The Notre Dame women’s basketball team is fighting for history this season, starting ACC play at 12-0, its best start in nine years. On the other hand, the men’s team is fighting to stay out of the cellar, as they enter the week losers of three straight, most recently at home against Virginia Tech.
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
Since returning to 10-10 on Jan. 28, the Fighting Irish have not been able to find an answer when it comes to finishing games. From taking an 11-point lead into the half against Miami and losing to being outscored by nine on your home court against Virginia Tech, it’s time to ask questions.
Those questions will only get louder if they don’t go on the road and take care of business against Boston College, who is also 10-13 on the season. The Eagles, who have won just one of their last nine games, are led by redshirt sophomore guard Donald Hand Jr. who is not afraid to let the ball fly. In this past Saturday’s triple-overtime loss to Syracuse, Hand attempted 14 threes in 51 minutes of action and knocked down five of them, finishing with 28 points and seven rebounds.
Hand, a 6’5” guard, is averaging 16.2 points per game while shooting at a 40.1% clip from the field, while also grabbing 6.6 rebounds per game. It’s going to be crucial not to lose Hand Jr. on the floor, because if he gets any space he is going to shoot the ball, averaging 11.7 field goal attempts per game. The Irish have done a good job this season of stopping opponents on the three-point line, holding the second-best opponent percentage from deep at 31.1%.
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With two top-five shooting teams from deep facing off, senior forward Chad Venning could sneak through the cracks and perform at a high level down low. He’s averaging 12.7 PPG this season on 55.1% shooting and uses his 6’9” frame to block 1.4 shots per game.
They will have a chance to win a big game at home against Louisville on Sunday and try to salvage what remains of this season. The Cardinals, who enter at 18-6 and third in the ACC, have won 11 of their last 12 games.
Led by Wisconsin transfer Chucky Hepburn, the Cardinals are just one game back of first place, trailing Duke and Clemson. Hepburn, a senior guard from Omaha, Nebraska, is averaging 15 PPG while shooting 42.3% from the field while collecting 6.2 assists which is tied for 14th most in the country. He’s averaging 7.7 assists over his last seven games, including a 16-assist performance against SMU on Jan. 21.
Senior guard Terrance Edwards Jr. has been the main piece for the Cardinals over the last month however, averaging 17.6 PPG since Jan. 11, including two 20-point outings in eight games. The James Madison transfer has scored 20 or more points seven times this season, including Louisville’s last game against Miami where he finished with 27 points and 10 assists. Stopping this tandem is what the game will come down to for the Irish, especially from beyond the arc.
While it is a must-win game for the men’s team, the Notre Dame women’s squad has won 15 straight games over the last two months and is now ranked second in the country.
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
They have six games remaining on the schedule, with half of those against ranked opponents. That’s nothing new for the Irish who have won six top-25 matchups this season, including three in the top four. Notre Dame will take on Pittsburgh and number 13 Duke in their next two matchups, with one on the road and the other in Purcell Pavilion.
First on Thursday, the Irish must take care of business on the road against a struggling Pittsburgh Panther team. Despite being ranked 14th in the ACC, they have won their last two games over Boston College and SMU.
The Panthers are led by fifth-year senior forward Khadija Faye, who is in her first season with the team after spending her last four years with Texas Tech and Texas. Faye, who is from Dakar, Senegal, is having a career year, averaging 17.9 PPG in 29.2 minutes per game. Shooting 49.3% from the field, Faye could become a problem for the Irish early, as she’s scored in double figures in each of her last four games, with three double-doubles in that span. She also ranked seventh in the country with 2.7 blocks per game, completing six games with five or more.
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Outside of Faye, no one jumps off the stat sheet entering their matchup with the Irish. Sophomore guard Mikayla Johnson hasn’t put up the shooting numbers to be looked at as a threat, with just 29.9% of her shots falling. The Panthers have dealt with too many injuries this season to be able to give the Irish their best game. However, it will still be important to stay focused and keep Faye at bay.
The big matchup for Notre Dame comes on Monday as they welcome the number 13 team in the country to Purcell Pavilion in the Duke Blue Devils. They enter South Bend with a 19-5 record while going 10-2 in the ACC, keeping them in third place. Unlike Pittsburgh, the Blue Devils are a healthy team with four players averaging nine or more points per game.
Their leading scorer, Toby Fournier, is averaging 13.4 PPG on 54.7% shooting and has scored 20 and 24 points in her last two games respectively. The freshman forward from Toronto has been pivotal for the Blue Devils all season long but has seen a dip in numbers when she plays against ranked opponents. In eight games against top 25 teams this season, Fournier is averaging just 8.6 PPG, and that number drops to 5.3 PPG in true road games.
Her teammate, junior guard Ashlon Jackson, has been a riser in games against ranked opponents this season. In her eight games against ranked opponents, Jackson is averaging 15 points per game, including a 30-point performance against Kansas State back on Nov. 25. Against North Carolina State on Feb. 3, who is ranked second in the ACC and 10th in the country, Jackson finished with 23 points on 8-25 shooting and knocked down six threes.
Despite going 4-4 in ranked matchups this season, with just one win on the road against Georgia Tech on Jan. 26, the Blue Devils have yet to see the Fournier-Jackson duo thrive in these meetings. Which means they’re due for a big performance. While one of the two is certain to perform well, it’ll be crucial for the Irish to ensure that it isn’t both. Teams have proven this season that they can handle one or the other playing well, but usually not both Fournier and Jackson.
It’ll be a matter of taking care of business for both squads the rest of the week. For the men’s team, they will need to light a spark on the road against Boston College. Follow that up with a big win against Louisville, and you have a chance to make a run and make the season look respectable as they are prepared to welcome the best recruiting class in program history.
For the women’s team, go on the road and beat a team you’re supposed to beat, and then take care of business on Monday against the 13th team in the country. A loss to either one of those teams changes everything with how the standings will shape up for the ACC Tournament and opens the window for another team to sneak in.
It’s all about finding a way to pick up wins this weekend, and it starts tonight for the men’s team as they travel to Boston College at 9 p.m.
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