Notre Dame 2023-24 Season (merged)

[Frankus]

Frankus: Syracuse is a specific example of the kind of team that gives the current iteration of Notre Dame trouble.
It's not as if Niele isn't aware of this: that's why she recruited Cass Prosper (out injured) and is after Makenley Randolph, who are those tall, athletic wings that you're referencing.

However, I'll tell you that having an adept, powerful center makes a major difference, particularly with guards like Miles, Hidalgo and Citron feeding her. I don't want to look too far into the future, but if she can give some aspects of Jess Shepard or Ruth Riley, that helps. A lot.

If Randolph does not land Randolph that she'll have to hit the portal to find back-up for Prosper.

Dillon: I know, but if Cass comes back healthy I hope she plays inside more. She had way too much leeway when she played. Until her basketball skills catch up to her athleticism, I hope she fills a rebounding/defense/putback’s role.

I never count on Freshman, as so much is based on potential. I have no idea about Koval, but she looks slow to me right now and will need time to develop imo. I hope I’m wrong. We need abother domnant rebounder now and definitely next year.

We also need another quick guard.

All of my thoughts are based on watching SC and LSU. We’ll be athletic enough to play with that type of balanced team skill in the backcourt next year. I hope we can match them in the front court.

 

[DallasDomer]

Nice touch from Taurasi congratulating Hannah after the game. Stewart either didn't see her or wasn't interested. I still didn't like the 2Q interview but that was the announcers not her.

 

[Dillon77]

Nice touch from Taurasi congratulating Hannah after the game. Stewart either didn't see her or wasn't interested. I still didn't like the 2Q interview but that was the announcers not her.

DT is a disruptive guard who appreciates a fellow instigator.

 

[Dillon77]

In-Depth Article on ND's "Soni" Citron

betting.odds' Marck Schindler provides a long profile on Citron, covering everything from her rise in AAU (yes, Caroline Ducharme factors into it) and how/when she met Olivia Miles to how she was recruited (hard) by Niele Ivey and Michaela Mabrey. And, yes, she and Miles did talk about being a package deal, which you often hear rumors about but rarely see put in action. Ivey, Mabrey, her parents, Miles and teammate (and one of her best friends) Nat Marshall are all interviewed. Ivey still draws parallels with Jackie Young and Citron.

Thanks to bohratom at The Bench for the initial post.

https://www.bettingodds.com/us/news/the-many-layers-of-notre-dame-s-sonia-citron

 

[Dillon77]

Hannah Hidalgo Interviewed by Rebecca Lobo, Andraya Carter on ESPN
...day after the UConn-ND game and she discusses the two-man game she had with Maddy Westbeld, Soni Citron's subtle contributions and what drives her; all while being pretty humble about the whole process.

Notre Dame Athletics | The Fighting Irish

The Official Athletic Site of The Fighting Irish. The most comprehensive coverage of Notre Dame Athletics on the web with highlights, scores, game summaries, and rosters. Powered by WMT Digital.

fightingirish.com

 

[DallasDomer]

ND gets another big game at Louisville on Thursday. Massey has it Louisville by 1.5, Her Hoops has it ND by 1, don't know the Vegas line but they usually go with home team. Looking at the Uconn common oppo nent scores it's ND by 39? I doubt that but I'm optimistic for a solid win.

I don't want to start the Miles/Cochran/Hailey Van Lith injury debate again but I think it will be a motivation for the Irish. There's been a standing fan feud since their coach refused to remember Arike's name and would only say Asia Durr's name. So to the grudge holders like me he is the coach who shall not be named. Plus the Uconn game gave ND a lot of confidence.

The only concern is playing in the Yum center, what a name! It's a tough venue but no worse than Storr's?

 

[cancontent]

ND gets another big game at Louisville on Thursday. Massey has it Louisville by 1.5, Her Hoops has it ND by 1, don't know the Vegas line but they usually go with home team. Looking at the Uconn common oppo nent scores it's ND by 39? I doubt that but I'm optimistic for a solid win.

