No. 3 Notre Dame looks to continue its six-game winning streak on Sunday against the No. 17 North Carolina Tar Heels Here is all the information to know for the matchup.
Where: Chapel Hill, N.C. - Carmichael Arena
When: Sunday, Jan. 5 – 1:00 PM EST
Network: ESPN – Beth Mowins (Play-by-Play), Deb Antonelli (Analyst)
Radio: ND Radio Network, 96.1 FM WSBT in South Bend all games also stream on the Audacy App/Audacy.com – Sean Stires (PBP)
Let's take a look at today's matchup:
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (11-2, 2-0 ACC)
Head Coach: Niele Ivey (100-34– 5th season at Notre Dame)
Notre Dame is coming off a 95-43 home win over Virginia last Sunday. The win gave head coach Niele Ivey her 100th career victory in 134 games, making her the fastest coach in ACC history to get to the century mark.
Olivia Miles became the first player in ACC history to record back-to-back triple-doubles with her 11 points, 10 rebounds and career-high 14 assists against the Cavaliers. Her third triple-double of the season set another ACC record as the sixth of her career.
Hannah Hidalgo led the Fighting Irish with 28 points, while Sonia Citron hit five 3-pointers to score 25 points. Notre Dame out rebounded the Cavs 54-31 in a battle of two of the top three rebounding teams in the conference.
Projected Irish Starting Lineup
G Olivia Miles- 5-10, Grad– 16.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 7.2 APG
G Hannah Hidalgo – 5-6, Soph – 26.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 3.6 APG, 4.2 SPG
F Liatu King- 6-0, Grad – 12.8 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 2.5 SPG
G Sonia Citron– 6-1, Jr – 14.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 2.2 SPG
G Liza Karlen– 6-2, Grad– 6.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 2.5 APG
NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (13-2, 1-1 ACC)
Head Coach: Courtney Banghart (109-58 in 6th season at UNC/361-162 in 18th season overall)
North Carolina is off to an 11-2 start under sixth-year head coach Courtney Banghart. The Tar Heels are 1-1 in ACC play after winning 69-60 at Miami last Sunday. They lost to still unbeaten and currently No. 14 Georgia Tech in their ACC opener earlier last month.
Maria Gakdeng (11.4) and Alyssa Utsby (11.3) are North Carolina's two players who average in double figures. Utsby, who is also averaging 9.1 rebounds, ranks No. 5 in Tar Heel history with 1,081 career boards.
Projected Starting Lineup
F Alyssa Ustby - Stats – 11.3 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 3.6 APG, 14 BLK
F Maria Gakdeng - Stats – 11.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 11 BLK
G Reniya Kelly - Stats – 8.5 PPG, 2.2 RPG
G Lexi Donarski – Stats – 8.5 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 2.2 APG
G Indya Nivar - Stats – 9.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, 2.1 SPG
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
The Fighting Irish are 10-5 all-time against the Tar Heels, but North Carolina has had Notre Dame's number in recent years. The Tar Heels have beaten the Fighting Irish each of the past two seasons, including a 60-50 home win when the Irish were ranked No. 4 in the nation two years ago.
The Fighting Irish boast the No. 2 scoring offense in the ACC (Florida State) and rank No. 8 in the nation averaging 89.3 ppg while the Tar Heels have the No. 11 scoring defense in the nation, holding opponents to just 52.7 points per game. UNC is limiting opposing squads to only 34.4% from the field.
Notre Dame is getting closer to full strength after dealing with a string of injuries this season. Sonia Citron, Kate Koval and Liza Karen have all missed at least two games due to injuries but were each back in action last week against Virginia. Forward Maddy Westbeld has missed all 13 games so far due to an offseason foot injury but she is expected to make her season debut soon.
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This story was originally published January 5, 2025 at 5:00 AM