| NCAA Bridgeport Regional: | #5 Seed Notre Dame |
|---|---|
| Where: | Bridgeport, CT | Total Mortgage Arena |
| Listen: | 99.9 WQLQ-FM | ND Radio Network |
| Notes: | ND Notes |
| Social: | @NDWBB |
| Sweet 16: | #1 seed NC State |
| When: | Saturday, March 26 | 11:30 am ET |
| Watch: | ESPN |
| Elite 8: | #2 seed UConn or #3 seed Indiana |
| When: | Monday, March 28 | TBD |
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Finally, the Notre Dame women’s basketball team has a homestand and it’s a lengthy one to boot. The No. 20 Fighting Irish (14-4, 5-2) will play host to a pivotal four-game hometand inside Purcell Pavilion starting with Syracuse (8-9, 1-6) on Thursday, Jan. 27. That contest will tip at 6 p.m. ET, airing live on ACC Network.
The Irish are 17-0 at home against the Orange all-time. In just the third game of the season back on Nov. 14, the Irish traveled to Syracuse and left with an 82-56 victory. Notre Dame was led by a 19-point effort from Maddy Westbeld, 17 points off the bench from Sam Brunelle and 16 points from Dara Mabrey. The Irish closed the game out on a 21-0 run over the final 8:06 of the contest to run away with the victory.
FIVE WEAPONS – ANY GIVEN DAY
The Irish currently have five players averaging double-figures, all between 13 and 11, really showcasing the depth of this year’s team. In terms of all Power-Five schools, only one other program can claim that they have 5 averaging double figures as well – Syracuse.
Also look no further than the last two games, Against BC and Pitt, Notre Dame had five players finish in double figures. They’ll look to make it three in a row against Syracuse.
Notre Dame has done a great job spreading the wealth, leading the ACC and ranking 11th in the nation in assists/game (18.4). They have twice this season dished out 30+.
PROTECT THIS HOUSE
The Irish played a home game against Pitt on Dec. 19, not knowing that they would play only one more at home over the course of the next 5.5 weeks. At long last, the Irish finally return to Purcell for a pivotal four-game homestand.
Notre Dame is 7-0 at home – it’s best start since the 2017-18 national championship season (they went 15-0 at home).
In terms of undefeated ACC teams at home, it’s just Notre Dame, Louisville (10-0) and North Carolina (9-0).
In terms of other P5’s: Baylor in the Big 12, Michigan in the B1G, South Carolina in the SEC, UCLA and Arizona in the Pac-12.
NANCY LIEBERMAN AWARD WATCH LIST?
To all Nancy Lieberman Award committee members – you probably should be paying attention to Olivia Miles. Notre Dame’s freshman point guard leads the ENTIRE NATION in assists per game, averaging 7.8. She’s also leading the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.16. However, Miles is more than just stylish assists and great vision, she’s a dynamic playmaker.
Miles is averaging double-digit points (12.5), leading the team in steals (2.0) and reels in 6.3 boards/game (2nd best on the team).
Miles is the only player in the country averaging at least 12 points / 6 rebounds / 7 assists / 2 steals. She simply does it all.
And by the way, she boasts 6 double-doubles on the year, which ranks 4th in the ACC and 2nd among all Division I freshmen. And of those 6, one of them is a triple-double, as Miles became just the 2nd Irish freshman in program history to do so.
MORE ON MILES’ ASSIST NUMBERS
The top passer in the country is putting up assist numbers the program has rarely seen. Miles’ 7.8 apg would finish 3rd all-time, with the top-three spots currently belonging to:
1. Mary Gavin 8.7 1987-88
2. Mary Gavin 7.9 1986-87
3. Lindsay Allen 7.6 2016-17
The most total assists in a season belong to Lindsay Allen at 282 (2016-17).
The highest assist average for a freshman at ND was 4.5 by Mary Gavin in 1984-85.
Miles boasts 5 double-digit assist performances on the year. All other players in the ACC have combined for one.
4X ACC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Guard Sonia Citron has claimed ACC Freshman of the Week 4 times in the first 6 weeks of play, making her a contender for Freshman of the Year. Citron looks to challenge 2019 alumna Brianna Turner who set the program record with six ACC FOTW honors. Going back into the program’s Big East days, both Jacqueline Batteast (01-02) and Alicia Ratay (99-00) were each six-time winners as well.
Also important to note – the ACC has ruled fellow freshman Olivia Miles ineligible to win ACC Freshman of the Week/Year due to enrolling early last winter and playing six games.
