| GAME 19 | No. 3 Notre Dame (16-2, 7-0) at Boston College (10-8, 3-4) |
|---|---|
| WHEN: | Thursday, Jan. 23 | 7 p.m. |
| WHERE | Conte Forum | Chestnut Hill, Mass. |
| WATCH: | ACC Network Extra |
| LISTEN: | Notre Dame Radio Network |
| SOCIAL: | @NDWBB | #GOIRISH |
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — No. 10 Notre Dame (5-2) already has a top-five win on its resume this year, and the Irish will go for a second on Thursday, as Notre Dame hosts No. 4 Texas (7-0) at Purcell Pavilion for its first ranked home matchup of the season. The contest is part of the second annual SEC-ACC Challenge. Notre Dame beat Tennessee in Knoxville last year as part of the inaugural event.
The Irish are coming off of back-to-back losses to TCU and Utah, the first time they have lost consecutive games since 2021. Sonia Citron was the bright spot against the Utes with 22 points and 4 steals, both team-leading on the day and season-highs for the wing. Hidalgo was the leading scorer against TCU with 27 points. She now has at least 20 points in 31 of her 42 collegiate games.
The Longhorns will arrive in South Bend undefeated. The group picked up its first and only ranked win of the year on Sunday, downing then No. 12 West Virginia to win the Gulf Coast Showcase.
Madison Booker, the SEC Preseason Player of the Year and a Preseason AP All-American, leads the Longhorns with 16 points per game. Texas point guard Rori Harmon has returned from an ACL tear last season and is running one of the nation’s most efficient offenses. Texas is averaging 92.9 points per game this year, which ranks fourth nationally.
But it starts on defense for Texas, as the Longhorns are forcing 27 turnovers per game this year and are outscoring opponents 236-84 off of those mishaps.
Notre Dame is familiar with Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer, as he was the head coach at Mississippi State for the 2018 national title game against the Irish. He is in his fifth year at Texas and 20th overall as a head coach.
Notre Dame is 1-1 all-time against Texas and last saw the Longhorns in the NCAA Tournament in 1997, during which Muffet McGraw’s Irish team made its first Final Four.
Texas-Notre Dame tips off on ESPN at 7 p.m. Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo will be on the call.