Last month, I asked whether Notre Dame women’s basketball head coach Niele Ivey had hit her ceiling, given her failure to advance her program past four consecutive Sweet 16 appearances. At the time, Notre Dame was projected to be a No. 7 seed heading into March Madness, sporting an 18-9 record and a 10-6 mark in ACC play.
Despite the Irish’s inconsistency throughout the season, most evident in their lackluster conference performances, they secured a No. 6 spot on Selection Sunday. Their strong finish to the season included a crucial road win over then-No. 10 Louisville, and Notre Dame entered the tournament with a 20-9 record.
“The sense of urgency went to an all-time high in February,” Ivey said following the 65-62 victory at Louisville on March 1. “Every next matchup is the most important game for us.”
The Irish breezed past Fairfield 79-60 in the first-round and notched an impressive 83-73 second-round victory over No. 3 seed Ohio State. Notre Dame is one of three programs dancing into its fifth straight Sweet 16 this year, joined by South Carolina and UConn, who have been top-3 seeds every year since 2022. The Gamecocks, who currently boast a 33-3 record with only one conference loss, have maintained a 94.7% winning rate over the past five seasons, while the undefeated and top overall Huskies hold an 88.8% rate over the same span. They are undoubtedly the two most elite women’s basketball programs of the modern era. Whether or not they rank higher than the Irish at their height under legendary coach Muffet McGraw is a debate for another day.
All of this to say that Ivey’s ability to get her team to the second weekend despite uneven play through mid-February is undeniably a testament to good coaching. Some may argue that in her sixth year at the helm, with such a lack of late-March relevance, Ivey’s excellence ends at her strong recruiting capabilities. But five straight regional-semifinal appearances are nothing to sniff at. Under her leadership, the Irish, without fail, play their best ball down the tail end of the season. In Notre Dame’s final five regular-season matchups since 2021-22, it has gone a stellar 20-5 and won the ACC tournament in 2024.
Now, while a lot of this team’s success is attributable to wunderkind All-American junior guard Hannah Hidalgo, she has plenty of company, particularly in the backcourt. Graduate guard Vanessa de Jesus has been a key transfer after leaving Duke with her steady play, and double-figure scorers senior Cassandre Prosper and graduate Iyana Moore round out the elite guard corps.
With a veteran team, Notre Dame gets its chance to return to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2019. It will be no easy task against No. 2 Vanderbilt, which boasts an electric All-American guard of its own in Mikayla Blakes. This late-season run shows Ivey can get her team to come together and win big road games against higher-seeded opponents in the Big Dance. However, in their win over the Buckeyes, only seven Irish players saw action — six of them were seniors, and the other, of course, was Hidalgo.
Now more than ever, the current season is the only one that matters in the environment of big-money name-image and likeness and the whirlwind transfer portal. The Irish may or may not be in rebuild mode next season, depending on Hidalgo’s intentions, their portal haul and the actual impact of a touted incoming recruiting class. There are no guarantees after Friday. Even a Sweet 16 appearance next season or thereafter is no sure thing. Ivey has proved it will not be her last chance as the coach in South Bend, but it is a great opportunity to elevate her profile as an emerging force in the sport. The time is now, and the place is Fort Worth, Texas.
