The Lanham, Maryland native is averaging 11.4 points per game on an impressive 71.4% shooting in her second season with the Heels, while also grabbing 6.4 rebounds per game, and blocking a career-low one shot per game.
Gakdeng missed four games earlier on in the season with a lower body injury but has been impressive since her return. Since coming back on Nov. 29, Gakdeng is averaging 13.9 PPG, and led the Tar Heels to a victory over Kentucky back on Dec. 5, who was ranked 14th at the time.
Alyssa Ustby, who has scored in double figures in three straight games, including double-doubles in her last two, is another name to watch out for if you’re the Irish. She’s coming off one of the best games of her season against Miami where Ustby totaled 19 points on 50% shooting, while also grabbing 13 rebounds, four assists and four steals.
The 6’1” guard is nearly averaging a double-double on the season, scoring 11.3 PPG on 46.6% shooting and grabbing 9.1 RPG. The fifth-year senior is also averaging 1.4 steals per game, which is the lowest that number has been since Ustby joined the Tar Heels back in 2020.
With just two players averaging double figures for North Carolina, they emphasize their defense more than any team in the ACC. They’re 52.7 points per game allowed is the lowest in the ACC by nearly three points, and they also have the second highest turnover margin in the conference as well at 7.4. A solid team that is going to suffocate you on defense is just what Notre Dame needs as they look to win the ACC for the eighth time since 2014.
In order to do that, the Irish are going to need to get their scorers going early, specifically Hannah Hidalgo.
Hidalgo, the second leading scorer in the nation averaging 26 PPG, has scored 24 points or more throughout the entire month of December. During those six games, the Irish knocked off both number four Texas and number two UConn, and won games by an average of 35.5 points per game. In one of the most dominant months a team could possibly have, the Notre Dame offense was its most notable category.
That doesn’t mean Hidalgo isn’t a threat on the defensive side of the ball, because her ability to poke the ball out is up there with her ability to give a team 25 on a regular night. During the month of December, Hidalgo collected 21 steals in six games averaging 3.5 per game, which was lower than her season average of 4.1.
It is clear who the best player in college basketball, men’s or women’s, is and the sophomore guard has plenty of backup on the court.
Olivia Miles has slid in nicely to this team that lost in the Sweet 16 a season ago, a year that she missed due to an ACL injury. She hasn’t missed a step, averaging 16.7 PPG on 55.9% shooting, 6.8 RPG and 7.2 assists. The senior from New Jersey has put up a triple-double in back-to-back games, the first time a player in the ACC has ever done so, giving her three on the season. This feat was good enough to earn Miles ACC Player of the Week for the final week of 2024.
While the three-ball was not all there for Miles in the Irish’s last game against Virginia, shooting 1-7 from deep, she had a great month of three-point shooting in December. She attempted 30 threes in six games and hit 13 of those. North Carolina does have a stout defense, but Miles can still find her way from beyond the arc.
As the Irish have started out their year in the ACC at 2-0, they have their toughest conference matchup of the season against the Tar Heels. It’s setting up to be a gritty matchup between two teams that force a lot of turnovers, however the Notre Dame offense is going to be too quick for the Tar Heels to handle. With a win, the Irish would have four ranked wins already in the month of January, with three of those coming against top four teams.
The dominant Notre Dame season will continue at Noon EST in Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
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