There will be BIG TIME basketball played in Chapel Hill on Sunday afternoon!
Courtney Banghart and the UNC women's basketball program welcome Hannah Hidalgo and the No. 3-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish for a top 25 clash at Carmichael Arena. Nearly a year to the date, Notre Dame comes to North Carolina in hopes of earning some revenge from last season's loss to the Tar Heels on their home court.
The UNC women's basketball program hopes to send one of the best teams in the country back to South Bend with a loss.
After losing consecutive games at the end of November, the Fight Irish have been stellar ever since. They've currently won six games in a row, including contests against Texas (who was ranked No. 4 at the time) and UConn (who was No. 2 at the time of their meeting).
For North Carolina, they have won four of their last five games and are coming off a solid victory over Miami in Coral Gables just a few days ago.
If you haven't figured it out yet, it is going to be an absolute battle in Chapel Hill between two of the best teams in the country.
2024-2025 Season
No. 17 North Carolina Tar Heels
Overall Record: 13-2
Conference Record: 1-1
Home Record: 7-1
Away Record: 2-0
Neutral Site Record: 4-1
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Overall Record: 11-2
Conference Record: 2-0
Home Record: 7-0
Away Record: 4-0
Neutral Site Record: 0-2
Key Players (with 2024-2025 stats)
North Carolina
Maria Gakdeng (Sr. Forward)- 11.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.0 blocks
Alyssa Ustby (Gr. Forward)- 11.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists
Lexi Donarski (Gr. Guard)- 9.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists
Indya Nivar (Jr. Guard)- 9.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists
Notre Dame
Hannah Hidalgo (So. Guard)- 26.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists
Olivia Miles (Sr. Guard)- 16.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists
Sonia Citron (Sr. Guard)- 14.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists
Keys to Victory for North Carolina
Defense is the key.
In North Carolina's 12 victories, the Tar Heels have held each of their opponents to under 60 points. This will certainly be a challenge against the Fighting Irish, especially with Hannah Hidalgo, one of the country's best all-around players, averaging 26 points per game on her own.
The Tar Heels will have their hands full in this one, especially with Olivia Miles back in the fold. If Notre Dame is able to score the basketball, can North Carolina's offense keep up?
Something to Watch For
Maria Gakdeng has been playing excellent basketball as of late. The senior forward is coming off arguably her best individual outing, a game in which she scored a season-best with 21 points to lead UNC to a victory over Miami . She added a season-high 12 rebounds, including eight off the offensive glass.
As the Tar Heels have made it an emphasis to get Gakdeng the ball in the post, can she continue her success against a Fighting Irish team that possesses some size of its own?
If the Tar Heels want to win this game, Gakdeng (along with the other members of the front court) must be at the top of their games on both sides of the floor.
Projected Starters
No. 1 Alyssa Ustby (Gr. 6'1)
No. 5 Maria Gakdeng (Sr. 6'3)
No. 10 Reniya Kelly (So. 5'7)
No. 20 Lexi Donarski (Gr. 6'0)
No. 24 Indya Nivar (Jr. 5'10)