Notre Dame 2024-25 Season

[darrell]

Show me an undefeated champion who hasnt.

When UConn graduated Jefferson, Stewart and Tuck, I believe they started the next season at 3 or 4.

 

[Frankus]

I don’t think it will be that gargantuan . A loss today would probably do it. As disjointed as we have been playing, that could happen

I was talking about winning the NC. South Carolina is a dynasty right now and- despite the fact that to grow the game all the focus is on "stars"- South Carolina is a two-deep team in the best sense of the word. Win or lose today, I expect them to be gelling better and better as the year goes on.

 

[Reypl21]

ND was impressive in their win yesterday. Happy all around! Going forward I'd love to see more half court offense, and adding more variety. We are missing Maddy where she could get to the open space and hit a mid range shot, or space the floor for a 3. Sonia hasn't found her shot yet, but she will eventually. The key for their half court offense to me is Koval. She sets a nasty screen yes, but she needs more low post touches. There were times when she was posted up, but Hidalgo or Olivia dribbled it into traffic instead. We have an offensively able 5 now, we should utilize her. I also want to see her shoot from the outside more often, since that was hyped up.

Really excited for Westbeld and Karlen to come back. They'll space the floor and provide space inside. King had a few mid range shots that she passed up to drive and her drives didn't end well. She had two smooth mid range shots. Her playing the 5 has to be her more natural position. I'm thinking she will start at the 5 and Westbeld the 4 when everyone is back.

Lots of things to rave about! The past two seasons ND has increased its half court offense over the course of the season. I know that they will improve in that regard. Excited for them. This is a tough string of games!

 

[my2cents]

Notre Dame won the game, but both teams didn't look very impressive to me. 20 turnovers each. It was like the ball was greased. USC two premier players shot poorly the entire game. How many point blank shots can you miss in one game?
Why the USC coach let a screen on top by Koval free up Hildago without Koval's man jumping the screen, made no sense.

 

[Zanzman]

Show me an undefeated champion who hasnt.

UConn after Stewarts class graduated, but I was just talking winning title April and preseason ranking in Nov not being specific to undefeated

 

[Dillon77]

Hidalgo Highlights from the U.S.C. Game

Someone made a comment that Hidalgo is kind of like a Free Safety without a Man or a Defensive Minister without Portfolio.
Not sure that's entirely the case, but she'll take chances and there are two great examples in these clips.

• On one, she drops into the lane to take away a pass into a big and then turn it into a fast break basket.
• And the last one also shows her persistence. First, she almost steals the ball as she flies past the ballhandler into the upcourt. The ball handler smartly advances and makes a pass to an open jump shooter....only to have Hidalgo come back, steal the ball, and then pass to Sonia Citron for a easy layup.

A lot of folks have tried to say that ND doesn't seem to have a lot of sets, but that's partially the point of what the pressure defense, led and inspired by Hidalgo does: it turns the game into a downhill transition game and Hidalgo, Miles and Citron lead and thrive in it.
But if you want sets, wait until Westbeld comes back and you'll remember the pick and pops she and Hidalgo specialize in.

 

[Frankus]

One of the things that impressed me is how well Koval and King held up against Iriafen and Marshall. At 6'4 and 6'3, USC had the size experience as well as game experience, considering that KK is a true freshman. Nevertheless, Koval and King matched them in rebounds (18 vs 18) and limited them to 8-24 shooting while hitting a very efficient 6-10 shooting themselves.

Eta, because I rewatched the game: There is no substitute for a strong, wide 6'5" post ( the announcers said 6'6") with long arms. KK bothered Irafen, a jumpshooter, with her length. When Iriafen tried to muscle her inside, it was like hitting a brick wall. And Kovall is crucial to ND's high post screen game. She is a wide body helping our guards get space. In time, she's going to be a major pick and roll threat off those screens. Everybody rightfully talks about HH, OM and SC, but KK is a major upgrade in the post for ND, and LK is exactly the kind of athletic, quick to the rim player we needed to round out the roster.

 

[Dillon77]

Hannah Hidalgo Named AP Player of the Week

According to the AP, Hidalgo "...had 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds to help then-No. 6 Notre Dame beat third-ranked USC 74-61 on Saturday. It was the 10th game of the sophomore guard’s career with at least 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals — the most in Division I women’s basketball over the last 25 seasons."

