Notre Dame Fighting Irish
ACC (31-2, 15-1)
Notre Dame has reloaded in a big way this season after needing to address to loss of players the caliber of Kayla McBride to the WNBA after last season. The Fighting Irish continued to roll for the most part in a very tough Atlantic Coast Conference and are in prime position once again to make a run at a national championship as a number one seed heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Big Wins: 12/3 Maryland (92-72), 1/19 Tennessee (88-77), 2/23 Louisville (68-52)
Bad Losses: 12/6 Connecticut (58-76), 1/8 at Miami FL (63-78)
Coach: Muffet McGraw
Why They Can Surprise:
Notre Dame can make a run at the national championship if they are efficient offensively like they have been all season long. Jewell Loyd and Lindsey Allen are one of the top backcourt tandems in all of women’s college basketball and can put the Fighting Irish on their back if they have to. Notre Dame also does a nice job of controlling the glass despite playing a four guard lineup at times. The depth that the Fighting Irish has is going to come in very handy in the NCAA Tournament as they have used ten players pretty consistently this season. Finally, the versatility of freshman forward Brianna Turner is a wild card for Notre Dame in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Turner can cause matchup nightmares for opposing teams. she can beat you down low and pop out and nail an open mid-range jumper as well when necessary.
Why They Can Disappoint:
In the losses to Connecticut and Miami, the Fighting Irish struggled mightily shooting from the perimeter and that could be a problem if they run into teams with great defensive guards. Also, the overall consistency of the defense for Notre Dame is going to be important as Connecticut shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half and overcame a rare off night for Breanna Stewart to beat the Fighting Irish. If Notre Dame can bring a relentless intensity at the defensive end of the court like they have in big wins over Duke and Louisville, then they can avoid an upset in the NCAA Tournament.
Probable Starters:
Lindsey Allen, Sophomore, Guard, 9.9 ppg, 5.2 apg
Jewell Loyd, Junior, Guard, 20.5 ppg, 3.1 apg, 5.4 rpg
Michaela Mabrey, Junior, Guard, 6.7 ppg, 2.6 apg
Brianna Turner, Freshman, Forward, 13.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.6 bpg
Taya Reimer, Sophomore, Forward, 10.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Kathryn Westbeld, Freshman, Forward, 7.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Madison Cable, Senior, Guard, 6.7 ppg
Mychal Johnson, Freshman, Guard, 3.2 ppg
Markisha Wright, Senior, Forward, 3.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg
Hannah Huffman, Junior, Guard, 2.5 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 82.6 (4th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 59.9 (86, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 50.1 (2, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 37.7 (79, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.0 (175, 12)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.0 (9, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 75.1 (22, 2)
Rebound Margin: 8.6 (17, 3)
Assists Per Game: 18.6 (6, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 15.2 (111, 7)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA First Round win over Robert Morris
2014 NCAA Second Round win over Arizona State
2014 NCAA Third Round win over Oklahoma State
2014 NCAA Quarterfinal win over Baylor
2014 NCAA Semifinal win over Maryland
2014 NCAA National Final loss over Connecticut
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Tennessee Martin
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over Iowa
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Kansas
2013 NCAA Regional Final win over Duke
2013 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Connecticut
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over Liberty
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over California
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over St. Bonaventure
2012 NCAA Regional Final win over Maryland
2012 NCAA National Semifinal win over Connecticut
2012 NCAA National Championship loss to Baylor
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Utah
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Temple
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Oklahoma
2011 NCAA Regional Final win over Tennessee
2011 NCAA National Semifinal win over Connecticut
2011 NCAA National Final loss to Texas A&M
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Cleveland State
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Vermont
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Oklahoma
2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Minnesota
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Southern Methodist
2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Oklahoma
2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Tennessee
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over California
2007 NCAA Round of 32 loss to North Carolina
*all team stats through 3/5
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
