Notre Dame 2024-25 Season

[DallasDomer]

I find it ironic that Achonwa is going to be on the opposite side as a coach in her first season. What a way to start her new career.

And we'll have Canadian Olympic team mates facing off against each other in Prosper and Swords. Interesting side story to the game.

Achonwa's injury (one of a seemingly infinite number so ACL tears) in the 2014 elite eight against Baylor was crippling to the Irish. They still went on to beat Maryland 87- 61 only to lose to UConn in the finals or perhaps I should say they lost to Breanna Stewart. ND finished 37-1. This was the first year in the ACC. (Apologies for the history lecture.)

She likely coaches "bigs" but since Michigan starts 6'3" Hobbs and the rest smaller they have a similar lineup to ND until Koval and Karlen come in, who played 25 & 22 minutes vs Grabovskaia with 7. Michigan had a closer game and had to play their starters longer but I doubt fatigue will be an issue after one game.

I'm sure she will do her best for her current team and I hope Coach Ivey can get her on the ND staff in the future.

 

[cancontent]

Achonwa's injury (one of a seemingly infinite number so ACL tears) in the 2014 elite eight against Baylor was crippling to the Irish. They still went on to beat Maryland 87- 61 only to lose to UConn in the finals or perhaps I should say they lost to Breanna Stewart. ND finished 37-1. This was the first year in the ACC. (Apologies for the history lecture.)

She likely coaches "bigs" but since Michigan starts 6'3" Hobbs and the rest smaller they have a similar lineup to ND until Koval and Karlen come in, who played 25 & 22 minutes vs Grabovskaia with 7. Michigan had a closer game and had to play their starters longer but I doubt fatigue will be an issue after one game.

I'm sure she will do her best for her current team and I hope Coach Ivey can get her on the ND staff in the future.

Michigan doesn't have any true post depth. Grabovskaia struggles and hasn't played significant minutes as we saw yesterday. They'll likely continue to play the way they do regardless of Koval and Karlen being on the court. They've been doing it all season regardless of the team they face.

 

[Dillon77]

Some Sat. A.M. Quick Hitters:

• Michigan's five starters scored all of their points against Iowa State. As @cancontent noted, there's little (post) depth there, consider Barnes Arrico was down to 4 players last spring. Kind of amazing they're here. Don't know what's going on regarding retention, but she can coach who's present.
• Iowa State has Crooks, who will keep them in any game offensively. But she just can't move in the center of that 2-3 zone and the wing forwards get caught insider trying to cheat. As a result, Michigan (finally) started finding the open slots.

By contrast, ND will have a defensive presence. Koval played active defense yesterday and can clog the middle and Karlen looked like she was shot out of a cannon all game. Whew!

• When Miles was taking a breather (even before the ankle sprain), I felt like a return to last season with Hannah Hidalgo and Sonia Citron taking turns running the half court and Maddy Westbeld -- not Liatu King -- receiving the inbound pass by the elbow. Result: swish, swish, pass. Paydirt. The three have innate chemistry.
• That's not to put down King, who played loose without the mask on. I just think keeping Westbeld at the key makes better use of her talents and vision.
• Citron was edgier than usual yesterday. I liked it.

(If Steph White is probably upset about any one thing the Fever did, it was giving up their draft pick for a chance to get Citron for the Fever. White adores Citron's game and Clark/Citron play together very well.)

 

[Frankus]

"On to Michigan! I expect a very big crowd. The student's came out today better than any other game, and more people will be off work Sunday."

As strong as the rivalry is between ND and the skunkbears, aka wolverines, Purcell had better be full!
The recap says the attendance was 7452 but it looked like more on tv. Were there that many open seats?
As badly as Miles was limping I am concerned that she won't be 100% but if Hidalgo or Citron or even Prosper have to take the point I still expect ND to win by 10. Prosper played well and stayed under control very well against SFA.
Koval played very well defensively and given the lack of size Michigan has I think she will again. She still needs to get better control of her close in layups. The two I expect to see dominate are Hidalgo with her steals and drives, and Westbeld with her shooting skills.

Yes, there were more open seats than usual, but it was during a work day. Very rare.

 

[Frankus]

Achonwa's injury (one of a seemingly infinite number so ACL tears) in the 2014 elite eight against Baylor was crippling to the Irish. They still went on to beat Maryland 87- 61 only to lose to UConn in the finals or perhaps I should say they lost to Breanna Stewart. ND finished 37-1. This was the first year in the ACC. (Apologies for the history lecture.)