Maya McDermott of Northern Iowa was the runner-up. She led her team to an 87-75 upset victory over then-No. 8 Iowa State by scoring a career-high 37 points.

Congratulations to both players.

Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo is AP women's basketball player of the week

Hannah Hidalgo is The Associated Press women's basketball player of the week. She lifted Notre Dame to a road win over then-No. 3 USC on Saturday.

apnews.com

 

[CTFan]

ND is so aggressive in their defense. Hidalgo, Miles, Citron, Koval and Westfield to return make up a very very VERY tough team to beat. UCONN seems more of a finesse team, not as awesome at defense as they used to be. Defense travels. I think ND can win it all. And the Huskies playing in SB. Ouch.

 

[Frankus]

ND is so aggressive in their defense. Hidalgo, Miles, Citron, Koval and Westfield to return make up a very very VERY tough team to beat. UCONN seems more of a finesse team, not as awesome at defense as they used to be. Defense travels. I think ND can win it all. And the Huskies playing in SB. Ouch.

One interesting thing about this game is that it will be UCONN's first true road game, and the only true road game till conference play.

By this UCONN game ND will have had 4 road games including @USC on the west coast and @Syracuse on the east coast.

I'm not sure if this typical Geno scheduling or not.

 

[Frankus]

A few thoughts on the TCU loss

The turnaround started when Koval got her 4th foul, which allowed Van Lith, who was guarded by the too slow Prosper, to attack the basket and either score or dish for threes. We were totally mismatched in size at that point so we collapsed on Van Lith, and Prince was being guarded by a 6'1 forward. TCU did a nice job of moving the ball and hitting wide open wings for 3 point shots when Van Lith wasn't scoring layups or passing to Prince for easy scores.

Olivia Miles played very poorly. She missed shots, forced passes when easier ones were there and -like HH- put up wild shots at the rim going against the (too tall for them)Prince, who sat in the paint all game long.

It's clear that the guards don't trust Prosper to hit outside shots. There were a number of times she was open and our guards forced layups anyway. I also think the offense needs to start showing more that they can kick out to Citron. Instead they forced a lot of reckless shots inside against Prince. If the strategy was to foul out Prince it didn't work and even when that was obvious they kept doing it.

Liatu King played her usual scrappy game, but she can't guard Prince and she too was bothered by Prince in the paint. She hit some mid range jumpers and we need her to be a consistent threat there in addition to her scrappy play.

HH played well for three quarters, but defensively started going behind screens in the 3rd quarter, leading to easy 3 point shots for TCU. It seemed like Ivey's strategy was to protect her energy for her to out score TCU, but without her ability to score inside due to Prince, it wasn't going to happen.

Kovall was totally outplayed by Prince, but that was to be expected when an inexperienced 18 year old is playing against a very experienced 24 year old. She'll get better, and she kept TCU from totally going off until she went out of the game with her 4th foul, but I'm glad we'll have 15 fouls to give against Prince when Karlen/Westfield come back, and both should be able force Prince outside the paint, Westfield in particular, if there's a rematch down the line or against all teams with a dominant big.

Rish came in and abruptly gave up an easy layup. If she can't guard I don't think she's going to play much.

Ivey didn't coach her team much, or make adjustments. The guards shot recklessly inside all game long against the too tall Prince, and once Kovall went out she should have put HH or Miles on Van Lith to prevent her inside penetration. Instead Ivey sat and watched as Van Lith controlled the game. Yes, Van Lith could have lobbed it into Prince who had a huge height advantage at that point, but it was the threes that really killed us.

By the end of the game this looked a lot like last year, where we consistently got beat inside due to a lack of depth in height, strength and quickness. Thankfully, the calvary is coming.

 

[Topdawg]

Tough losses for ND. They have a short bench and are having challenges like UConn faced with injuries in the last few seasons. Troubles start in the second half as fouls mount. Next up is Texas which will be a tough opponent. Hope a few players are back soon to strengthen the bench.

