Oct. 22, 2014
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Seven months after the University of Notre Dame women’s basketball team capped off its inaugural Atlantic Coast Conference season by ascending the podium at the Greensboro Coliseum to accept the ACC Tournament championship trophy, the conference coaches and Blue Ribbon Panel believe the Fighting Irish will again contend for the ACC hardware in 2014-15.
Notre Dame was the clear favorite in the annual ACC preseason women’s basketball polls, according to separate balloting from the league’s Blue Ribbon Panel and its 15 head coaches. The conference announced its preseason polls and all-conference honorees Wednesday in conjunction with ACC Women’s Basketball Media Day at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, N.C.
The Fighting Irish received 38 of 41 first-place votes and 835 total points from the Blue Ribbon Panel, which is comprised mainly of local and national media members. Duke was the Panel’s No. 2 choice, earning one first-place vote and 733 total points.
Rounding out the top five in the Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason Poll were conference newcomer Louisville (724 points, two first-place votes), North Carolina (707 points) and Florida State (545 points).
In the ACC coaches’ preseason poll, Notre Dame earned 14 of the 15 first-place votes and 223 total points. Duke was chosen second (one first-place vote, 196 points), while Louisville (194 points), North Carolina (193 points) and Florida State (152 points) completed the upper third of the balloting.
“Considering how strong and balanced the ACC is every year, and especially this year, it’s special to be chosen first in the preseason poll,” Notre Dame’s Hall of Fame head coach Muffet McGraw said. “As a conference, we sent eight teams to the NCAA Tournament last year, including two to the Final Four, and we could send even more to the (NCAA) Tournament this coming year. It’s a challenge every single time you take the floor in an ACC game, and we know we will tested by some really talented players and coaches, and we will have to rise to the challenge.”
Along with the team balloting, three Notre Dame players received individual accolades as part of the ACC preseason voting that was released Wednesday. Junior guard Jewell Loyd (Lincolnwood, Ill./Niles West) was chosen as the Preseason ACC Player of the Year and earned a spot on the Preseason All-ACC Team from both the Blue Ribbon Panel and the conference coaches after averaging career highs of 18.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last year, and collecting Associated Press second-team All-America honors, as well as a place on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), United States Basketball Writers Association USBWA), espnW and Full Court Press All-America teams. Loyd also is the No. 2-returning scorer in the ACC this season behind only Wake Forest’s Dearica Hamby (22.0 ppg.).
“Jewell has worked extremely hard to make herself one of the nation’s top players,” McGraw said. “She’s an all-around threat at both ends of the court and will be a leader by example for our team this season.”
Sophomore guard Lindsay Allen (Mitchellville, Md./St. John’s College) joined Loyd on this year’s Preseason All-ACC Team, earning recognition from both the Blue Ribbon Panel and the conference coaches. Allen received third-team Freshman All-America honors from Full Court Press last year after starting all 38 games for the Fighting Irish as a rookie point guard, averaging 6.2 points and 3.9 assists per game. She also led the ACC with a 2.24 assist/turnover ratio and her 150 total assists set a Notre Dame freshman record, eclipsing Mary Gavin’s previous mark of 116 assists in 1984-85.
“I’m so happy to see Lindsay get recognized on the preseason team,” McGraw said. “She was one of they keys to our success last year and she has the chance to do even greater things for us now that she’s gotten more comfortable in her role as a leader on the floor, running our offense.”
Freshman forward Brianna Turner (Pearland, Texas/Manvel) completed the trio of Notre Dame honorees on Wednesday, earning a spot on the ACC Newcomer Watch Lists from both the Blue Ribbon Panel and the league’s coaches.
Turner was the 2014 Gatorade National High School Female Athlete of the Year, 2014 USA Today National High School Player of the Year, 2014 Texas Miss Basketball and a three-time All-America selection during her prep career. A graduate of Manvel High School in Manvel, Texas, Turner averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.9 blocks, 3.1 steals and 3.0 assists per game in her four prep seasons, culminating with Most Valuable Player honors in the 2014 Texas Class 5A state title game, when she had 17 points and 17 rebounds to help Manvel end Duncanville High School’s 105-game winning streak. Turner went on to add MVP laurels at the 2014 McDonald’s High School All-America Game, thanks to another double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks) and the game-winning basket in the West Team’s 80-78 win over the East Team at the United Center in Chicago.
In August, Turner earned her fifth gold medal with USA Basketball, serving as co-captain for the USA Under-18 National Team and averaging 13.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game with a .600 field goal percentage for the American squad that took the crown at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“Bri is working really hard and is a very smart player,” McGraw said. “She’s picking up things quickly, and she’s very unselfish and really a true team player, someone who just wants to do whatever she can to help us be successful.”
Led by Loyd and Allen, the Fighting Irish have two starters and 10 monogram recipients returning from last year’s team that went 37-1 and was ranked No. 2 in both major national polls at season’s end, swept both the ACC regular season and tournament titles (a combined 19-0 record) and advanced to the NCAA Women’s Final Four for the fourth consecutive season (sixth in school history), as well as the program’s third NCAA national championship game appearance in four years (fourth overall).