She likely coaches "bigs" but since Michigan starts 6'3" Hobbs and the rest smaller they have a similar lineup to ND until Koval and Karlen come in, who played 25 & 22 minutes vs Grabovskaia with 7. Michigan had a closer game and had to play their starters longer but I doubt fatigue will be an issue after one game.

I'm sure she will do her best for her current team and I hope Coach Ivey can get her on the ND staff in the future.

Hobbs was really gassed in the second half with all the energy she had to put out trying to keep Crooks from getting better inside position. I really admired how tough she played, even as I felt she was at the threshold of her conditioning.

 

[DallasDomer]

Yes, there were more open seats than usual, but it was during a work day. Very rare.

Just saw this post confirming Sunday is a sellout!

https://x.com/ndwbb/status/1903530028538720682

 

[DallasDomer]

Just saw this post confirming Sunday is a sellout!

https://x.com/ndwbb/status/1903530028538720682

I guess the sellout was at a good time. Whenever ND puts the hurt on UM it's worth the ticket price.

 

[Frankus]

Thoughts about Michigan:

Sonia, Hannah and particularly Liatu showed up big with their superior talent against an overmatched Michigan squad. Liatu looks like the Liatu in the early season big wins now that she's playing without a face mask.

Our entire defense looked great, hustling and swarming, except early in the 2nd quarter when we allowed a lot of layups, mostly to Lucy Olson.

BTW: Olsen is often paired with Strong as a super freshman duo, but Olsen looks and plays like a much bigger, stronger athlete. She's a handful when driving to the basket.

We were best when we moved the ball, and used our quickness to get easy matchups. We also ran well in the first half and were smart and efficient in our fast break. We were so so with our YMCA half court ball, Hannah playing the best, but whenever we go to that double pick option for Olivia or Hannah at the elbow, you know one other other is going YMCA.

A gimpy Olivia played well with more assists than rebounds. She had some great passes inside for layups to Liza and Liatu, and some WNBA type passes that even Hannah couldn't convert, because they required a bang bang execution. She's going to be a great WNBA point guard.

It's hard to believe that neither Kate or Liza can throw accurate high low passes, but they both didn't come near passing accurately, which caused successive turnovers. It's too late to think that's going to change, and let's face it, we don't have a NC type 5. We're going to have to win it without one. I'd be more optimistic if Maddy could neutralize it with 3-point shooting, but we're in miracle territory thinking she can start shooting 3 point shots accurately. There comes a time when either a player or a coach recognizes limitations, and puts restriction on what shots are acceptable and which are not, and how a player can help the team in other ways. That's where we are with Maddy imo.

On the bright side we have 4 elite players in Sonia, Hannah, Olivia and Liatu and all of Cass, Liza, Maddy and Kate hustle defensively. Let's hope our 4 true stars play like today for four more games.

On to the Sweet 16!

 

[DallasDomer]

Thoughts about Michigan:

Sonia, Hannah and particularly Liatu showed up big with their superior talent against an overmatched Michigan squad. Liatu looks like the Liatu in the early season big wins now that she's playing without a face mask.

Our entire defense looked great, hustling and swarming, except early in the 3rd quarter when we allowed a lot of layups, mostly to Lucy Olson.

BTW: Olsen is often paired with Strong as a super freshman duo, but Olsen looks and plays like a much bigger, stronger athlete. She's a handful when driving to the basket.

We were best when we moved the ball, and used our quickness to get easy matchups. We also ran well in the first half and we're smart and efficient in our fast break. We were so so with our YMCA half court ball, Hannah playing the best, but whenever we go to that double pick option for Olivia or Hannah at the elbow, you know one other other is going YMCA.

A gimpy Olivia played well with more assists than rebounds. She had some great passes inside for layups to Liza and Liatu, and some WNBA type passes that even Hannah couldn't convert, because they required a bang bang execution. She's going to be a great WNBA point guard.

It's hard to believe that neither Kate or Liza can throw accurate high low passes, but they both didn't come near passing accurately, which caused successive turnovers. It's too late to think that's going to change, and let's face it, we don't have a NC type 5. We're going to have to win it without one. I'd be more optimistic if Maddy could neutralize it with 3-point shooting, but we're in miracle territory thinking she can start shooting 3 point shots accurately. There comes a time when either a player or a coach recognizes limitations, and puts restriction on what shots are acceptable and which are not, and how a player can help the team in other ways. That's where we are with Maddy imo.

On the bright side we have 4 elite players in Sonia, Hannah, Olivia and Liatu and all of Cass, Liza, Maddy and Kate hustle defensively. Let's hope our 4 true stars play like today for four more games.

On to the Sweet 16!