ACC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR RACE
When it comes to Freshman-Only ACC rankings — Citron ranks 2nd in scoring (by less than a point), 1st in rebounding and 3rd in assists. No other freshman in the league ranks in the top-3 in all three categories. In fact, Citron has the highest PTS+REB+AST/Game of any ACC freshman.
PTS+REB+AST/GAME Among ACC Freshman
1. Sonia Citron – 19.4
2. Shayeann Day-Wilson – 17.9
3. Maria Gakdeng – 15.7
FRESHMEN DUO SENSATION
Therefore, Notre Dame doesn’t just have one, but two super freshmen in Citron and Miles who will be the building blocks for years to come.
ESPN Women’s Hoops in fact put both Miles and Citron on their midseason top-10 freshman list. Miles was ranked No. 2, while Citron checked in at No. 6. Notre Dame was the only program with two freshmen on the list.
In fact, Notre Dame is the only Power-Five school with two freshmen averaging double figures. Furthermore, there’s only one other school in Division I with 2 freshmen averaging at least 11 ppg – Pacific – Anaya James and Elizabeth Elliot.
A 6-1 versatile guard, Citron does it all for Coach Ivey and just has a nose for the ball. She’s averaging an impressive 11.2 points off the bench while ranking 3rd on the team in rebounds (6.1), 3rd in assists (2.2) and 2nd in steals (1.6).
In addition, there are only three freshmen in the entire country averaging at least 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and 1 steal, and two belong to ND. The other is Harvard’s Harmoni Turner.
Rare numbers off the bench –> there are only 2 players in the entire country (of any class) who are putting up those averages off the bench: Citron and Georgia Southern’s Terren Ward.
Then there’s Olivia Miles, who has already been detailed above. Ultimately, Miles ranks in the top-15 in the ACC in 5 different stat categories: Rebounds, Assists, Steals, A/TO Ratio and Defensive Rebounds. Best of any Irish player.
ND’s two freshmen are its top two in Defensive-Rebounds/Game — Miles (5.6) & Citron (4.3). Both rank in the ACC in the top-15. The two are also the team’s top two steal getters, as Miles averages 2.0 while Citron checks in with 1.6.
DARA HEAT CHECK
No matter which way you look at it, Dara Mabrey has been on a tear from beyond the arc. Let’s first look at ACC play, where she’s knocking down a blistering 51.2 percent (21-for-41) from three, which ranks 1st in the league. She’s also averaging 3.0 made three’s per game as well, which ranks 1st too.
With that said, Dara is averaging 14.0 ppg in ACC play, which ranks 9th in the league.
Back to three-point land – since Dara’s unfortunate 0-for-9 showing from three at DePaul before the Christmas holiday, she’s been on an absolute tear from deep upon her return. Over the last five games, she’s 14-for-29, converting 48.3 percent. Mabrey achieved a season-high six made treys in the win over No. 21 UNC. The game prior at Wake, she started the game 3-for-3, which included a buzzer-beater from the WF logo.
HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS
Kudos to Coach Ivey and her staff and their ability to stress certain halftime adjustments. The third quarter has been Notre Dame’s best all year, outscoring its opposition by over 100 points! The gap currently sits at 409-289. In points per quarter, it’s 22.7-16.1.
WHO’S HOT
Let’s start with the player who is riding the best stretch of her collegiate career – Maya Dodson. The graduate student has recorded a career-high six straight games in double figures, including three 20-point performances. She’s averaging 18.3 points in said stretch on 49-of-92 shooting (.532). As a result, she’s now tied with Maddy with leading the team in scoring with 12.6 ppg. She also now has two double-doubles on the season and they both have come in the last three games.
Dara Mabrey is currently riding the best stretch of her season with four straight games in double figures –> 66 points for a 16.5 ppg average. She’s also 13-for-28 from beyond the arc.
Sonia Citron has achieved three straight games in double figures (also eight of her last 11). In those three games, Soni averaged 12.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
IN THE NET
In the updated NET rankings, Notre Dame currently sits at No. 22, which ranks as the fourth best in the ACC behind No. 1 NC State, No. 4 Louisville and No. 18 Virginia Tech. Against the NET top-25, the Irish are 1-2. Against the top-50, they are 2-4. Against the top-100, they are 9-4. Thus, zero losses outside the top-50. In fact, three of their four losses are against teams currently ranked in the A.P. top-25.
— ND —