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GM 18 Preview: @ Pitt

Irish Look to Bounce Back at Pitt on Sunday

NCAA Bridgeport Regional:#5 Seed Notre Dame
Where:Bridgeport, CT | Total Mortgage Arena
Listen:99.9 WQLQ-FM | ND Radio Network
Notes:ND Notes
Social:@NDWBB
Sweet 16:#1 seed NC State
When:Saturday, March 26 | 11:30 am ET
Watch:ESPN
Elite 8:#2 seed UConn or #3 seed Indiana
When:Monday, March 28 | TBD

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The No. 19 Notre Dame women’s basketball team looks to bounce back after a tough loss on Thursday, traveling to Pittsburgh for yet another road contest in the ACC. The Fighting Irish (13-4, 4-2) tip off against the Panthers (10-8, 1-6) on Sunday, Jan. 23, at 2 p.m. ET on ACCNX.

FIVE WEAPONS – ANY GIVEN DAY

The Irish currently have five players averaging double-figures, all between 13 and 11, really showcasing the depth of this year’s team. In terms of all Power-Five schools, only one other program can claim that they have five averaging double figures as well – Syracuse.

Notre Dame has done a great job spreading the wealth, leading the ACC and ranking 10th in the nation in assists/game (18.7). They have twice this season dished out 30+. The Irish also lead the league and rank 16th in the country in A/TO Ratio (1.22).

Other notable national rankings for the Irish include: 14th in blocks/game (5.5), 24th in FG% with .457, 36th in rebound margin (7.3), 38th in rebounds/game (41.88), 23rd in scoring offense (76.5) and 13th in Fouls/Game (12.1).

NANCY LIEBERMAN AWARD WATCH LIST?

To all Nancy Lieberman Award committee members – you probably should be paying attention to someone who wasn’t on your preseason watch list and most definitely should be on your midseason one – introducing Olivia Miles. Notre Dame’s freshman point guard leads the ENTIRE NATION in assists per game, averaging 7.8. She’s also leading the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.23. However, Miles is more than just stylish assists and great vision, she’s a dynamic playmaker.

Miles is averaging double-digit points (12.4), reeling in 6.4 boards/game (2nd best on team behind Dodson) and collecting a team best 2.0 steals/game. 

Miles is the only player in the country averaging at least 12 points / 6 rebounds / 7 assists / 2 steals. She simply does it all.

And by the way, she’s piling up double-doubles, already earning 6 on the year, which ranks 4th in the ACC and 2nd among all Division I freshmen. And of those 6, one of them is a triple-double, as Miles became just the 2nd Irish freshman in program history to do so. 

ACC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR RACE

When it comes to Freshman-Only ACC rankings — Citron ranks 2nd in scoring, 1st in rebounding and 3rd in assists. No other freshman in the league ranks in the top-3 in all 3 categories. In fact, Citron has the highest PTS+REB+AST/Game of any ACC freshman. 

PTS+REB+AST/GAME Among ACC Freshman

1. Sonia Citron – 19.4

2. Shayeann Day-Wilson – 18.0

3. Maria Gakdeng – 15.9

FRESHMEN DUO SENSATION

Therefore, Notre Dame doesn’t just have one, but two super freshmen in Citron and Miles who will be the building blocks for years to come. 

ESPN Women’s Hoops in fact put both Miles and Citron on their midseason top-10 freshman list. Miles was ranked No. 2, while Citron checked in at No. 6. Notre Dame was the only program with two freshmen on the list.  

In fact, Notre Dame is the only Power-Five school with two freshmen averaging double figures. Furthermore, there’s only one other school in Division I with 2 freshmen averaging at least 11 ppg – Pacific – Anaya James and Elizabeth Elliot. 

A 6-1 versatile guard, Citron does it all for Coach Ivey and just has a nose for the ball. She’s averaging an impressive 11.1 points off the bench while ranking 3rd on the team in rebounds (6.0), 3rd in assists (2.2) and 2nd in steals (1.5).

Rare numbers off the bench –> there are only 2 players in the entire country (of any class) who are putting up those numbers off the bench: Citron and NC State’s Diamond Johnson.

In addition, there are only 3 freshmen in the entire country averaging at least 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists and 1 steal, and two belong to ND. The other is Arkansas State’s Lauryn Pendleton.  

Then there’s Olivia Miles, who has already been detailed above. Ultimately, Miles ranks in the top-15 in the ACC in 5 different stat categories: Rebounds, Assists, Steals, A/TO Ratio and Defensive Rebounds. Best of any Irish player. 

Both freshmen are extremely active on the glass. In fac , Miles’ 5.6 defensive boards/game leads the team and ranks 5th in the ACC.

HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS

Kudos to Coach Ivey and her staff and their ability to stress certain halftime adjustments. The third quarter has been Notre Dame’s best all year, outscoring its opposition by over 100 points! The gap currently sits at 386-273. 

WHO’S HOT

Let’s start with the reigning ACC and Naismith Trophy Player of the Week, Dara Mabrey. The New Jersey native averaged 23.0 ppg and converted nine treys in the wins over Wake Forest and No. 21 North Carolina. Over the last three games, she’s 11-for-24 (.458) from beyond the arc, scoring a total of 56 points in that stretch.

Miles –> double-digit points in 7 of the last 8 games, including 2 20-point performances. 68 assists to 25 turnovers in last 8 games as well aka a 2.72 A/TO ratio. 

Maya Dodson is currently enjoying the best stretch of her collegiate career – 5 straight games in double figures, including two 20-point performances. She’s averaging 17.4 points in said stretch on 40-of-74 shooting. Thus she’s shooting 54.1 percent compared to her season average of 44.2 percent. 

From a wider lens perspective, Citron has scored in double figures in 7 of the last 10 games. The freshman also recently notched a double-double against North Carolina.

DARA HEAT CHECK

Since Dara’s unfortunate 0-for-9 showing from three at DePaul before the Christmas holiday, she’s been on an absolute tear from deep upon her return. Over the last 4 games, she’s 12-for-25, converting 48.0 percent. Mabrey achieved a season high 6 made treys in the win over No. 21 UNC. The game prior at Wake, she started the game 3-for-3, which included a buzzer beater from the WF logo.

IN THE NET

In the updated NET rankings, ND currently sits at No. 17, which ranks as the 3rd best in the ACC behind No. 1 NC State and No. 4 Louisville. Against the NET top-25, the Irish are 1-2. Against the top-50, they are 2-4. Zero losses then outside the top-50. In fact, 3 of their 4 losses are against teams currently ranked in the top-25.