Just need to reinforce King, she was 7-7 FG & 4-4 FT!!!

On the lob entry passes imo it's never to late to learn to put more arc in the passes. I think the are tense which is flattening or making it go long.

On Westbeld she seems to have one good shooting game, 5-7 vs SFA, and one bad, 1-9 today. If my unverified logic holds she will shoot well vs TCU/L.

 

[Frankus]

Just need to reinforce King, she was 7-7 FG & 4-4 FT!!!

On the lob entry passes imo it's never to late to learn to put more arc in the passes. I think the are tense which is flattening or making it go long.

On Westbeld she seems to have one good shooting game, 5-7 vs SFA, and one bad, 1-9 today. If my unverified logic holds she will shoot well vs TCU/L.

I'm talking about 3 point shooting. She shoots much better within 10 feet off dribble drives, on short fade aways and layups.

She's 2-19 (10%) from 3 point range in her last 8 games.

I'm sure it's excruciating for her, and I feel bad for her, but now we're in "every possession counts" territory. On 2 point shots, she's 18-38 (47%) in her last 8 games.

I'd prefer that she play like Liatu, who stays within the 3 point line. There's got to be a way to get both Maddy and Liatu high percentage shots. We have three more accurate 3-point shooters who can keep the floor spread.

 

[Dillon77]

@Frankus @DallasDomer

- This game was pretty much done after the first quarter, when ND sprinted to a 32-12 lead; the most they've scored since the first quarter of a second-round game at Oklahoma, when the Irish exploded for 35 points (vs. 12) vs. the Sooners. Michigan had one good counter-run when it mattered, but the Irish went on a 3rd quarter run and that was it.

- Geez, Frankus, have you been eating some bad hot dogs at the Joyce to get you in a sour mood? Yes, Liza Karlen and Kate Koval both threw ill-advised entry passes on their initial feeds, but -- as @DallasDomer pointed out -- that could've been nerves. Fact is, the passes never should've been thrown. Could be nerves, could be a case Michigan closing down the pass. I've seen both K's make good passes throughout the year. Are they up to the level of our backcourt at this juncture? No, but I put as much of that on the troubles the coaching staff encountered trying to bring them all up to speed at different times throughout the season.

That said, the main need they'll fill is trying to use all 15 fouls against Sedona Prince and, if they move on, probably the UT frontcourt.
Koval, of course, will get her chance to play major minutes all next season and I think you won't be deriding her play as much at this time in 2026. I'll buy you a good hot dog if she isn't.

- Fully expected Liatu King to have a good game today and she had a great one. Michigan really has no inside presence and that's made to order for a player like King, who can find openings and then just out-quick-jump most guards.

- Another conundrum that has been created this year is to find the right spacing for King and Westbeld. I've settled on that the best Irish fans will get is what we saw this weekend. Against Stephen Austin, Westbeld and Karlen got to play in and around the elbow and at the "45." As a result, you saw Westbeld scorching the jumper. At this juncture, will just have to see what the match-up is.

- You're right about Olson: she's built stronger than I expected. She kept going right; in part because she could physically keep the straight line. Has a Sydney Parrish build, but better offensive skill set. I understand why Ivey/Mabrey were after her...she'd fit right into the "3" slot.

On the other hand, Syla Swords is a bit slighter than I expected, but technically proficient. Her younger sister -- who has visited ND -- is a bit taller and stronger-built. Savvy has visited ND but I'm sure has been to Michigan, as well.

- Good to have the week off so Miles/training staff can work on 'Liv's ankle.

Don't know about you two, but I feel like Hidalgo and Citron are playing in the same kind of sync that they were at their best last season.
Citron strikes early and then Hidalgo, when the other team is a bit tired, attacks, attacks, attacks.

 

[Frankus]

@Frankus @DallasDomer

- This game was pretty much done after the first quarter, when ND sprinted to a 32-12 lead; the most they've scored since the first quarter of a second-round game at Oklahoma, when the Irish exploded for 35 points (vs. 12) vs. the Sooners. Michigan had one good counter-run when it mattered, but the Irish went on a 3rd quarter run and that was it.

- Geez, Frankus, have you been eating some bad hot dogs at the Joyce to get you in a sour mood? Yes, Liza Karlen and Kate Koval both threw ill-advised entry passes on their initial feeds, but -- as @DallasDomer pointed out -- that could've been nerves. Fact is, the passes never should've been thrown. Could be nerves, could be a case Michigan closing down the pass. I've seen both K's make good passes throughout the year. Are they up to the level of our backcourt at this juncture? No, but I put as much of that on the troubles the coaching staff encountered trying to bring them all up to speed at different times throughout the season.

