No. 3 Irish Seek Ranked Victory In Chapel Hill

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — After beginning conference play with victories over Syracuse and Virginia, No. 3 Notre Dame will play No. 17 North Carolina on their turf on Sunday. 

The Irish have struggled recently against the Tar Heels, particularly at Carmichael Arena. North Carolina has won the last two meetings, and Notre Dame has not won in Chapel Hill since 2017. The Irish have been held under 60 points in the 2023 and 2024 meetings, but this season could be different if the Notre Dame offense continues to click as it has to start the year. 

It is truly a pick-your-poison situation this season, as numerous players — even off the bench — can explode for points at any given time. Notre Dame is coming off a win over the Cavaliers in which Olivia Miles recorded her second-consecutive triple-double (the first to do so in ACC history), Hannah Hidalgo had 28 points, and Sonia Citron had 25 points, including five 3-pointers. Hidalgo leads the nation in steals this year (4.1) and ranks second in points (26.0). Miles is pacing the conference with 7.2 assists every time she takes the floor. 

Additionally, the Irish are averaging 89.3 points per game this season, lead the nation from downtown (42.9 percent), and lead the ACC with a 49.4 percent success rate from the floor. 

North Carolina’s two losses are both to top-15 teams (Connecticut and Georgia Tech), and the Tar Heels have the top scoring defense in the ACC. UNC has a multitude of weapons as well, beginning with Alyssa Ustby. The three-time All-ACC selection is averaging 11.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game in her graduate season. 

Forward Maria Gakdeng leads the Tar Heels with 11.4 points per game and a 71.4 field goal percentage. She has been hot as of late, averaging 16.8 points and 8.3 rebounds over the course of her last four games. 

Sunday’s game tips off on ESPN at 1 p.m. Notre Dame is 10-5 all-time against North Carolina and 2-3 on the road.