Notre Dame 2024-25 Season

[Frankus]

Thoughts on Syracuse

The game started with a focus on getting Koval the ball. It was the right thing to do, but she tends to lower the ball and her hands are not strong enough yet to power through players hitting the ball as she brings it up to shoot. This led to turnovers. Growing pains.

We were sloppy starting out. A Thursday/Sunday turnaround with a noon game is tough. Once we woke up we looked great.

Miles and Citron look completely healthy and rounding into form. Along with our speed in transition off turnovers, we’re an offensive juggernaut when we shoot that well in our half court game.

Unlike the holiday tournament, we gave a tremendous defensive effort all game long. Kovall is a much needed inside presence to block shots and intimidate drivers and King, Miles, Citron, HH and Prosper are all agile defenders. We are relentless and swarming.

Bring on the Huskies!

 

[VA Huskie]

Thoughts on Syracuse

The game started with a focus on getting Koval the ball. It was the right thing to do, but she tends to lower the ball and her hands are not strong enough yet to power through players hitting the ball as she brings it up to shoot. This led to turnovers. Growing pains.

We were sloppy starting out. A Thursday/Sunday turnaround with a noon game is tough. Once we woke up we looked great.

Miles and Citron look completely healthy and rounding into form. Along with our speed in transition off turnovers, we’re an offensive juggernaut when we shoot that well in our half court game.

Unlike the holiday tournament, we gave a tremendous defensive effort all game long. Kovall is a much needed inside presence to block shots and intimidate drivers and King, Miles, Citron, HH and Prosper are all agile defenders. We are relentless and swarming.

Bring on the Huskies!

Be careful what you wish for…

 

[Dillon77]

Be careful what you wish for…

Why worry? It will hopefully be a good game between two teams that, regardless of this particular result, will be back even stronger later in the season, when key players come back from injury.
Don't buy a Domer's take? Ok, try the UConn Coach:

"Like I tell the team all the time, when we play these games, the loser of that game, the season doesn't end," Auriemma said. "It's going to feel like an NCAA game, but it's not. That's the beauty of playing these games.

"I love this game, win or lose. I love this game."

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Thoughts on Syracuse

The game started with a focus on getting Koval the ball. It was the right thing to do, but she tends to lower the ball and her hands are not strong enough yet to power through players hitting the ball as she brings it up to shoot. This led to turnovers. Growing pains.

We were sloppy starting out. A Thursday/Sunday turnaround with a noon game is tough. Once we woke up we looked great.

Miles and Citron look completely healthy and rounding into form. Along with our speed in transition off turnovers, we’re an offensive juggernaut when we shoot that well in our half court game.

Unlike the holiday tournament, we gave a tremendous defensive effort all game long. Kovall is a much needed inside presence to block shots and intimidate drivers and King, Miles, Citron, HH and Prosper are all agile defenders. We are relentless and swarming.

Bring on the Huskies!

Syracuse is a mess this year and this is from an alum. No chemistry. Going to be a long season.

 

[cancontent]

 

[Frankus]

Why worry? It will hopefully be a good game between two teams that, regardless of this particular result, will be back even stronger later in the season, when key players come back from injury.
Don't buy a Domer's take? Ok, try the UConn Coach:

"Like I tell the team all the time, when we play these games, the loser of that game, the season doesn't end," Auriemma said. "It's going to feel like an NCAA game, but it's not. That's the beauty of playing these games.

"I love this game, win or lose. I love this game."

Couldn't have said it better myself Dillon/Geno.

A few things I'm watching for:

Zone vs. Man.

I think we'll play man vs zone because, unlike Texas who didn't have an all around player who can control the pace and tempo of the game, we have to attack PB, make her work hard on both offense and defense, and try to get her out of her comfort zone. I don't think their other two guards can consistently beat Miles and HH to the basket, where UCONN will want to attack to try to get Kovall into foul trouble. We'll see.

We double team dribbler's a lot. When PB doesn't have the ball, how will their other guards handle the pressure, and/or will they be able to use quick, ball moving passes to get out of traps? When I think of great UCONN teams, it was their passing that was so impressive to get good looks and score points.