I don't want to start the Miles/Cochran/Hailey Van Lith injury debate again but I think it will be a motivation for the Irish. There's been a standing fan feud since their coach refused to remember Arike's name and would only say Asia Durr's name. So to the grudge holders like me he is the coach who shall not be named. Plus the Uconn game gave ND a lot of confidence.

The only concern is playing in the Yum center, what a name! It's a tough venue but no worse than Storr's?

Don't bring it up if you don't want to start anything.

 

[DallasDomer]

Don't bring it up if you don't want to start anything.

So you don't think having Olivia Miles knocked out for an entire season won't "be a motivation for the Irish" particularly when Miles is sitting on the bench watching?

That's an awfully strange position to take. Perhaps my statement that "I don't want to start the Miles/Cochran/Hailey Van Lith injury debate again" leads you to think I'm not convinced Olivia would be playing today if not for those two (one of whom is still playing), I just don't want to repeat an argument that already happened. There's enough new stuff to discuss but if you really want to go again that's fine.

 

[cancontent]

So you don't think having Olivia Miles knocked out for an entire season won't "be a motivation for the Irish" particularly when Miles is sitting on the bench watching?

That's an awfully strange position to take. Perhaps my statement that "I don't want to start the Miles/Cochran/Hailey Van Lith injury debate again" leads you to think I'm not convinced Olivia would be playing today if not for those two (one of whom is still playing), I just don't want to repeat an argument that already happened. There's enough new stuff to discuss but if you really want to go again that's fine.

There's a difference in how you're framing it now compared to your previous posts where you pointed the finger at two players and implying there was intent to injure. Several posters disagreed and you bluntly said you didn't want to discuss it anymore.

No one knows what the team's motivation is for this game other than getting a win over a conference rival. If they want to win for Olivia because she's out, that's fine and understandable.

You could have simply framed it as they want to win one for their "Gipper" and left at that. To reference a theory that you have no proof of being true, is more of a sign that you want to bring it up again more than me. Again, if you don't want to discuss it, don't refer to it in the first place.

 

[cancontent]

So you don't think having Olivia Miles knocked out for an entire season won't "be a motivation for the Irish" particularly when Miles is sitting on the bench watching?

That's an awfully strange position to take. Perhaps my statement that "I don't want to start the Miles/Cochran/Hailey Van Lith injury debate again" leads you to think I'm not convinced Olivia would be playing today if not for those two (one of whom is still playing), I just don't want to repeat an argument that already happened. There's enough new stuff to discuss but if you really want to go again that's fine.

There's a difference in how you're framing it now compared to your previous posts where you pointed the finger at two players and implying there was intent to injure. Several posters disagreed and you bluntly said you didn't want to discuss it anymore.

No one knows what the team's motivation is for this game other than getting a win over a conference rival. If they want to win for Olivia because she's out, that's fine and understandable.

You could have simply framed it as they want to win one for their "Gipper" and left at that. To reference a theory that you have no proof of being true, is more of a sign that you want to bring it up again more than me. Again, if you don't want to discuss it, don't refer to it in the first place.

 

[Dillon77]

I'm taking a very, very straight-forward approach on the Notre Dame vs. Lousiville games:

• There's not a lot of love lost between these two teams for various reasons, some of which pre-date Coach Ivey taking over the helm, some of which don't.
• Coach Ivey acknowledged the Irish have a huge February and will endeavor to take on the challenges by taking/playing them one game at a time, which makes a lot of sense. Guess what, Coach Walz's squad also have a big month, so the first of this home and home will be big.
• Here's my take on who is here and who isn't: Olivia Miles was injured in that game last year. In her immediate absence, Sonia Citron delivered one of her greatest games in an Irish uniform, carrying ND to the regular-season title.
• That was then, this is now: Miles is on the sideline until next season; Citron is working her way back from her own knee injury and the Irish are led by the freshman hurricane, Hannah Hidalgo.
• All said, I think Maddy Westbeld -- who is building a strong case as a draft-ready forward -- might be the key to the Irish in both games, from a scoring, rebounding and all-round play.