Notre Dame also welcomes a three-player incoming freshman class that includes Turner and has been ranked among the top five in the nation by multiple recruiting outlets.
The Fighting Irish will hold an open practice from 3:45-5 p.m. (ET) Monday at Purcell Pavilion to give fans a first look at this year’s Notre Dame women’s basketball team. Admission is free (enter via Gate 10 of Purcell Pavilion) and the team’s annual “Meet The Freshmen” event will take place immediately following Monday’s practice.
The Fighting Irish tip off their 2014-15 season with an exhibition game at 7 p.m. (ET) Nov. 5, playing host to Ferris State at Purcell Pavilion (live radio coverage in South Bend on Pulse FM 96.9/92.1 and online via WatchND at watchnd.tv). Notre Dame’s regular season slate begins at 6 p.m. (ET) Nov. 14, when the Fighting Irish welcome UMass Lowell to Purcell Pavilion (free live webcast on WatchND, live radio on South Bend’s Pulse FM 96.9/92.1).
Single-game tickets for the 2014-15 Notre Dame women’s basketball campaign go on sale Thursday through the Murnane Family Ticket Office by calling (574) 631-7356 or visiting the ticket windows at Gate 9 in the Rosenthal Atrium at Purcell Pavilion from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) weekdays. Fans also can purchase tickets online through the official Fighting Irish athletics ticketing web page (UND.com/buytickets).
For more information on the Notre Dame women’s basketball program, sign up to follow the Fighting Irish women’s basketball Twitter pages (@NDsidMasters or @ndwbb), like the program on Facebook (facebook.com/ndwbb) or register for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the “Fan Center” pulldown menu on the front page at UND.com.
Blue Ribbon Panel ACC Preseason Poll
1. NOTRE DAME (835 points, 38 first place votes)
2. Duke (733 points, 1 first place vote)
3. Louisville (724 points, 2 first place votes)
4. North Carolina (707 points)
5. Florida State (545 points)
6. Syracuse (536 points)
7. Georgia Tech (508 points)
8. Miami (421 points)
9. North Carolina State (407 points)
10. Virginia (334 points)
11. Wake Forest (295 points)
12. Virginia Tech (184 points)
13. Boston College (178 points)
14. Clemson (169 points)
15. Pittsburgh (144 points)
Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason All-ACC Team
Lindsay Allen, So., G, Notre Dame
Kaela Davis, So., G, Georgia Tech
Allisha Gray, So., G, North Carolina
Dearica Hamby, Sr., F, Wake Forest
Sara Hammond, Sr., F, Louisville
Jewell Loyd, Jr., G, Notre Dame
Stephanie Mavunga, So., F, North Carolina
Xylina McDaniel, Jr., F, North Carolina
Brittany Sykes, Jr., G, Syracuse
Elizabeth Williams, Sr., F/C, Duke
Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason ACC Player of the Year
Jewell Loyd, Jr., G, Notre Dame
Blue Ribbon Panel ACC Newcomer Watch List
Sierra Calhoun, Fr., G/F, Duke
Rebecca Greenwell, RS-Fr., G, Duke
Mariya Moore, Fr., G, Louisville
Shakayla Thomas, Fr., F, Florida State
Brianna Turner, Fr., F, Notre Dame
ACC Head Coaches Preseason Poll
1. NOTRE DAME (223 points, 14 first place votes)
2. Duke (196 points, 1 first place vote)
3. Louisville (194 points)
4. North Carolina (193 points)
5. Florida State (152 points)
6. Syracuse (149 points)
7. Georgia Tech (136 points)
8. Miami (117 points)
9. Virginia (98 points)
10. North Carolina State (87 points)
11. Wake Forest (82 points)
12. Virginia Tech (54 points)
13. Clemson (44 points)
14. Pittsburgh (43 points)
15. Boston College (32 points)
Coaches Preseason All-ACC Team
Lindsay Allen, So., G, Notre Dame
Nikki Dixon, Sr., G, Clemson
Kaela Davis, So., G, Georgia Tech
Allisha Gray, So., G, North Carolina
Dearica Hamby, Sr., F, Wake Forest
Sara Hammond, Sr., F, Louisville
Jewell Loyd, Jr., G, Notre Dame
Stephanie Mavunga, So., F, North Carolina
Brittany Sykes, Jr., G, Syracuse
Elizabeth Williams, Sr., F/C, Duke
Coaches Preseason ACC Player of the Year
Jewell Loyd, Jr., G, Notre Dame
Coaches ACC Newcomer Watch List
Sierra Calhoun, Fr., G/F, Duke
Rebecca Greenwell, RS-Fr., G, Duke
Myisha Hines-Allen, Fr., F, Louisville
Shakayla Thomas, Fr., F, Florida State
Brianna Turner, Fr., F, Notre Dame
— Chris Masters, Associate Athletic Media Relations Director