On the back end can KK guard the basket and stay out of foul trouble? Due to our injuries, this is a big part of how the game plays out.

Who is going to guard Strong?:

I think it's going to be King, who is quick and plays bigger and stronger than 6'1". I don't think NI will risk Kovall having to defend a lot of the space that Strong can cover. Strong can't go off to a 25-30 point night. If she does, we'll lose. In her first big game atmosphere situation, it's going to be fun to watch her.

Can we sustain the half court success we've had against Texas and Syracuse?

I think our guards can and will penetrate UCONN's defense, but we need Koval, King and Prosper to step up with points and offensive rebounds. It's a given that all three guards have to have good shooting nights. I think we'll get good looks. We have to knock them down.

Depth: With Fudd out, how long of a bench will Geno employ? He's been playing a lot of players, but traditionally doesn't against us. It will be interesting to see if he returns to that.

The crowd is going to be a factor. In it's first road test, how will UCONN handle it. It's going to get loud.

Referees

The Texas game referees let the game be physical. How much will these referees let the players play? If there's a few early ticky tack fouls called, it will be to our disadvantage.

In the end, both teams are playing without stars who will be ready in March. This is a bragging rights game, but just another game considering what both teams ( barring additional injuries) will look like come post season time. I expect both teams to be #1 seeds come tournament time.

 

[Frankus]

Syracuse is a mess this year and this is from an alum. No chemistry. Going to be a long season.

I was surprised at how many open shots were missed. They had good looks, but couldn't knock them down. I wasn't sure if that was typical, or a result of how intense we make offensive players work.

 

[Dillon77]

• Pretty sure that's (at least) the second time Sky's been at practice this season.
• Kayla McBride (K-Mac) was at the Texas game
• And reports are that Arike Ogunbowale is on campus. If so, one would think she'll be at the game tonight.

 

[bballnut90]

Great win for ND, Hidalgo making a strong case for NPOY right now. Also, Liatu King is really really good. Her midrange and rebounding fit what ND needed perfectly. Karlen looked great off the bench too. Entertaining game. Notre Dame should re-enter the top 5 again next week.

 

[WBBTakeover]

Hannah has to be the favorite for NPOY, if she wasn't already (IMO, she has been since the Southern Cal game).

 

[Dillon77]

Irish Alums Came Home Last Night



From left: Arike Ogunbowale, Jewel Loyd, Coach Niele Ivey, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Marina Mabrey

 

[Dillon77]

As of this moment, ND is 3-0 vs top 5 teams; the rest of the country is 3-43.

 

[martyn]

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.

Yup, the key was ND's swarming defense vs. our so so defense. And Hidalgo, of course. She's magical.

 

[Dillon77]

Life imitating art?

 

[Frankus]

A few thoughts on Uconn.

I was surprised to see Hannah get so many wide open looks, but credit our quickness, court vision and passing. We were more battle tested than Uconn and it showed.

I thought they'd give us more a battle in the front court, but KK and Liatu defended very well.

Hello Liatu King! That was a great performance in a prime time spotlight. Not many people beyond Domers have been paying attention, but she's an elite athlete with quickness inside and hops of the kind we haven't had. If she becomes a consistent scorer like the first half, watch out. The return of Karlen and Maddy means she'll get more rest, which will help her offensive game in the second half. Karlen came in and rebounded on the offensive glass and scored, giving us a glimpse of what's to come.

PB is an incredible scorer and kept them in the game. We doubled her to prevent her from penetrating, which opened up three pointers for Strong. She didn't knock enough of them down. It will be interesting to watch her development. She would be very tough if she got the ball outside earlier in the shot clock, and could drive and either dish or score. She was mostly relegated to being an outside player by us, but she's young and learning.

They made HH work by driving on her, and she gave up some layups. That was a good strategy, but ultimately our offense was too quick for them, and Hannah was wide open. Gotta pick your poison with her, but she's playing like a NPOY player.