That said, the main need they'll fill is trying to use all 15 fouls against Sedona Prince and, if they move on, probably the UT frontcourt.
Koval, of course, will get her chance to play major minutes all next season and I think you won't be deriding her play as much at this time in 2026. I'll buy you a good hot dog if she isn't.

- Fully expected Liatu King to have a good game today and she had a great one. Michigan really has no inside presence and that's made to order for a player like King, who can find openings and then just out-quick-jump most guards.

- Another conundrum that has been created this year is to find the right spacing for King and Westbeld. I've settled on that the best Irish fans will get is what we saw this weekend. Against Stephen Austin, Westbeld and Karlen got to play in and around the elbow and at the "45." As a result, you saw Westbeld scorching the jumper. At this juncture, will just have to see what the match-up is.

- You're right about Olson: she's built stronger than I expected. She kept going right; in part because she could physically keep the straight line. Has a Sydney Parrish build, but better offensive skill set. I understand why Ivey/Mabrey were after her...she'd fit right into the "3" slot.

On the other hand, Syla Swords is a bit slighter than I expected, but technically proficient. Her younger sister -- who has visited ND -- is a bit taller and stronger-built. Savvy has visited ND but I'm sure has been to Michigan, as well.

- Good to have the week off so Miles/training staff can work on 'Liv's ankle.

Don't know about you two, but I feel like Hidalgo and Citron are playing in the same kind of sync that they were at their best last season.
Citron strikes early and then Hidalgo, when the other team is a bit tired, attacks, attacks, attacks.

@Dillon77

My explanation is that they probably don't practice it at full speed in scrimmaging much. We had a sizeable height advantage, but in both cases the ball wasn't nearly catchable. The little things count, but its not going to matter much in the next two games, where we're playing bigs who won't be fronting our bigs.

Here's what I'd like to see against TCU

Put Hannah on Van Lith. Hailey Van Lith took control of our first game, because she was too quick for Sonia. We can't have Hailey Van Lith controlling the offense and dishing. I'd put HH on her and not switch.

Double Prince on inlet passes. The TCU passer that throws it into Prince crosses to the opposite side, baseline. I'd have the player guarding her double Prince, and risk that the crosser beats us with a pass from Prince and a long baseline jump shots. I believe the long, baseline jumper is the hardest shot to consistently hit in basketball.

If necessary, press. TCU's offense requires time and a lot of passing to work efficiently. Pressing will disrupt that flow and give them less time to execute. We are overall more athletic. Take it to them.

 

[DallasDomer]

@Dillon77

My explanation is that they probably don't practice it at full speed in scrimmaging much. We had a sizeable height advantage, but in both cases the ball wasn't nearly catchable. The little things count, but its not going to matter much in the next two games, where we're playing bigs who won't be fronting our bigs.

Here's what I'd like to see against TCU

Put Hannah on Van Lith. Hailey Van Lith took control of our first game, because she was too quick for Sonia. We can't have Hailey Van Lith controlling the offense and dishing. I'd put HH on her and not switch.

Double Prince on inlet passes. The TCU passer that throws it into Prince crosses to the opposite side, baseline. I'd have the player guarding her double Prince, and risk that the crosser beats us with a pass from Prince and a long baseline jump shots. I believe the long, baseline jumper is the hardest shot to consistently hit in basketball.

If necessary, press. TCU's offense requires time and a lot of passing to work efficiently. Pressing will disrupt that flow and give them less time to execute. We are overall more athletic. Take it to them.

I doubt you can say to never switch because things happen.

Another thought is to use Hidalgo to harass who ever brings the ball up then switch to a taller player.

Can't recall who it was but one team crashed four players onto the post as soon as she got the ball. That disrupted anything the post tried except pass right back. There's a surprise factor to that so probably alternate between covering with one, two, three, or four based on what works.

I think the coaching staff will find several solutions to Prince, shes good but not the best.

 

[DallasDomer]

Hannah Hidalgo is a finalist for Naismith Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

Finalists are: Lauren Betts - UCLA, Paige Bueckers - UCONN, Hannah Hidalgo - Notre Dame, Juju Watkins - USC

Defensive finalists: Lauren Betts - UCLA, Hannah Hidalgo - Notre Dame, Juju Watkins - USC, JJ Quinerly - West Virginia

Fan voting closes April 1 so please consider voting soon at:

Naismith Fan Vote |

naismithfanvote.com

 

[GoChips20]

Hannah Hidalgo is a finalist for Naismith Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

Finalists are: Lauren Betts - UCLA, Paige Bueckers - UCONN, Hannah Hidalgo - Notre Dame, Juju Watkins - USC

Defensive finalists: Lauren Betts - UCLA, Hannah Hidalgo - Notre Dame, Juju Watkins - USC, JJ Quinerly - West Virginia

Fan voting closes April 1 so please consider voting soon at:

Naismith Fan Vote |

naismithfanvote.com

Kind of unbelievable that three of the top four finalists for NPOY are also finalists for DPOY.