Should be the usual Irish-Cardinal battle.

p.s. And yes, the "Yum" Center still sounds strange, but that's commercialism.

 

[Frankus]

I'm taking a very, very straight-forward approach on the Notre Dame vs. Lousiville games:

• There's not a lot of love lost between these two teams for various reasons, some of which pre-date Coach Ivey taking over the helm, some of which don't.
• Coach Ivey acknowledged the Irish have a huge February and will endeavor to take on the challenges by taking/playing them one game at a time, which makes a lot of sense. Guess what, Coach Walz's squad also have a big month, so the first of this home and home will be big.
• Here's my take on who is here and who isn't: Olivia Miles was injured in that game last year. In her immediate absence, Sonia Citron delivered one of her greatest games in an Irish uniform, carrying ND to the regular-season title.
• That was then, this is now: Miles is on the sideline until next season; Citron is working her way back from her own knee injury and the Irish are led by the freshman hurricane, Hannah Hidalgo.
• All said, I think Maddy Westbeld -- who is building a strong case as a draft-ready forward -- might be the key to the Irish in both games, from a scoring, rebounding and all-round play.

Should be the usual Irish-Cardinal battle.

p.s. And yes, the "Yum" Center still sounds strange, but that's commercialism.

That’s a tough place to play. I haven’t watched them this year, but Louisville plays hard and is usually very physical. I don’t know about their bigs, but we give up a lot of offensive rebounds. We need all three of Soni, Maddy and Hannah to shoot well.

 

[cancontent]

That’s a tough place to play. I haven’t watched them this year, but Louisville plays hard and is usually very physical. I don’t know about their bigs, but we give up a lot of offensive rebounds. We need all three of Soni, Maddy and Hannah to shoot well.

I think ND has the advantage in this area this season. The transfer and late 2023 recruit Louisville added haven't much impact from what I've seen in their games.

 

[Bone Dog]

I think ND should win big in this one, though the L'ville front court may pose more matchup problems than UConn's did. But Hannah and Soni should have big games.

As for whatever rumor is being spread about 'intentional' injury grudges, it would be easy enough (and tedious enough) to recycle old resentments about KK Bransford shoving Aaliyah into Azzi last year. Perhaps it's best for ND fans to let sleeping dogs lie.

 

[Dillon77]

I think ND has the advantage in this area this season. The transfer and late 2023 recruit Louisville added haven't much impact from what I've seen in their games.

Kiki Jefferson, the 6'1" wing who came over from James Madison, is leading the Cardinals in scoring.
I think she's often on the court as a front-court complement to Post Olivia Cochran. She's got solid two-level talent (OK three-pt. shooter), but transfers Sydney Taylor and Jayda Curry will bomb away from three-pt land. ND knows both from prior years when they were at UMass and Cal, respectively.

I can see ND switching man-to-man and 2-3 zones. Could see Soni Citron on Jefferson, but if Jefferson has to match up on Maddy Westbeld on defense, that will be an Irish +.

Taylor and her UMass guards had a hard time with Dara Mabrey and Soni in the NCAA's. I can only imagine what she'll think of Hidalgo.

 

[DallasDomer]

Kiki Jefferson, the 6'1" wing who came over from James Madison, is leading the Cardinals in scoring.
I think she's often on the court as a front-court complement to Post Olivia Cochran. She's got solid two-level talent (OK three-pt. shooter), but transfers Sydney Taylor and Jayda Curry will bomb away from three-pt land. ND knows both from prior years when they were at UMass and Cal, respectively.

I can see ND switching man-to-man and 2-3 zones. Could see Soni Citron on Jefferson, but if Jefferson has to match up on Maddy Westbeld on defense, that will be an Irish +.

