2025-2026 Notre Dame Women's Basketball

[irishff1014]

Hildalgo gonna shoot em out of the game.

She isn’t playing very well in the second half either.

 

[irishff1014]

Brutal but they're still in it. Need to go on a run

De Jesus shouldn’t shoot the ball again.

 

[goldandblue]

Just show more of Niele. Only thing worth watching currently.

 

[irishff1014]

This one is over.

 

[sfk324]

KK Bransford left tonight's game in the 2nd quarter with a right knee/leg injury. Had to be helped off and came back out on crutches.

 

[dublinirish]

 

[Old Man Mike]

Yep. Fire and Water don't mix.

 

[Old Man Mike]

No one cares much anymore, but I noticed two things about tonight's game vs a poor Pitt team: 1.) we won rather easily; and 2.) we are apparently down to a five player team, as Sanchez joined Bransford on the "zero participation" status. 5-players-only went 30++ minutes each. Muffet always liked to run a rotation with only about 7 players, but at least she HAD seven+ to use. This is crazy sad --- I'm waiting for a game in which three of these players get foul trouble and we field an ex-intramural team.

 

[Ndaccountant]

No one cares much anymore, but I noticed two things about tonight's game vs a poor Pitt team: 1.) we won rather easily; and 2.) we are apparently down to a five player team, as Sanchez joined Bransford on the "zero participation" status. 5-players-only went 30++ minutes each. Muffet always liked to run a rotation with only about 7 players, but at least she HAD seven+ to use. This is crazy sad --- I'm waiting for a game in which three of these players get foul trouble and we field an ex-intramural team.

for sure. This year the roster was shallow to begin with then the injuries came. I root for Niele, but the results and program management are challenging to defend given what she was given.

 

[irishff1014]

No one cares much anymore, but I noticed two things about tonight's game vs a poor Pitt team: 1.) we won rather easily; and 2.) we are apparently down to a five player team, as Sanchez joined Bransford on the "zero participation" status. 5-players-only went 30++ minutes each. Muffet always liked to run a rotation with only about 7 players, but at least she HAD seven+ to use. This is crazy sad --- I'm waiting for a game in which three of these players get foul trouble and we field an ex-intramural team.

Like you said that’s not a road for success.

 

[sfk324]

Sanchez was ill, she will be back in short order. Georgia Tech stinks, though, so wouldn't expect to see her get pushed out there unless she's feeling 100%. A bit annoyed at the minutes for HH, Cass, Moore, and DeJesus. Would have much rather seen closer to 30 than they were.

 

[irishff1014]

Blew this lead.

This team is slow and not athletic at all. Crazy how bad this team is, compared to what it was with McGraw.

 

[laughingirish92]

they totally chocked against a bad 5-9 GT and after Duke Sunday they have a stretch coming with three games in a row vs top twenty teams and so it may be ugly for the ladies in 26

 

[stpeteirish]

they totally chocked against a bad 5-9 GT and after Duke Sunday they have a stretch coming with three games in a row vs top twenty teams and so it may be ugly for the ladies in 26

Choked or ran out of gas due to no depth?
Running out of players when you have one injury means you don’t have enough players

 

[irishrb]

Choked or ran out of gas due to no depth?
Running out of players when you have one injury means you don’t have enough players

I would go with a little of both..pretty much what an Ivey lead team does...pretty unfortunate.

 

[BabyIrish]

I was only able to watch the highlights, but the defensive effort looked poor. One of the worst defensive performances I can remember from an ND women's basketball team. It's hard for me to imagine conditioning being the reasoning as they have not had a lot of games due to finals and the holidays. Either the team was poorly coached, or the team was not focused.

 

[irishrb]

I was only able to watch the highlights, but the defensive effort looked poor. One of the worst defensive performances I can remember from an ND women's basketball team. It's hard for me to imagine conditioning being the reasoning as they have not had a lot of games due to finals and the holidays. Either the team was poorly coached, or the team was not focused.

100% poorly coached. Definitely no defensive effort or coaching adjustments whatsoever. They gave no attempt to box out and the offense truly just became a backyard show with predetermined isos...mostly Hannah.... with no flow or game plan at all! I would imagine/hope by the seasons end there is a pretty strong examination at the direction this program is heading and what they want to do about it!

 

[Old Man Mike]

Watched zero, but read the stats. 6 players only, which includes Sanchez first game back after being out (she easily could NOT be 100%). The other five players labored for 40 minutes apiece --- this game went overtime. We lost the OT and the 4th quarter. Now ... if I'm only playing 5 & 1/2 players in an away OT game, "maybe they gas"? (WOW what a terrible guess on my part.). ... also ... I can just imagine that somebody here or there might not still be in "fresh" 100% condition at this stage of the season with this wear. (One of those transfers has looked "fat" from the beginning.) The roster management was, we've known for months, the worst we've seen here. It is SO embarrassingly unacceptable.