Like all of Ndnation, I was in "here we go again" land when OM went down, but she came back and knocked down open jumpers as she's been doing most of the season. In the 4th when they made their run, OM beat her defender for a layup to stem the tide. She gets forgotten because of HH, but she is a dagger lurking at all times.

Sonia didn't have to score, but I would have liked to see her more involved. She played PB tough.

Koval is a work in progress, but she's improving in small increments. Even though she dropped that great pass from OM, which would have resulted in an easy layup, it was good to see OM pass it. I'm sure everyone knows how important her offensive development is to help us come tourney time. She intimidated their bigs and drivers a bit at the basket, didn't turn the ball over, and scored a bit. She played well.

It was another good win against a top team. I'm glad NI scheduled these tough preseason games. I can't wait to see what we'll be like at full strength. Hopefully, we'll have the entire ACC season to integrate Karlen and Maddy into a healthy, intact lineup.

 

[NoSpamHere]

A few thoughts on Uconn.

I was surprised to see Hannah get so many wide open looks, but credit our quickness, court vision and passing. We were more battle tested than Uconn and it showed.

I thought they'd give us more a battle in the front court, but KK and Liatu defended very well.

Hello Liatu King! That was a great performance in a prime time spotlight. Not many people beyond Domers have been paying attention, but she's an elite athlete with quickness inside and hops of the kind we haven't had. If she becomes a consistent scorer like the first half, watch out. The return of Karlen and Maddy means she'll get more rest, which will help her offensive game in the second half. Karlen came in and rebounded on the offensive glass and scored, giving us a glimpse of what's to come.

PB is an incredible scorer and kept them in the game. We doubled her to prevent her from penetrating, which opened up three pointers for Strong. She didn't knock enough of them down. It will be interesting to watch her development. She would be very tough if she got the ball outside earlier in the shot clock, and could drive and either dish or score. She was mostly relegated to being an outside player by us, but she's young and learning.

They made HH work by driving on her, and she gave up some layups. That was a good strategy, but ultimately our offense was too quick for them, and Hannah was wide open. Gotta pick your poison with her, but she's playing like a NPOY player.

Like all of Ndnation, I was in "here we go again" land when OM went down, but she came back and knocked down open jumpers as she's been doing most of the season. In the 4th when they made their run, OM beat her defender for a layup to stem the tide. She gets forgotten because of HH, but she is a dagger lurking at all times.

Sonia didn't have to score, but I would have liked to see her more involved. She played PB tough.

Koval is a work in progress, but she's improving in small increments. Even though she dropped that great pass from OM, which would have resulted in an easy layup, it was good to see OM pass it. I'm sure everyone knows how important her offensive development is to help us come tourney time. She intimidated their bigs and drivers a bit at the basket, didn't turn the ball over, and scored a bit. She played well.

It was another good win against a top team. I'm glad NI scheduled these tough preseason games. I can't wait to see what we'll be like at full strength. Hopefully, we'll have the entire ACC season to integrate Karlen and Maddy into a healthy, intact lineup.

Mommy, what’s a healthy, intact lineup?

 

[Dillon77]

Mommy, what’s a healthy, intact lineup?

Answer: Not something UConn or ND fans are used to seeing.

 

[JellyBean]

Yup, the key was ND's swarming defense vs. our so so defense. And Hidalgo, of course. She's magical.

Yup. The kind of defense I was hoping UConn came out with in the matchup. Rather than sitting back and letting the action develop, I was hoping Coach G would come out in an aggressive mode and take the fight to ND. We got the bodies to unleash pure terror on teams but we just kickback and let things develop. Great win for ND and they are definitely going to be a team that could cause some problems for teams this year.

Oh, I agree. Hannah is magical. She is a joy to watch out there playing. Small and out there getting more rebounds than players taller than her. Shooting the lights out. Quick as heck. She outworks others. She is the visual and literal definition of "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard" Unlike some people who complained about Hannah's gesturing out there during and after the game. I don't have a problem with it. She is a respectful person on/off the court. Her actions were/are always pure and respectful. She is a great young lady and great role model for the game. She was having fun out there and you gotta appreciate that. We want to see players having fun out there. Way to go, Hannah. Be you, young lady.

