The 18-5, 8-3 Ladies travel to 14-8, 6-5 Notre Dame today. The game will be an ACCN extra broadcast with Jack Rinaldi on PxP and Molley O'Mally Analyst. The ESPN Matchup Predictor says the Hokies have 19.3% chance to win.
Our record is slightly better; but Notre Dame has played a tougher schedule. We have both lost to Duke and Louisville. In addition ND has lost to UConn, Ole Miss, Michigan and USC. In the ACC against common opponents we both beat BC, FSU and Pitt; we beat Clemson and lost to Miami; they beat Miami and lost to Clemson. Against non-common ACC opponents, they are 2-2 with wins against #25 UNC and Stanford and losses to Cal and Ga Tech. We are 4-0 with wins against SMU, Syracuse, Wake and UVA.
Notre Dame is led by All-World guard Hannah Hildago #3, a 5' 6" junior. The other junior on the starting five is #14 5' 11" guard KK Bransford. The other three starters are seniors: #8 6' 3" guard Cassandre Prosper, #23 5' 8" guard Iyanna Moore, and #5 6' 3" forward Malaya Cowles. There are only 2 sophomores and 1 freshman on the team.
Hidalgo is the heart of this team averaging 25 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 3.2 turnovers and 5.6 steals per game. Unless the Hokies can find a way to slow her down, this is going to be a hard game to win. Prosper(15) and Moore(11) also score in double digits. Cowles(9), Bransford(8'9) and #2 DeJesus(8.9) also contribute to the scoring. I suspect they get a lot of easy shots when Hidalgo loses her defender and the defense collapses on her leaving somebody open; and she is good at finding the open player. Hidalgo is not great from three shooting only 22.1% from outside. But she is so quick, it's hard to keep her from driving around the defender. Is Sufferen quick enough to stay with her; Is Mackey quick enough to stay in front of her and draw charges? Or can the defense rotate quickly enough to not leave a wide open player somewhere.
Notre Dame does have a tendency to foul. Cowles averages 3 fouls per game and Hidalgo averages 2.9. Everyone that plays over 20 minutes per game average 2 or more fouls. The Hokies will have to take care of the ball in this one; ND averages 13.9 steals per game. The one area we might have a slight advantage, if Freelon can stay on the court is rebounding; we average almost 6 more rebounds per game than ND.
While Hidalgo is not great from three, Prosper and Moore both shoot nearly 40% from outside. And everyone except Cowles and Bransford shoot free throws very well.
This could be a winnable game for the Ladies; but they are going to have to play very well. And we are going to have to keep our players on the court. Hidalgo can draw a lot of fouls, especially for the secondary defender coming over to help out; Freelon needs to keep her hands to herself. And we may have to rotate defenders on Hidalgo to keep our guards from picking up too many fouls.
Let's Go Hokies!
Comments
LETS GO.....
Hokies!
I always dread playing teams with a "Star" player. They seem to get a lot of benefit of doubt from referees rather than calling it straight. I can remember Clark leading with her elbow the entire game while we got foul after foul. Hidalgo gets a lot of that same treatment.
Hidalgo surprisingly only averaging 6.3 FTA per game. That said, Wenzel only averages 4.8 FTA per game.
I am sorry but Wenzel isn't a star like they talk about Hidalgo last year and this, and Clark last couple of years. That said, if she can get to the line 20 times again tonight we have a good shot at winning.
Imagine how good Wenzel would be if she could finish drive with a bucket instead going in and throwing up a prayer that she either gets an iffy call or the ball falls in.
This!! 1000%
Easily 30 points a game is she makes 40%
Most of the "star" treatment for hidalgo is on defense where she should foul out of every game but wnds up with 1 foul and 10 steals instead
Let's go ladies! FUCK THE DOMERS!
Wenzel en FUEGO!
Hokies shooting 58% to ND 36% but only up 6. Weird stats but hopefully they continue the hot streak
Up 21-14 after 1st Q. Not a bad start on the road.
Hidalgo 0-7 from the field. Only points on free throws. Can we keep it up?
Nelson loves that "either run out of bounds or get a haphazard assist" play
We are addicted to turnovers
Man if we cut down the turnovers and rebound defensivrly we shut the door on them. They have 25% more shots than us right now.
Good rally to get back in front by 8.
How was that not a foul on that steal?
They are letting ND run through us on the loose balls.
The venmo from notre dame cleared after the first quarter. They are shoving us all over now. That should have been the third foul on Hidalgo on a charge.
And that should have been another charge by Hidalgo to end the first half.
Notre Dame with a starter in foul trouble and Hidalgo isn't hitting the broad side of a barn unless from the FT line, plus she's got 2 fouls. If we can get another 1 or 2 on her in the 3rd quarter, that can change the entire complexity of this game.
Hidalgo just shoved Mackie out of her way. That should have been her fifth foul.
Turnover #15...
This refereeing has gotten ridiculous. All domers. They're pushing off, over the back, everything. Protecting Hidalgo at all costs.
Hidalgo is just doing whatever she wants out there. Just running around blasting people.
Prosper clear elbow. No call
Just turned it on when I got home. Had a decent 8 point lead, I think. Since then, it has been nothing but turnover city for the Hokies, while the Irish are getting away with all kind of offenses. Absolutely embarrassing few min of basketball for the lady Hokies. Had to turn it off. My BP can't take it tonight.
i just tuned in - has it been this sloppy of a game the whole time?
Not really, This quarter has been a disaster.
The refs let ND do whatever they wanted this quarter. Tic tac touch by us is a foul but they legally were shoving us to the ground.
They just shoved Carleigh to the ground to clear the way. No foul. These refs are horrible.
Unbelievable. What are they looking at?
How many rebounds can they just grab out of our hands...
Usually that's an almost automatic foul call.
Not for Notre dame. They can get away with anything this half.
That was Hidalgo's sixth foul
Turnover #22
"Clean block" hits both hands
Yup. Clean hit to the hands on replay. So sick of refs deciding games.
Nelson and Freelon with 15 combined turnovers
They both let ND just grab the balls out of their hands.
Turned it off. Script is written.
Script was written when the refs took over in the second quarter.
It helped Notre Dame score but most of the turnovers were our mistakes so if we just protect the ball none of the rest matters. Bottom line it was the sloppiest game the Hokies have played in almost two months