 

[Reypl21]

I watched some of of TCU and Utah games on YouTube. It was obvious that ND was tired, and the lack of depth is obvious. I know Niele wants to play a pressure defense, but her players are getting worn out. Of course we see what happens when we get adequate rest (USC win) but maybe she needs to strike a balance. Citron has been a step slow defensively coming off her injury. Prosper bulked up last season and lost some of her bounce and agileness. When she came in early she had spurts where she was defending Hailey Van Lith and other guards. She was as fast as them. I think that she's a forward, she would be an athletic forward. She can guard many 3's, but she is not going to be able to guard the fast 1's and 2's. Those should be given to Hannah. Niele needs to have her buckle down and play defense on Hailey Van Lith without gambling for steals. Don't know why she refused to make the switch.

The half course offense looks really simple, and doesn't generate easy looks. King's mid range fade aways were short and so were Hannah's. Signs of tired legs. Sonia came back to life offensively, but they are a lot of difficult shots she creates herself. Nothing comes easy. Koval had a tough game, and I understand her not wanting to be physical because of the offensive fouls (flops). She'll get better, but we could try running better plays for her. Plays where she doesn't have to worry about making a decision, just get her in position to put it in the hoop. Ala South Carolina with Coates. Or let her take some 3's.

Going forward, maybe we should incorporate a zone to get Risch some more minutes. Her man defense isn't up to Niele's standard. It could also help Koval for spurts not getting targeted on P&R's. It wouldn't hurt to change your play to the players that you have. Against TCU and Utah that would be a recipe for disaster, but going forward.

Hopefully we get Karlen back soon, and then Westbeld will be what this team needs. These experiences will only help Koval. We can still compete in these upcoming big games, especially with rest and they're at home. But, Niele's in-game adjustments and coaching need to improve. The coaching staff had a horrible weekend as well.

 

[Frankus]

Thoughts on Utah:

This was the kind of game Koval will play very little when Karlen/Westbeld come back. Utah is a three point shooting team where everyone can shoot it and they all sit out at the three point line. The problem is, after Koval couldn’t defend the long shot and did not perform offensively, our only sub was Rish. Rish came in and promptly gave up a layup and then didn’t block out after a long shot that careened back toward her and the Utah player regained possession after the miss. She is a lot like Koval, young and adjusting to the speed of the game which is too fast right now. The fact that she didn’t block out is coaching. She should have been yanked right then and there.

Back to Koval: She is like a young QB who holds on to the ball for too long and gets sacked. The game is quicker for her and she hasn’t adjusted. She gets stripped when she gets inbound passes because she doesn’t realize yet that she has to make a move fast, or kick out the ball. Also, she’s not ready to get the ball at the elbow and dribble drive, both of which Westbeld and Karlen do very well. I see her role ultimately as a three headed, 15 foul trio when we play teams with very tall, talented bigs.She will improve her skills, but she’s not far enough along in her development to be a player that will always be in the lineup. She’ll get minutes, but unless there’s an unlikely dramatic improvement, I think her minutes will be greatly reduced in time.

Our half court offense, if you can say we have a half court offense, is too often a one pass and a shot offense. We don’t make defenses work to defend us. Meanwhile they do make us work. When we get a deeper bench it will matter less, but I’m not impressed with what Ivey is doing. Perhaps she sees this as skill development time. I don’t know the big picture. Westbeld is a very good passer. So, I hope things change in our half-court offense when she returns. Our transition offense is one of the best in the country, but there was some sloppy passing, possibly due to fatigue, which prevented some easy scores.

Utah flopped a lot and we got called on very ticky tack screen calls where they got rewarded for it. I dislike how different referees call games in wbb, but they do. A holiday tournament is not the time to do it, but at some point, NI has got to ferociously get all over the refs like the best coaches do. She won’t get any respect until every referee knows that they will have to deal with her anger every game if she doesn’t like how the game is being called. She tries to reason with them and smile. She’s got to develop how she expresses her anger like Dawn and Kim do.

Defense is all about effort and overallwe played lazily. Soni denied the ball and got beat by a back door cut. Olivia Miles showed absolutely no effort to play team defense and the Utah player got an easy basket. At other times she lazily let players drive by her with minimal effort. She lazily went behind screens and gave up 3 point shots. That’s the kind of lack of effort that should have placed Miles on the bench, or got dressed down by Ivey, but Ivey couldn’t be bothered to pull Miles aside and dress her down for her lack of effort.