Taylor and her UMass guards had a hard time with Dara Mabrey and Soni in the NCAA's. I can only imagine what she'll think of Hidalgo.

All good points and if Louisville plays like they did against NC State it will be an enjoyable game for ND fans.

Cochran will get her 10 points and 8 rebounds but she can be managed by the defensive schemes you mentioned and Westbeld. Their 3 point shooting frequency isn't all that high so if someone, maybe Curry, gets hot from 3 then ND will have to adjust schemes or personnel. DeWolfe's minutes will get reduced to manage her defense just as was done against Uconn.

Citron will do her usual outstanding defensive job, add Hidalgo's speed and steals will control their guards. Lastly IMO coach Ivey & staff will out coach the other guy.

I do think Louisville will try to take advantage of the temper Hidalgo showed in the Pitt game. Again coaching will prepare her for it and Yum Center. The Yum usually has big crowds for ND & Kentucky, they had 11,000 for UK but it was a weekend. If they can get that many on a Thursday I still don't think it's an issue for a team who won in Storrs. I hope it's a well played injury free game without the referee issues the ACC is infamous for.

Apologies for the length.

 

[Frankus]

Another bad mathchup game for Notre Dame, where a faster, more agressive team speeded up Westbeld, Citron and DeWolfe’s games, which resulted in rushed missed shots and poor decisions. The problem being that the ACC, SEC and PAC have lots of these teams.

Miles will help next year, but ND has got to bring in a couple of athletic players if they’re going to have a shot at being elite.

LVille dared Bransford to shoot wide open 12 footers, knowing she can’t shoot. Ivey really has no moves to make. Other than HH, she doesn’t have the athletes.

Thankfully , Hidalgo kept us in the game and will keep us in all these games, but she’s the only elite player by a wide margin. She’s an amazing talent, but her supporting cast is weak.

 

[Dillon77]

Another bad mathchup game for Notre Dame, where a faster, more agressive team speeded up Westbeld, Citron and DeWolfe’s games, which resulted in rushed missed shots and poor decisions. The problem being that the ACC, SEC and PAC have lots of these teams.

Miles will help next year, but ND has got to bring in a couple of athletic players if they’re going to have a shot at being elite.

LVille dared Bransford to shoot wide open 12 footers, knowing she can’t shoot. Ivey really has no moves to make. Other than HH, she doesn’t have the athletes.

Thankfully , Hidalgo kept us in the game and will keep us in all these games, but she’s the only elite player by a wide margin. She’s an amazing talent, but her supporting cast is weak.

I'll agree with you on:
- Bad Matchup for ND. The Irish have had trouble with Oliva Cochran since she's arrived, with the only person who favorably matched up with her being Maya Dodson, who -- of course -- is tall, athletic and aggressive.
This was made even worse by the fact that -- save for Cochran -- this is virtually a different team than last year. You could see Soni pondering what this player would do and probably thinking, "hell, at least I knew what Van Lith would do. And she wasn't tall enough to make those skip passes down low."

- If you were in Romper Room (the in-game thread for The Bench) last night, you would've seen me wondering what's going on with KK Bradford. As a frosh last year, Bradford did exhibit aggressiveness (some UConn fans might say too much), and a knowledge of what her game was. In a way, she was like a more robust version of Anaya Peoples.
I know if that pre- and early-season injury has affected her play, but now she's moved outside, appears out of sorts on defense and is taking mid- to long jumpers that have no chance of going in.

Many people felt Anna DeWolfe was overmatched last night and wanted Bradford in. Coach Ivey tried this on several occasions but Bradford wasn't up to the task so Ivey went back to DeWolfe. Like you say, not many options.

- Need a few more athletic, aggressive players. One is sitting on the bench in Cass Prosper, and one possibility was allegedly in the stands last night: MaKenley Randloph, who has yet to make up her mind on where to play next year.
There's a need at ND, but a system that is built on players like her at Louisville.

