After finishing the regular season with five consecutive victories, along with two more in the ACC Tournament, head coach Niele Ivey’s Notre Dame women’s basketball team earned a No. 6 seed into the NCAA Tournament. It is the fifth consecutive postseason berth for the Irish under Ivey, whose lone absence from the March Madness tournament came in her first year with the former national champion player at the helm. The previous four tournament appearances have resulted in trips to the Sweet 16, but the Irish have advanced no further under Ivey’s reign.
Ivey said she felt pleased with the draw given to her team last Sunday during the Selection Show. ”We were super excited about the seed. I thought that February into March was a great time for our team,” she stated.
Peaking at the right time, the Irish were assigned to the Columbus regional, hosted by No. 3 Ohio State. The last time Notre Dame competed in Columbus, the Irish captured the 2018 National Championship thanks to back-to-back game winning shots from Arike Ogunbowale to beat UConn and Mississippi State, respectively. Additionally, the last time the Irish were a No. 6 seed, they advanced all the way to the 1997 Final Four in Cincinnati.
”Outside of being able to host, I thought being in that market was great for us. It’s close for our fans, only about a four-hour drive. For me, it’s just a blessing to be in the tournament, so we never take it for granted,” Ivey said.
Addressing the challenges of having to hit the road for the NCAA Tournament, Ivey noted that the ACC gauntlet was proper preparation. ”The ACC prepared us to have that road warrior mentality. My second year we had to go to Oklahoma, so we know what it feels like to come in with that different mindset.”
Sitting at 22-10, the 6th-seeded Irish will take on No. 11 Fairfield in round one. Hailing from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, the Stags have been one of the sport’s most consistent mid-major programs this decade. Led by fourth-year head coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis, Fairfield claimed both the conference regular season and tournament championships for the third straight season and fourth time in the last five campaigns.
Despite its recent success, this year might be the best team Fairfield has ever had. The program has never won an NCAA Tournament game, but the program earned its highest seed ever this year after a 28-4 season. Fairfield also collected wins over perennial postseason contender South Florida, and an NCAA Tournament No. 10 seed in Villanova.
Ivey offered high praise for the Stags. ”They are a very high octane team. They average 11 made-threes a game, which is first in the country. They live and die by the three, but they are also very disciplined,” she said.
Ivey also noted Fairfield’s lack of size, which is an area in which Notre Dame can exploit the matchup. The team’s leading rebounder is 6-foot sophomore road runner Cyanne Coe. If you are wondering what a ”road runner” is, you are not alone. Describing the road runner position, which is unique to Fairfield’s women’s program, graduate guard Janelle Brown said, “Our road runners are just stupid athletic. Like, they can defend, they can play offense. It doesn’t matter. They’re just everywhere.”
Essentially, the road runners are the size of typical forwards or post players in women’s basketball. But Fairfield’s breakneck pace emphasizes spacing and three-point shooting, a style of positionless basketball which aims to not relegate any player to inside the arc.
The Stags high-powered attack is spearheaded by junior guard Kaety L’Amoreaux, who averages over 17 points per game on a wildly efficient 47% from the field, 37% from beyond the arc, and 89% from the stripe. Junior road runner Meghan Andersen also pours in over 16 points per game, shooting over 40% from three and 90% from the line.
”We have our hands full, but we have played against this five-out style before, so we just have to lock in defensively on the three-point line and put a lot of pressure on them,” Ivey commented.
But if any team can keep up with this speed and style, it is the Irish team led by junior guard Hannah Hidalgo. The ACC Defensive Player of the Year and overall Player of the Year leads the nation in steals with over 5.4 a game, and also ranks third nationally at 25.2 points a night. When the pesky two-way guard plays efficiently, her relentless energy is infectious and the otherwise average Irish become difficult to beat. Complementing Hidalgo is senior guard Cassandre Prosper, who averages 13.8 PPG and 6.8 rebounds per game.
If the Irish are to overcome the Stags, they will take on the winner of Saturday’s second game between the No. 3 Buckeyes and the No. 14 Howard Bison. Notre Dame and Fairfield are set to tip off at 2:00 p.m. from Value City Arena, with the game being broadcasted nationally on ESPN as the Irish look to advance.