As to positives: going into the Twilight Zone with this, but for my Bball tastes, Cass Prosper has been AT LEAST as valuable to the functioning of this team as Hannah has. (let the boo-birds squawk.) And I believe she'll make a good pro.

 

[Ndaccountant]

I get the argument of playing a limited roster, but GT basically played 6 as well. No excuse.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Understand. But they were at home with three+ days rest and in the previous-to-that game played nine players significant minutes. Getting some in-games blows now and then plus sleeping in one's own bed etc, is pretty good medicine for late-game fatigue.

 

[irishrb]

I get the argument of playing a limited roster, but GT basically played 6 as well. No excuse.

This is how I feel...Tired of the excuses...This program should not be where it is right now..

 

[Old Man Mike]

My point is: this is not "the girls are loafing."

My point is:
a. there aren't enough of them;
b. they generally aren't talented enough;
c. they can't get any in-game breaks (nor probably in practices either.)

All of that falls on staff.

 

[sfk324]

The roster is talented enough to be Top 25 caliber, but she absolutely has to re-examine how she uses players in blowouts when the bench is as shallow as it is. The minutes played in a 35-point win over Pitt on the 29th made no sense. What is the value of winning by 35 with HH playing 36 minutes, and Cass and Moore playing 39 minutes each instead of winning by 15-20 with those players playing closer to 30 minutes each? I'm old enough to remember Jordan and Pippen sitting at the end of the bench for 10+ minutes in the 4th quarter of blowout games with their knees wrapped in ice because the team understood the concept of saving the minutes for when they were needed.

 

[Irish5Saint]

The roster is talented enough to be Top 25 caliber, but she absolutely has to re-examine how she uses players in blowouts when the bench is as shallow as it is. The minutes played in a 35-point win over Pitt on the 29th made no sense. What is the value of winning by 35 with HH playing 36 minutes, and Cass and Moore playing 39 minutes each instead of winning by 15-20 with those players playing closer to 30 minutes each? I'm old enough to remember Jordan and Pippen sitting at the end of the bench for 10+ minutes in the 4th quarter of blowout games with their knees wrapped in ice because the team understood the concept of saving the minutes for when they were needed.

Part of the blame here lies with the admin for not being good partners on the portal. They have 11 players on the roster, 9 of which are scholarship players.

 

[sfk324]

Nice win today against a good but not great UNC.uch better defensive effort and very good all around games from the starting 5. Two dominant wins the last 4 days, should be feeling good heading into a big game against Louisville this week.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Ladies clobbered UNC in two of four quarters for a decisive win. My takeaway:

1. Some people including (early) myself thought that this is a weird team. It's not.
What it is, is a team whose results are almost entirely dependent upon the type of opponent.

2. What we saw today was a team not big enough to bother us. No real paint presence.
No threat to dominate boards and foul people out. They were "guard" and "quick" oriented.
That's a loser vs Hidalgo and Prosper. Hannah and Cass (in less spectacular ways) killed them.

3. By season's end, we might be a dead middle ACC team with TWO legitimate 1st team players.
That says a lot in every dimension of analysis.

4. Cass is REALLY good. Sort of a Soni without the shot, but with more physicality, and equal "willpower."
I'll be stunned if she doesn't play in the WNBA.

So ... some games will be joyful. Some will be depressing as Bigness+Coaching smacks us around.
One thing I admire (and maybe I have to give Ivey something for this): they work hard on defense.
In my mind, the jury is still out on that, as I believe that Cass (and KK) are natural attack dogs.
When Hannah is really harassing, then Cass can lead attacks too, de Jesus seems more than willing.
All of a sudden the whole team is a wolfpack hunting blood and basketballs.

 

[irishandy]

Great game for the lady Irish today!

ND also acknowledged the 25th anniversary of the 2021 championship team.

 

[BabyIrish]

Watched the highlights. Defense looked on point today. Looks like it will be a continual jekyl and hyde for the rest of the season. We have no shot against UCONN, will be interesting to see how we fare against louisville.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Another moment for meditation: Came across the women's LSU game on TV today. The 6th ranked LSU team has a starting center who looked very good. Better than a mere spot player by far, and conditioned well enough to run most of the game.

Sophomore "star-to-come?" Kate Koval. ....... thankfully we don't need a center who is 6'5"-6'6"".

 

[irishrb]

29.5 point underdog tonight against Uconn....Ugh...When's the last time you've seen that with this program?