And, a gentle push back:

- Don't think for a second that Sonia Citron is not athletic. The young woman was an all-state soccer player in addition to her basketball skills. She can get up and down the court, score at all three levels, rebound and play defense. Did she have an god-awful shooting night and unusually looked tentative turning the corner on drives to the hoop?

- Ditto for Miles when she comes back...another superb soccer player.

Still, accept your point that ND needs to balance out technically skilled players who are good athletes with great athletes who can do a lot of positive things in certain areas (and be taught the others....).

Until then, some game planning to help free up Westbeld and Citron is needed. FSU next.

 

[KY Card Fan]

Hidalgo is an amazing player. I have seen her on TV a few times but watching her in person last night from mid-court...wow! Her defensive instincts are off the charts and she pretty much took over the game late with her ability to get dribble penetration and knock down shots. She's a joy to watch.

 

[Reypl21]

Niele's offense is just not great. She needs all five players to have an altheticism advantage, but all she has is Hidalgo. Westbeld and Citron were smothered, and no plays are ran for them. ND's offense is so basic when they run one, but last night they hardly ran one. Louisville let Hannah get hers and stayed down on the others. Watson and DeWolfe aren't going to cut it against ACC competition. Still with all of that, the game was still close. Hannah is a superstar. I'm sure she would have liked to trade some points for more assists, but that's how Louisville was playing defense.

 

[Dillon77]

Niele's offense is just not great. She needs all five players to have an altheticism advantage, but all she has is Hidalgo. Westbeld and Citron were smothered, and no plays are ran for them. ND's offense is so basic when they run one, but last night they hardly ran one. Louisville let Hannah get hers and stayed down on the others. Watson and DeWolfe aren't going to cut it against ACC competition. Still with all of that, the game was still close. Hannah is a superstar. I'm sure she would have liked to trade some points for more assists, but that's how Louisville was playing defense.

- I knew the Irish were in trouble when Citron stopped making her patented back-door cuts. However, that's not all on Hidalgo: Citron was having an off night and the defenders were almost giving Hidalgo the lane thinking Cochran would stop her (she didn't, but Louisville hung on...).

- Said this before, but don't for a second think Citron or Miles aren't athletic. They were both P5 soccer prospects.
Atheticism is just not fast, rugged players hitting the boards: Citron had 7 rebounds and was leading breaks. Her major issue last night was not driving the lane and drawing fouls, which she can do against anyone.

 

[Dillon77]

Hidalgo is an amazing player. I have seen her on TV a few times but watching her in person last night from mid-court...wow! Her defensive instincts are off the charts and she pretty much took over the game late with her ability to get dribble penetration and knock down shots. She's a joy to watch.

Yes, I felt the same way when I saw her have 12 steals at NJIT. Yes, that's a mid-major, but still...12 steals?
You didn't hear this but Lobo advised the Louisville team on an out of bounds play: throw it where Hidalgo isn't.
That didn't seem to work, either.

 

[Reypl21]

- I knew the Irish were in trouble when Citron stopped making her patented back-door cuts. However, that's not all on Hidalgo: Citron was having an off night and the defenders were almost giving Hidalgo the lane thinking Cochran would stop her (she didn't, but Louisville hung on...).

- Said this before, but don't for a second think Citron or Miles aren't athletic. They were both P5 soccer prospects.
Atheticism is just not fast, rugged players hitting the boards: Citron had 7 rebounds and was leading breaks. Her major issue last night was not driving the lane and drawing fouls, which she can do against anyone.

Citron, Miles, and Prosper are all amazing athletes. But there are teams that can match us and make us play in the half court. And then what? When we play good defensive teams our offense is stagnant and turns into one on one. Watch the NC St-VT game and watch some half court offenses, or heck just watch Louisville last night.

