It is a rivalry that head coach Geno Auriemma said yesterday he loves being a part of.
During their 17 years in the Big East conference, the UConn women’s basketball team and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish met 41 times. Since they left the league in 2013, both schools have met almost annually in non-conference play.
Most of those matchups, with the exception of last season’s, occurred in early December. With how the current rosters look, though, Thursday’s meeting could potentially be another thrilling chapter in an all-time rivalry.
No. 2 UConn and No. 8 Notre Dame each possess multiple talented guards who had sensational freshman campaigns. Conversely, each championship-winning program has no more than three available forwards because of injuries.
The comparisons between both rivals go well beyond that simple analysis, however.
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Point Guard
Before tearing her ACL in 2023, 5-foot-10 guard Olivia Miles developed a reputation as the Fighting Irish’s next franchise court commander. Miles twice led the Atlantic Coast Conference in dimes per game and broke the school’s triple-double record across her first 2.5 seasons. Some of the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List’s averages, specifically assists, were up there with two-time National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark’s.
In her first nine games back from that injury, Miles has returned to national prominence. The three-time ACC Player of the Week has collected another triple-double and flirted with one an additional four times.
The Huskies, meanwhile, brought in Kaitlyn Chen from Princeton to replace all-time assists leader Nika Mühl. Chen has a lower assist rate than Mühl did, but she makes up for it with efficient shooting numbers. The California native’s 53.7% mark from the floor and 35.7% clip from downtown are currently both career highs.
Chen’s best shooting performances have come inside Gampel Pavilion. Connecticut needs another productive outing from their floor general when they enter Purcell Pavilion tomorrow. In the event the 2023 Ivy League Player of the Year runs into foul trouble, sophomore KK Arnold is a reliable backup option.
Shooting Guard
Everyone knows redshirt senior Paige Bueckers as a pure scoring threat. After all, the two-time All-American tied Maya Moore’s program mark for fewest games to 1,000 career points 367 days ago.
When her shots are not falling, however, the two-time Big East Player of the Year can amplify other parts of her game. Bueckers leads the team in assists, is second in steals and is third in rebounds, but this has not been just a one-season trend. The Minnesota native was second in three of those categories last year while leading the Huskies in blocks.
In less than two seasons, Hannah Hidalgo has become Notre Dame’s face of the franchise. Hidalgo has scored 10+ points in every single game of her career and made 5+ shots in all but three of them. The 5-foot-6 sophomore destroyed the program record for fewest games (44) to 1,000 career points in Syracuse just three days ago.
Hidalgo is also a transition thief. No player in the nation averaged more steals per game last season than the New Jersey native did at 4.6. If UConn is not careful with the ball, Hidalgo and the Fighting Irish could cause significant issues in the transition game.
Third Guard (Small Forward)
Senior Sonia Citron averaged 17.3 points and 5.5 rebounds last year. While her scoring numbers have slightly declined because of Miles’ return, Citron has developed into a menace on defense. The New York native is on pace to shatter her single-season highs in blocks and steals, both of which are currently second on the team.
Citron’s 6.4 rebounds per game should not fool anyone; she is as much of a double-double threat as anyone else on the floor. What she does on both sides of the ball has made the 2022 ACC Freshman of the Year Notre Dame’s “glue guy.”
Azzi Fudd left the Huskies’ win versus the then-No. 22 Louisville Cardinals with a knee sprain. Her likely absence from tomorrow’s battle should put reigning Big East Freshman of the Year Ashlynn Shade back in the starting lineup. Shade served as a valuable depth piece for Connecticut across their last two games, but especially last Saturday in Brooklyn. The six-time Big East Freshman of the Week scored 13 points on 6-9 shooting while grabbing four rebounds.
If that outing serves as a turning point for Shade’s sophomore campaign, the Fighting Irish might not automatically have the edge at this position.
Frontcourt
In Auriemma’s eyes, first-year student Sarah Strong possesses an offense he has not seen from a forward since Breanna Stewart. Strong has buried a triple in six of her eight career games and has had just one outing where she has scored fewer than 11 points.
The four-time Big East Freshman of the Week is so much more than the regular two-way forward, however. Only two Huskies have more assists than Strong’s 29; no one on the team has more than her 20 steals.
Jana El Alfy and Ice Brady each support the McDonald’s All-American Game co-MVP down low in different ways. El Alfy’s 6-foot-5 frame increases her ability to haul in missed shots, especially on the offensive end. On top of crashing the glass, Brady possesses key experience that the team needs and a phenomenal set of goggles.
Pittsburgh transfer Liatu King and first-year student Kate Koval have been Notre Dame’s only options at that position thus far. Both Fighting Irish forwards do not play all 40 minutes, but they are prone to committing a significant number of fouls. Nevertheless, they have each stepped up immensely.
King has averaged a double-double in eight starts with 12.1 points and 11 rebounds per game. Koval, a 6-foot-5 first-year student from Ukraine, leads the conference with 33 blocks and has also hauled in over 20 offensive rebounds.
As previously mentioned, each team has used less than four frontcourt players. These will not be the only forwards both programs use all season, however. UConn expects to have redshirt senior Aubrey Griffin back before the end of the month. Notre Dame expects the same from graduate student Maddy Westbeld and Marquette transfer Liza Karlen.
Tomorrow’s contest includes much more than the typical “significant non-conference clash” mantra that the rivalry has been associated with in the past. Both teams enter this pivotal tilt seeking yet another statement win for their NCAA Tournament resume.
Chapter 55 in the all-time series could give both programs a chance to essentially play against a replica of themselves. Even if the game itself does not look pretty, the team that emerges victorious should feel more prepared for what lies ahead.
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