Perhaps it’s due to the minutes Miles is asked to play, combined with being away from the game for so long, but it’s a problem. We need another quick 3rd guard badly and don’t have one, which is a personnel mistake that Ivey made. Why she didn’t bring in someone like Anna Dewolfe is beyond me. That would have been an easy roster move. She didn’t do it and HH and Miles are going to play way more minutes than they should.

People are saying Citron is slower, but if she’s defending on the 3 point line and gets beat by a step on a dribble drive, there has to be a team defense player to stop the easy basket. It happened again, this time with Prosper not helping out her teammate. In the end, it’s just lousy team defense and that’s on the coach for not teaching it as a major priority.

Prosper is a reliable substitute, but she can’t take over a game yet. Still, she is shooting better and is driving and finishing.

We missed every one handed reverse layoff we tried. Perhaps it was fatigue, but if we’re going for WNBA type plays we better make them.

We have a short roster without a major inside presence, which isn’t ideal for back to back games. We have two very experienced players coming back. So, we will be better when that happens. I expect us to play with more intensity Thursday against Texas at home. If we’re going to win, we’ll have to win it with transition offense and better defense.

 

[Dillon77]

This Is Just Too Much Fun....(well, not if your're a Texas fan)

Hannah Hidalgo hits the floor against Rori Harmon, which we're used to seeing, and then goes all playground with an overhead loop pass to Olivia Miles. There are two angles on this one -- the first is better on the steal and the second on the pass. HH will mix it up, try things most people won't and how her infectious energy gets her team going.

 

[Frankus]

Last night was my first time this year at the Purcell Pavillion.. It was 80% full, probably due to the very snowy day/night, but the crowd was very active and loud, with a lot of student support. I suspect that barring another snowstorm, UCONN will be sold out. It's very hard to win at ND.

It's something to see in-person how much talent and experience we have wearing dress clothes instead of uniforms. None were in boots or braces and they were all engaged, supportive teammates

From an eye test, it is a contrast seeing Prosper and Risch. Risch is string bean thin. Prosper looks like an elite physical specimen. I don't think Risch will/can play until she develops more, but she certainly has outside shooting skills. Prosper has not developed into a player with a lot of scoring skills inside or outside, but she is playing because she can defend and rebound. If she could score like King she would add a lot to this team, but she's a long way from that. She has low post quickness, not the kind of quickness King has. Koval is playing more than both because she is farther along with a combination of physical and basketball skills.

It was a very physical game and a total contrast to the flopping Utes game. Both teams dug in defensively, Texas with the advantage inside, ND outside. No flop was rewarded.

The game was won in regulation. I didn't think it was a foul the way the game was being called, but it still was a mental error.

Texas, particularly Booker, was gassed by the end of the game. It was all Irish in overtime, buoyed by the loud crowd and home advantage.

Though Hannah is our superstar, it was good to see OM make what should have been the game winning basket. On the other hand I wish Ivey would have called timeouts and run a few desiged plays in the last minutes instead of sitting idle and watching her guards try to create something.

Soni looks totally healthy to me. She does so much to help this team win. She air balled one wide open three, but otherwise was/is a consistent scoring threat and is tough as nails. It's going to be fun to see her and Bueckers go at it next week.

 

[Dillon77]

ND Beats Texas in OT, 80-70

Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo said it last night and a look at the stat sheet this morning confirmed it:
Texas Coach Vic Schaeffer will look at those 23 Texas turnovers and shake his head.

• ND scored 24 points off those turnovers
• Texas scored 15 points off ND's 17 TO's. That differential -- nine -- was pretty much the game.

plus
- ND took its zone defense out of mothballs and executed it well, even when they had a 6'2" guard in the middle of it all (Cass Prosper).

Texas had a distinct height advantage and outrebounded the Irish 46-37, with Kyla Oldacre and Madison Booker leading the way with 8 each. Oldacre was able to use her height and stature to optimal use when ND frosh post Kate Koval was out of the game and scored 13 points, all from within three to four feet of the basket. ND kept the rebounding battle somewhat closer than expected with yeoman efforts by the 6'0" King (12 rebounds) and 5'6" Hidalgo (8 rebounds).