 

[Frankus]

I'll agree with you on:
- Bad Matchup for ND. The Irish have had trouble with Oliva Cochran since she's arrived, with the only person who favorably matched up with her being Maya Dodson, who -- of course -- is tall, athletic and aggressive.
This was made even worse by the fact that -- save for Cochran -- this is virtually a different team than last year. You could see Soni pondering what this player would do and probably thinking, "hell, at least I knew what Van Lith would do. And she wasn't tall enough to make those skip passes down low."

- If you were in Romper Room (the in-game thread for The Bench) last night, you would've seen me wondering what's going on with KK Bradford. As a frosh last year, Bradford did exhibit aggressiveness (some UConn fans might say too much), and a knowledge of what her game was. In a way, she was like a more robust version of Anaya Peoples.
I know if that pre- and early-season injury has affected her play, but now she's moved outside, appears out of sorts on defense and is taking mid- to long jumpers that have no chance of going in.

Many people felt Anna DeWolfe was overmatched last night and wanted Bradford in. Coach Ivey tried this on several occasions but Bradford wasn't up to the task so Ivey went back to DeWolfe. Like you say, not many options.

- Need a few more athletic, aggressive players. One is sitting on the bench in Cass Prosper, and one possibility was allegedly in the stands last night: MaKenley Randloph, who has yet to make up her mind on where to play next year.
There's a need at ND, but a system that is built on players like her at Louisville.

And, a gentle push back:

- Don't think for a second that Sonia Citron is not athletic. The young woman was an all-state soccer player in addition to her basketball skills. She can get up and down the court, score at all three levels, rebound and play defense. Did she have an god-awful shooting night and unusually looked tentative turning the corner on drives to the hoop?

- Ditto for Miles when she comes back...another superb soccer player.

Still, accept your point that ND needs to balance out technically skilled players who are good athletes with great athletes who can do a lot of positive things in certain areas (and be taught the others....).

Until then, some game planning to help free up Westbeld and Citron is needed. FSU next.

I'll agree with you on:
- Bad Matchup for ND. The Irish have had trouble with Oliva Cochran since she's arrived, with the only person who favorably matched up with her being Maya Dodson, who -- of course -- is tall, athletic and aggressive.
This was made even worse by the fact that -- save for Cochran -- this is virtually a different team than last year. You could see Soni pondering what this player would do and probably thinking, "hell, at least I knew what Van Lith would do. And she wasn't tall enough to make those skip passes down low."

- If you were in Romper Room (the in-game thread for The Bench) last night, you would've seen me wondering what's going on with KK Bradford. As a frosh last year, Bradford did exhibit aggressiveness (some UConn fans might say too much), and a knowledge of what her game was. In a way, she was like a more robust version of Anaya Peoples.
I know if that pre- and early-season injury has affected her play, but now she's moved outside, appears out of sorts on defense and is taking mid- to long jumpers that have no chance of going in.

Many people felt Anna DeWolfe was overmatched last night and wanted Bradford in. Coach Ivey tried this on several occasions but Bradford wasn't up to the task so Ivey went back to DeWolfe. Like you say, not many options.

- Need a few more athletic, aggressive players. One is sitting on the bench in Cass Prosper, and one possibility was allegedly in the stands last night: MaKenley Randloph, who has yet to make up her mind on where to play next year.
There's a need at ND, but a system that is built on players like her at Louisville.

And, a gentle push back:

- Don't think for a second that Sonia Citron is not athletic. The young woman was an all-state soccer player in addition to her basketball skills. She can get up and down the court, score at all three levels, rebound and play defense. Did she have an god-awful shooting night and unusually looked tentative turning the corner on drives to the hoop?

- Ditto for Miles when she comes back...another superb soccer player.

Still, accept your point that ND needs to balance out technically skilled players who are good athletes with great athletes who can do a lot of positive things in certain areas (and be taught the others....).

Until then, some game planning to help free up Westbeld and Citron is needed. FSU next.

Thanks for your thoughts.

A gentle pushback. Soni and Miles may have both been soccer players, but OM is much more athletic. You could see Soni wanted to take people off the dribble last night, but she was stymied by their athleticism.

