Ladies’s school basketball: 3 issues to look at when No. 3 Notre Dame faces No. 17 North Carolina

On Sunday afternoon, the No. 3 Notre Dame Preventing Irish journey south to Chapel Hill, NC to face the No. 17 North Carolina Tar Heels. It’s the primary recreation for both facet in every week, giving the time for each side to relaxation and loosen up over the ultimate week of the 2024 calendar.

Whereas the matchup doesn’t have the lengthy historical past of say a Notre Dame vs. UConn or North Carolina vs. Duke matchup, it options two groups which have a bunch primed for runs deep into the postseason.

Listed here are three issues to pay shut consideration to when the 2 groups tip Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Olivia Miles Historical past

Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles missed the entire 2023-24 season resulting from an ACL harm, however this 12 months the senior’s picked up the place she left off earlier than happening. Towards the Tar Heels, that might imply tying a historic second of particular person accomplishment with Miles’ potential to get triple-doubles.

Miles is already tied for sixth in school basketball historical past with six profession triple-doubles and he or she enters Sunday with two in a row. Ought to Miles obtain it in a 3rd consecutive recreation, she’ll be the second participant in NCAA Division I basketball to perform the feat and the primary since 2019.

In 2019, Lamar Cardinals guard Chastadie Barrs, who’s now an assistant coach at Charleston, had three in a row, with the primary almost being a quadruple-double. In Lamar’s recreation at New Orleans, Barrs had 17 factors, 12 steals, 10 rebounds and 9 assists. The guard adopted it up with triple-doubles in factors, rebounds and assists within the subsequent two video games.

Barrs had 9 in her 4 seasons of NCAA basketball, placing her third all-time, however distant from No. 1 and a pair of on that record with Iowa’s Caitlin Clark hitting the mark 11 occasions and Sabrina Ionescu incomes an incredible 26 triple-doubles in her profession at Oregon.

Matt Cashore-Imagn Pictures

Whereas Miles is out of attain of hitting Ionescu’s file, incomes three in a row will add to an already spectacular profession for the Notre Dame star.

This season, Miles is scoring a profession excessive 16.7 factors per recreation, and discovering success paired alongside sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo in one of many strongest backcourts in basketball.

Perimeter Threats

The matchup between UNC and ND options deep taking pictures threats on each side. For the Tar Heels, it’s guard Lexi Donarski, who leads the Tar Heels with 31 three-point pictures this season.

Donarski is an effective illustration of North Carolina’s offense, a program that values transferring the ball round and discovering open pictures. Versus placing the ball in a single individual’s fingers and having them take over the offense.

Head coach Courtney Banghart’s group is unselfish with the ball and values taking open appears to be like, whether or not they make it or miss it. Whereas Donarski leads the group in taking pictures from past the arc, at the least 5 gamers rating at the least 8.5 factors per recreation.

That doesn’t sound like a lot, however UNC’s a group who prides itself on the defensive finish of the court docket, and their work once they don’t have the ball is high of the ACC. North Carolina leads the convention and sits tenth nationally in protection, permitting 52.7 factors per recreation.

Nevertheless, UNC has a tall job forward of them attempting to cease the taking pictures of the Irish. Hidalgo is second within the nation with 26 factors per recreation, main a ND group that not solely shoots rather a lot however shoots effectively. The Preventing Irish collectively shoot 49.4 p.c from the ground, and 42.1 p.c from deep, which is best than some other program in Division I school basketball.

UNC received’t be capable to sustain shot-for-shot, and want to shut down shooters like Hidalgo who isn’t afraid to tug up from deep, even on the quick break.

UNC’s Submit Play

The Tar Heels have one benefit over ND, and that’s top and presence contained in the paint. Whereas the Irish have measurement in 6-foot-5 middle Kate Koval, she’s a freshman nonetheless adjusting to the highest tier of faculty basketball. North Carolina has a pair of skilled, senior, bigs in Maria Gakdeng and Alyssa Ustby.

For Gakdeng, the 6-foot-3 ahead leads UNC within the publish, utilizing her measurement and motion to attain over defenders. Gakdeng leads the Tar Heels with 11.4 factors per recreation and shoots 71.4 p.c, which might be high of the convention if not for Gakdeng lacking 4 video games resulting from harm this season.

Ustby is mainly position-less, displaying attributes of each a guard and a ahead. Contained in the paint, Ustby tracks opposing gamers nicely and occasions blocks successfully. The senior additionally leads the group with 9.1 rebounds per recreation.

Picture by Megan Briggs/Getty Pictures

The five-year Tar Heel additionally performs like a guard, discovering open teammates, main the group with 3.6 assists per recreation, and utilizing her pace to drive to the basket or take a midrange shot.

In North Carolina’s final recreation, a 69-60 win over the Miami Hurricanes, the 2 publish threats mixed for 40 factors and 15 rebounds, and Ustby added 4 steals and 4 assists on high of it.

What is going to unencumber UNC on the perimeter is for Ustby and Gakdeng to get began early. When the duo takes management of video games early, it means extra distribution for gamers outdoors of the paint, like Donarski.

Notre Dame isn’t a group that’s scored on simply, with Hidalgo utilizing her fast fingers on protection to rack up steals and never let opposing groups simply dribble down the court docket to arrange their offense.

Ought to North Carolina get performs set constantly within the paint, and begin meting out to the wings, UNC will nonetheless must cope with ND graduate senior Liatu King. After transferring from Pitt within the offseason, King’s protection makes her a possible candidate for ACC Defensive Participant of the 12 months.

In 12 video games, King leads the Irish with a defensive ranking of 73.6, which means per 100 possessions in opposition to King, opposing sides rating that many factors on common, which is third within the ACC. It implies that King doesn’t relent and can drive UNC into extra passing conditions, which may imply extra turnovers for King and Hidalgo, who mix to common 6.6 steals per recreation.