As noted, the zone held up well for ND, led and orchestrated (as Hidalgo noted) by Citron, who also had 7 steals, a lot of which came while poaching open areas in the zone or -- later -- doubling down on Oldacre.

For ND:

• Hidalgo scored 30 on 11-20 shooting (3-5 from three, 5-5 from the FT line).
• Olivia Miles scored 18 on 6-11 shooting (2-24 from three, 4-4 from FT line) and had 6 assists
• Citron scored 18, as well, on 5-13 shooting (3-8 from three, 5-6 from FT line) and had 7 rebounds.

For Texas:

• Madison Booker scored 20 points on 7-21 shooting (3-7 from three, 3-3 from FT line)
• Shea Hollie scored 14 points (all in first half) on 5-9 shooting (4-8 from three)
• Oldacre scored 13 points on 5-9 shooting (3-6 from three).

Overall, the Irish outshot the Longhorns, 45% to 37%.

Both teams have games on Sunday, Dec. 8th:

• ND @ Syracuse at noon
• Texas @ James Madison at 2 p.m. EST (the Irish defeated JMU at home earlier in the season)

 

[cancontent]

This Is Just Too Much Fun....(well, not if your're a Texas fan)

Hannah Hidalgo hits the floor against Rori Harmon, which we're used to seeing, and then goes all playground with an overhead loop pass to Olivia Miles. There are two angles on this one -- the first is better on the steal and the second on the pass. HH will mix it up, try things most people won't and how her infectious energy gets her team going.

That camera angle is awesome in comparison to what we saw last night.

The game was what I expected. A great battle between the guards. For those who think Harmon is a shell of herself, considering she's coming back from an ACL, she looked damn good and is going to get better as the season progresses.

Koval held up and managed to stay on the court which was important. King continues to show me that I needed to pay more attention to Pitt. Like the commentators quoting Coach Ivey, I also wish I could see her play another year.

My only gripe is that Prosper still seems to be lagging with respect to where I thought she would be by now. Her stats look decent to start the season, but she was 0-3, with 1 rebound, 2 assists and a block in 15 minutes. ND is going to need scoring from her next week vs UConn. For all the hype with her coming out of high school and the past summer with Canada Basketball, I'm looking at her with a more critical eye this year from a Canadian fan perspective.

 

[Dillon77]

That camera angle is awesome in comparison to what we saw last night.

The game was what I expected. A great battle between the guards. For those who think Harmon is a shell of herself, considering she's coming back from an ACL, she looked damn good and is going to get better as the season progresses.

Koval held up and managed to stay on the court which was important. King continues to show me that I needed to pay more attention to Pitt. Like the commentators quoting Coach Ivey, I also wish I could see her play another year.

My only gripe is that Prosper still seems to be lagging with respect to where I thought she would be by now. Her stats look decent to start the season, but she was 0-3, with 1 rebound, 2 assists and a block in 15 minutes. ND is going to need scoring from her next week vs UConn. For all the hype with her coming out of high school and the past summer with Canada Basketball, I'm looking at her with a more critical eye this year from a Canadian fan perspective.

Prosper spelled Kate Koval in the middle of the 2-3 zone last night when Koval got into foul trouble but that was about it for contributions, including two missed bunnies that could've iced the game in the 4th quarter.
For whatever reason, Coach Ivey didn't get Emma Risch off the bench at all last night, so two of the three parts of her big three recruits from 2023 (HH-Cass P-Emma R) are not progressing as one would've hoped.

I know Ivey had to be feeling some pressure after the dual losses, but to cut back to a (barely) six-person roster was a bit ...uncomforting for an Irish fan. Hope to see Emma trot out with Cass in the Dome at Syracuse on Sunday. Quite a lot, actually.

Re: King. Funny thing is, you'll see a different form of herself once Westbeld and Karlen are back. Right now, she's form-fitting into a power forward for the sake of the team. When those two natural power forwards come back, she'll become the pain-the-in-lane wing that no one sees crashing from the weak side. Which is why precisely why Ivey recruited her.

 

[Frankus]

Prosper spelled Kate Koval in the middle of the 2-3 zone last night when Koval got into foul trouble but that was about it for contributions, including two missed bunnies that could've iced the game in the 4th quarter.
For whatever reason, Coach Ivey didn't get Emma Risch off the bench at all last night, so two of the three parts of her big three recruits from 2023 (HH-Cass P-Emma R) are not progressing as one would've hoped.