She and Westbeld and DeWolfe MUST hit wide open shots for this team to compete with the best teams. People are complaining about the offense, but there were plenty of open shots to be had from this offense, we just didn’t knock them down. Watson, Westbeld, Citron and Watson are seasoned vets. I hoped for a better performance from that group, but it was not meant to be. It feels like this is who we are. I hope I’m wrong.

 

[Frankus]

Niele's offense is just not great. She needs all five players to have an altheticism advantage, but all she has is Hidalgo. Westbeld and Citron were smothered, and no plays are ran for them. ND's offense is so basic when they run one, but last night they hardly ran one. Louisville let Hannah get hers and stayed down on the others. Watson and DeWolfe aren't going to cut it against ACC competition. Still with all of that, the game was still close. Hannah is a superstar. I'm sure she would have liked to trade some points for more assists, but that's how Louisville was playing defense.

I disagree. Westbeld, Citron and DeWolfe all had numerous wide open shots that they missed. Hell, Ivey designed a perfect shot at the end out of the last timeout and Westbeld air balled it. We have one of the best guards in wbb. Thankfully, after so many wide open missed shots, she could take over the game. Had she not, this would have been an ugly loss due to the poor shooting of veteran players.

 

[cancontent]

Thanks for your thoughts.

A gentle pushback. Soni and Miles may have both been soccer players, but OM is much more athletic. You could see Soni wanted to take people off the dribble last night, but she was stymied by their athleticism.

She and Westbeld and DeWolfe MUST hit wide open shots for this team to compete with the best teams. People are complaining about the offense, but there were plenty of open shots to be had from this offense, we just didn’t knock them down. Watson, Westbeld, Citron and Watson are seasoned vets. I hoped for a better performance from that group, but it was not meant to be. It feels like this is who we are. I hope I’m wrong.

Citron is also dealing with a knee issue that will linger for the balance of the season. Some games, she'll look fine, others not so much. She had no issues dealing with an athletic Louisville team last season while fully healthy.

 

[Frankus]

A gritty Soni Citron came up big in this game. She kept us in the game when we needed her most, despite being banged up.

It was another ACC mismatch of athleticism though. If FSU hadn’t turned the ball over so many times this would’ve been another loss. The better teams don’t, and as they dominate the paint, we lose.

Nielle has a big decision to make off-season regarding Watson and Marshall. Going inside to both is a black hole, as both struggle immensely to get shots off and neither are offensive rebounders or intimidators at the rim defensively. I assume both will have their degrees. If Ivey stands Pat and Koval isn’t ready, we’ve got the same problem inside, which is a huge part of why we’re a mid tier ACC team.

A win’s a win, but our weakness is obvious.

I also think Bransford has to slim down, work on her quickness and become a mid range player/slasher. She can’t compete inside either. She’s a bit of a project imo.

On a somewhat off night for HH, Maddy and Anna hit crucial shots and competed hard. It’s going to be interesting to see if Nielle brings in another guard to replace Anna.

Prosper is still on the bench. She was treated like a potential scorer from anywhere before her injury, but I hope Nielle assigns her a role as an inside defender, rebounder, scorer when she comes back. We desperately need athletic help in the paint.

 

[CONNCAN]

A gritty Soni Citron came up big in this game. She kept us in the game when we needed her most, despite being banged up.

It was another ACC mismatch of athleticism though. If FSU hadn’t turned the ball over so many times this would’ve been another loss. The better teams don’t, and as they dominate the paint, we lose.

Nielle has a big decision to make off-season regarding Watson and Marshall. Going inside to both is a black hole, as both struggle immensely to get shots off and neither are offensive rebounders or intimidators at the rim defensively. I assume both will have their degrees. If Ivey stands Pat and Koval isn’t ready, we’ve got the same problem inside, which is a huge part of why we’re a mid tier ACC team.

A win’s a win, but our weakness is obvious.