 

[cancontent]

Kind of unbelievable that three of the top four finalists for NPOY are also finalists for DPOY.

Yes, but I see it as a good thing. Athletes getting rewarded for being two-way players is nice to see. We don't see enough of that nowadays it seems, to me at least.

 

[GoChips20]

Yes, but I see it as a good thing. Athletes getting rewarded for being two-way players is nice to see. We don't see enough of that nowadays it seems, to me at least.

Oh I agree, I meant it as a positive. Just pretty unusual to have nearly the same pool of finalists for both awards. But these are the correct choices here. They’re all fantastic defenders.

 

[cancontent]

Oh I agree, I meant it as a positive. Just pretty unusual to have nearly the same pool of finalists for both awards. But these are the correct choices here. They’re all fantastic defenders.

Just expanded on how I was seeing it. I didn't take it as a negative. My phrasing could have been better.

 

[DallasDomer]

Where are you Dillon77 ? There's a great debate about who moves on Tourney - Round 2 and you usually provide more logical debates than I do.

 

[BRS24]

 

[Dillon77]

Where are you Dillon77 ? There's a great debate about who moves on Tourney - Round 2 and you usually provide more logical debates than I do.

My apologies DD. This is what I would've said: thought it would be a tight game, but thought ND would move on if -- strong if -- they could tighten up on the high pick that Prince/Van Lith run. However, the Irish didn't do that. Still, the rest of the team really didn't hurt them but the Irish may have had one of the worst shooting days I can remember in recent years.

Tip of the hat to TCU, who will now move onto play Texas. All these veteran players on TCU might pull one off, given how low-scoring these games are becoming.

As is my wont, I'll take a night off before posting post-mortems. What I will say is that I'm going to be very sad not to be able to
do two things:

• Not follow the season. It's been on for just about five months and provides a constants source of discussion and interaction;
• Follow Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld in Irish uniforms. Two of my favorite Irish players are graduating and I'll miss seeing both of them in blue, white and gold. May the road....

 

[Dillon77]

Here's a Michael Voepel article on "will she or won't she?" regarding Miles,, as well:

MSN

 

[nalepin]

My apologies DD. This is what I would've said: thought it would be a tight game, but thought ND would move on if -- strong if -- they could tighten up on the high pick that Prince/Van Lith run. However, the Irish didn't do that. Still, the rest of the team really didn't hurt them but the Irish may have had one of the worst shooting days I can remember in recent years.

Tip of the hat to TCU, who will now move onto play Texas. All these veteran players on TCU might pull one off, given how low-scoring these games are becoming.

As is my wont, I'll take a night off before posting post-mortems. What I will say is that I'm going to be very sad not to be able to
do two things:

• Not follow the season. It's been on for just about five months and provides a constants source of discussion and interaction;
• Follow Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld in Irish uniforms. Two of my favorite Irish players are graduating and I'll miss seeing both of them in blue, white and gold. May the road....

This Irish fan and 25-year season ticket holder is sad. It’s difficult to see this incredibly talented team end their season (and many, their college career) in this way. ☘️

 

[Puppy Love]

I’m pretty surprised ND lost. At mid-year, I had them as favorites for the National Championship. From my vantage point, I think part of the problem was team chemistry. When teams are winning, locker room issues are easily swept aside, but if things get a little tough, they seem to blow up. As a side note, I’m wondering if this won’t impact more teams as the transfer portal becomes a reality for teams to plug holes in their roster. When kids are recruited out of high school, coaches have a long time to evaluate temperament and team fit. With the portal, they are deciding within a couple of days.

Hidalgo is one of the best players in the country, but it doesn’t seem like she and Miles worked well together. I‘ve no idea why, but from watching games, Miles didn’t look very happy. It would be easy to blame jealousy or competition, but I think coaching plays a big part, too. Whatever went wrong, it’s a huge missed opportunity for the Irish. Who knows when they will have a core that is that talented again.

 

[Geew1992]

What I find interesting is Ivey really can’t recruit players out of high school. ND has 1 player coming in and a lot leaving. The portal is going to have to be huge