I know Ivey had to feeling some pressure after the dual losses, but to cut back to a (barely) six-person roster was a bit ...uncomforting for an Irish fan. Hope to see Emma trot out with Cass in the Dome at Syracuse on Sunday.

Re: King. Funny thing is, you'll see different form of herself once Westbeld and Karlen are back. Right now, she's form fitting into a power forward for the sake of the team. When they come back, she'll be the pain the in lane wing that no one sees crashing. Which is why Ivey recruited her.

For cutting her team to six, nobody appeared gassed. That being said, I wish KK Bransford was available. She played the point two years ago when OM went down and has all around skills and is physically strong.

Westbeld was talking encouragement like she was Drew Bundini Brown to HH's Ali at the break between regulation and overtime . Not only is she a much needed all around player, but she is a veteran leader. I can't wait to see this team when veterans Karlen and Westbeld return.

Edit: I wouldn't count on Risch much vs Syracuse. Even in warmups she doesn’t do much but shoot threes. I have no idea about the state of her hip surgery, but she doesn't appear ready at all, and as skinny as she is, could be an injury risk. She could develop physically to be like Texas' Shay Holle, but she's nowhere near Holle's physical development.

 

[Reypl21]

Really happy with ND. Thought the offense looked a lot better. Niele said it best, they weren't focused and they looked focused yesterday. I'm so glad Soni is back offensively. Her defense yesterday impressed me. She was intercepting so many passes and disrupting even more. The were trying to get it into Oldacre every time, and she helped combat that. 7 steals!

Koval has been having problems offensively, but her defense was key. 5 blocks and only picking up 1 foul in the second half after having 3 in the first. She took some long range shots yesterday. I would like to see her shoot a 3 some time, as I think her mechanics for 3's look better for long range shots. Her mid range shots she doesn't use her lower body as much. She held up against Oldacre who makes her look small. I'd like to see her be take some of Oldacre's game and get deep post position and just lay it up. We get her the ball in spots where she has to dribble and make a move, which other teams have caused turnovers. Just some rambling...

Olivia and Hannah are just too fun together. Really impressed with both. Olivia's level of difficulty on her 3's is amazing sometimes. She reminds me of Chelsea Gray.

The zone worked great! I hope ND plays it against more opponents, especially to allow Risch to get some more minutes. I was watching her yesterday on the bench. I think her man-to-man defense isn't up to par for Niele, but was hopeful she could get some minutes in zone.

I'm excited for Karlen and Westbeld. Westbeld specifically will open up the floor for the guards and for King/Koval. Our scoring was very guard heavy. Westbeld will help balance it out, and I think ND will look really good. Looking forward to the UConn game. Hopefully Karlen will be back, as she is not longer in a boot.

 

[DefenseBB]

Just so this isn't a coronation of Hannah, it should be noted that as a guard, Hannah does turn the ball over quite a bit. She has 27 assists but also 26 Turnovers which is not a great look. Again, it is the one small chink in her armor but yet a key one.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Just so this isn't a coronation of Hannah, it should be noted that as a guard, Hannah does turn the ball over quite a bit. She has 27 assists but also 26 Turnovers which is not a great look. Again, it is the one small chink in her armor but yet a key one.

All those steals and interruptions more than make up for it...for now anyway.

 

[DefenseBB]

All those steals and interruptions more than make up for it...for now anyway.

I did say "one small chink". Yes, all the other wonderful things she does more than compensate for it. I would not kick out of my house for having some mud on her shoes, just noting she didn't wipe her feet.

 

[Dillon77]

ND Pulls Away from Syracuse, 93-62 at Dome

ND's three guards lead the way with "traditional" double-doubles:

• Sonia Citron 25 points, 11 rebounds (10-15 shooting, 4-6 from three)
• Hannah Hidalgo: 24 points, 10 rebounds
• Olivia Miles: 20 points, 10 rebounds (also 8 assists)

Last year, Syracuse came to South Bend and defeated the Irish in the game before ND travelled to Connecticut. So, this result is a lot more positive. For those checking the bench, neither Maddy Westbeld or Liza Karlen were in uniform for the game.