I also think Bransford has to slim down, work on her quickness and become a mid range player/slasher. She can’t compete inside either. She’s a bit of a project imo.

On a somewhat off night for HH, Maddy and Anna hit crucial shots and competed hard. It’s going to be interesting to see if Nielle brings in another guard to replace Anna.

Prosper is still on the bench. She was treated like a potential scorer from anywhere before her injury, but I hope Nielle assigns her a role as an inside defender, rebounder, scorer when she comes back. We desperately need athletic help in the paint.

Don't be surprised if Katie Koval has a HUGE impact on ND during her Freshman Season. Playing on a Nationally Renkown HS Team, along with her Club and National Team exposure will more than prepare her for her Freshman Season at Notre Dame

 

[Reypl21]

A gritty Soni Citron came up big in this game. She kept us in the game when we needed her most, despite being banged up.

It was another ACC mismatch of athleticism though. If FSU hadn’t turned the ball over so many times this would’ve been another loss. The better teams don’t, and as they dominate the paint, we lose.

Nielle has a big decision to make off-season regarding Watson and Marshall. Going inside to both is a black hole, as both struggle immensely to get shots off and neither are offensive rebounders or intimidators at the rim defensively. I assume both will have their degrees. If Ivey stands Pat and Koval isn’t ready, we’ve got the same problem inside, which is a huge part of why we’re a mid tier ACC team.

A win’s a win, but our weakness is obvious.

I also think Bransford has to slim down, work on her quickness and become a mid range player/slasher. She can’t compete inside either. She’s a bit of a project imo.

On a somewhat off night for HH, Maddy and Anna hit crucial shots and competed hard. It’s going to be interesting to see if Nielle brings in another guard to replace Anna.

Prosper is still on the bench. She was treated like a potential scorer from anywhere before her injury, but I hope Nielle assigns her a role as an inside defender, rebounder, scorer when she comes back. We desperately need athletic help in the paint.

I agree with everything you posted. A win is a win, but there are still concerns. Watson had 5 attempts and it seemed like all of her misses were swatted. More attempts isn't the answer, instead it just shows how limited her game is. She can only score close to the basket and gets dominated in matchups against quality posts. Next season, if Watson comes back she needs to be the 4th or 5th big in rotation. I would put Marshall ahead or her. Watching the South Carolina bigs made me so envious. Watkins could play great on ball defense, help defense, rebound, and even make some mid range jumpers. Kitts very similar, just less athletic. Those type of players have been eating ND alive. I hope we get a couple in the transfer portal.

Hannah had 25 shot attempts and 14 fts, so maybe like 32 shots? Some of her shots are so contested or difficult, there's no way ND couldn't have gotten a better shot. Citron had a poor shooting game, but played big in the second OT. I don't think Niele is doing her any favors with getting her shots. The offense for Citron was set a pick for her, and then she had to make a tough shot or drive into traffic and make a contested layup. She can make tough shots, but maybe we could set an off ball pick? Again, South Carolina was setting off ball picks for Pao Pao.

The end of game shots we got off were horrendous. Hannah gets a screen to go against the best shot blocker in the ACC and try and make a tough shot. We got really lucky we got to win the game with free throws because we couldn't execute a play.

I think Prosper would greatly help with the athleticism and rebounding, but honestly of she can't be 100% this year... I hope she redshirts. It'll put her back with her original 2023 class, and give her time to heal completely. She played on two national teams, our overseas trip, and with the Canadian national team over the summer. With that, we have our 7 players. I think a sweet sixteen would be the peak for this team.

 

[Dillon77]

Hannah Hidalgo finished the Florida State game with 5 steals to give her 118 for the season thus far. That is now the Notre Dame program’s single-season record, a mark which was previously 114 and held by Skylar Diggins, who was a senior when she set her record.. And, of course, worth noting, it's only Feb. 12, so that amount is going to continue inching upwards.

Congratulations HH!!