Women's Basketball
No. 6 Michigan
No. 2 TCU
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame and Michigan will take their gridiron rivalry to the court on Sunday, as the third-seeded Irish (27-5) host the sixth-seeded Wolverines (23-10) in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame is seeking its fourth consecutive trip to the Sweet 16.
The Irish posted a historic victory on Friday in the first round, dominating 14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin, 106-54. It was the largest margin of victory in program history and just the second time Notre Dame has eclipsed in the century mark in the Big Dance. Hannah Hidalgo and Sonia Citron paced Notre Dame with 24 points each, but it was an impressive team effort from an offense that has struggled in the last few games. Five Notre Dame players finished with 10+ points, and all Irish who dressed for the game had at least one bucket.
In total, Notre Dame made an NCAA Tournament program record 45 field goals.
While the offense was humming, the defense also stole the show for Notre Dame. The Irish forced 28 turnovers and had a season-high 18 steals. Hidalgo had 5 swipes, while Citron had 4 and 3 blocks. Freshman Kate Koval had 4 blocks as well, becoming the first Irish freshman in at least 25 years to record a 4-block NCAA Tournament showing.
Michigan topped 11th-seeded Iowa State 80-74 on Friday to advance to this point. After trailing to start the final frame, the Wolverines outscored the Cyclones 27-18 in the fourth quarter. Jordan Hobbs knocked down five triples and finished with a career-high 28 points.
The Wolverines often go with a five-guard lineup, one which includes three freshmen. Big Ten Freshman of the Year Olivia Olson leads Michigan with 16.2 points per game, and fellow rookie Syla Swords sits at 15.9. Swords was a Canadian Olympian last summer with Irish guard Cassandre Prosper, and she played high school basketball at Long Island Lutheran with Koval.
Notre Dame is 13-8 all-time against Michigan and 8-2 at home. The teams last faced off in December 2020, and the Wolverines earned the 76-66 victory in South Bend.
Sunday’s game will air on ABC at 1 p.m. Pam Ward and Stephanie White will be on the call from Purcell Pavilion.