The spotlight often shines brightest on the biggest stars—especially in a program as storied as Notre Dame women’s basketball. This season, much of the attention has revolved around standout players Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo, two dynamic guards whose performances have been instrumental in the team’s success. However, following Notre Dame’s ACC Tournament semifinal loss to Duke, it was another veteran who stepped forward to address the team’s shortcomings.
When the Fighting Irish climbed to No. 1 in the AP Poll on February 17th, it was a historic moment—their first time at the top in seven years. The buzz was real. This team looked like a legitimate title contender. But then, things started unraveling. Notre Dame lost three of its last five games, missed out on the ACC regular-season title, and failed to defend its conference tournament crown. Just like that, the hype turned into a lot of question marks.
While Hidalgo’s efforts were notable in the game, scoring 23 on 9-22 from the floor, the collective performance fell short. The other starters combined for a shooting accuracy of just 6-for-26. But whatever the case, Notre Dame hasn’t been the same since falling to NC, which Hidalgo admitted saying, “We just have to come together with how we were when we played USC and Texas and all those other teams,” Hidalgo said of two wins of ranked teams that seemingly happened another season ago. “We were just playing together. We had a little more fight in us, and we’ve gotten away from that.”
Certain questions were raised against Olivia Miles too, one of them being notably by Charlie Creme. “She’s not making three-pointers the way she did, she’s not running the offense the way she did,” he complained. “She’s lost a little of her aggressiveness going to the basket as well and setting up teammates“.
With Notre Dame skidding, Irish vets are looking in the mirror prior to the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s on me,” Maddy Westbeld said. “It’s on the leaders, what we have to do to rally us. Just taking accountability for myself is really all there is to it.”https://t.co/oqtd8aEf2c pic.twitter.com/RBEASvNAIT
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) March 9, 2025
And she wasn’t wrong. The Irish offense just fell apart in their 61-56 loss. Despite forcing 21 turnovers, their offensive struggles were evident, particularly in the second half, where they scored just 25 points- their lowest in a half this season. They shot only 37.5% from the field, managed just three made threes (despite leading the nation in three-point percentage), and watched Duke seize control with a crucial 9-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters.
Head coach Niele Ivey, too, was just as frustrated: “I feel like we played below our standard. So that’s frustrating. We’ve got to get better, and that’s on me, I need to make this team get better, and that’s something when we get back on this court, we will be better for this loss.”
Well, Duke came in with a perfect strategy, something the Irish had no answers to. Oluchi Okananwa, the 2024 ACC Sixth Player of the Year, was relentless—leading Duke with 14 points on perfect shooting from both the field and the free-throw line. But her impact went beyond the box score. She fought for extra possessions, grabbed three offensive rebounds, and essentially sealed the win with a clutch transition layup in the final minutes. Meanwhile, Vanessa de Jesus provided steady ball-handling and tough on-ball defense, keeping Duke composed while their relentless pressure wore Notre Dame down.
All this was enough for Duke to exploit Notre Dame’s weak spots, specifically targeting Olivia Miles and Westbeld in pick-and-roll situations. They also dominated the glass and completely disrupted Notre Dame’s half-court offense, forcing the Irish into bad turnovers and making it nearly impossible to get good looks inside.
Finally, the sufferings of Notre Dame ended with Duke punching its ticket to the ACC championship game for the first time since 2017. We are sure, though, that you must be thinking, how did the previously No. 1 team end up here? There are many taking the blame, but it probably all boils down to this.
Despite slipping down and losing the ACC title, Olivia Miles and Notre Dame still can learn from mistakes…
It all started after they dropped the first two games in a Thanksgiving tournament in the Cayman Islands. However, they made a comeback and had a 19-game win streak, knocking off even top teams like Duke, Texas, UConn, and even UNC.
Thanks to its key frontcourt players Liza Karlen and Westbeld, who got back during that stretch and helped the head coach bolster a team that has historically struggled with depth. And then, the Irish had no shortage of individual star powers. Olivia Miles, Hannah Hidalgo, and Sonia Citron were all finalists for the best point guard, shooting guard, and small forward in the country, respectively.
But their chemistry has been inconsistent. Hidalgo’s shooting dipped below 40% over the final month of the regular season, just as Citron found her scoring rhythm. And as we mentioned before, just like Duke, opponents have exploited Miles and Westbeld in the pick-and-roll.
Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo lays the ball up during a NCAA women’s basketball game between Notre Dame and SMU at Purcell Pavilion on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in South Bend.
The team’s shooting has also fallen off at the worst possible time. In their late February loss to NC State, those four combined to shoot just 7-of-22 from three. Against Florida State, they went 4-of-11, with Miles and Hidalgo missing all five of their attempts. And in the ACC semifinal against Duke? Just 3-of-14 from deep.
For the Irish to make a serious run in March Madness, they need to find their shooting rhythm again. Their offense thrives when they’re hitting threes and pushing the pace in transition. If they can’t get back to that, their season could end earlier than expected. And honestly, it’s more than required now!
The post Not Olivia Miles or Hannah Hidalgo, Another Notre Dame Veteran Breaks Silence by Owning Up to ACC Failure appeared first on EssentiallySports.