 

[ISUnorth]

As of this moment, ND is 3-0 vs top 5 teams; the rest of the country is 3-43.

Like that fun stat!

0-2 versus the Big 12 though.

Never been a ND fan in any sport, ever, but Hannah Hidalgo is quickly turning into my favorite WBB college player. Tuned in for the Texas game to see the guards matchup versus Longhorns and wow. Was channel flipping in for the UConn game even though it was going up against my Cyclones playing Iowa in MBB. She is must watch hoops TV right now.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Like that fun stat!

0-2 versus the Big 12 though.

Never been a ND fan in any sport, ever, but Hannah Hidalgo is quickly turning into my favorite WBB college player. Tuned in for the Texas game to see the guards matchup versus Longhorns and wow. Was channel flipping in for the UConn game even though it was going up against my Cyclones playing Iowa in MBB. She is must watch hoops TV right now.

Same. Much to my major chagrin, HH and crew are turning me into reluctant Domer fans this season. (And I've always really liked Ivey.)

 

[Dillon77]

ND Sprints to 58-20 Lead En Route to 118-49 Win Over Eastern Michigan

Irish Hit Record 16 Three's on 16-24 Shooting

Now, Eastern Michigan was 1-5 coming in, but they had just won their first of the season by coming back from more than 20 against Xavier. Didn't make a difference for the Irish who shot 68% from the field, including that 66% from three. Ironically, the one off part of the Irish game was they only shot 66% from the FT line.
Other notes:

• Another game, another stat sheet stuffer for Hannah Hidalgo, who scored 27 points on 10-14 shooting, grabbed 4 rebounds and had 6 steals. The other 20-pt. efforts came from two unexpected sources:
• Emma Risch, who didn't even play against UConn, shot a blistering 7-9 from three (8-13 overall) and grabbed 5 rebounds en route to 23 points.
• Cass Prosper scored 20 points on 8-11 shooting and doled out 5 assists. Many of her points were scored on drives into the middle and on posting up much smaller guards in the paint, which is the advantage Coach Ivey looks for in her 6'2" guard (who has very long arms).
• 15 was Liatu King's number -- twice -- racking up 15 points and 15 rebounds.
• Kate Koval was dressed, but held out of the game, which was attributed to "soreness." This is about as explicit as ND gets in their medical reports. However, Koval seemed to be moving fine during timeouts, so hopefully she'll be back in action next Sunday after a week of finals.
• ND unveiled a new player: Luci Jensen, a freshman 5'10" guard out of Brookfield Academy in Brookfield, Wisconsin, where she was a 1,000 pt. scorer. Jensen impressed as a practice player and was asked to join the roster. ND has had a walk-on join the team many times, including Sarah Cernugel, who walked on before earning a scholarship.

As noted, ND will take this week off while players take finals, then play Loyola of Maryland at home on Dec. 22 before breaking for the holidays. They'll then resume ACC play against Virginia at home on Dec. 29.

 

[Dillon77]

You know things are going well for your team when a player who watched the Texas and UConn games comes out and does this:



ND hit 16 triples, the most they've ever scored in a game. And Risch nearly had half of them!

 

[Blueballer]

It was nice of ND to get another basket with 13 seconds left in the game. REALLY?

 

[DallasDomer]

It was nice of ND to get another basket with 13 seconds left in the game. REALLY?

Kind of like certain teams full court pressing in the fourth quarter up by 40.

The subs were in including a new walk on and the shot clock was on.

I also recall some on the ND post game thread saying ND would never shoot 55% from three again. Odd that that they shot 66% today.

 

[DallasDomer]

You know things are going well for your team when a player who watched the Texas and UConn games comes out and does this:



ND gszz 16 triples, the most they've ever scored in a game. And Risch nearly had half of them!

Maybe Risch is now fully healed and up to speed from her hip surgery. Her shots seemed very smooth. Perhaps she and Prosper can contribute more in the big games.