By Josie Simpson
The Cardinals are set to face the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the KFC Yum! Center.
The offensive Irish
Offensively, Notre Dame is a powerhouse, shooting 49.7% from the field and 41.3% from beyond the arc. Led by Hannah Hidalgo, Olivia Miles and Liatu King, the Irish average a staggering 87.0 points per game.
Hidalgo alone accounts for 25.6 points per game, the second highest average in the country. She also grabs 5.9 rebounds, which is a very high mark considering her size at just 5-foot-6. Hidalgo is quick as lightning and can score from literally anywhere past half court.
Miles orchestrates the offense with 6.8 assists per game and adds an additional 16.4 points. Miles is a big guard who is no stranger to triple-doubles. Two seasons ago, before her ACL injury, she was the top option and then some for the Irish. Notre Dame now plays more of a one-two punch with Hidalgo and Miles, with both guards offering a change of pace.
King was a star on Pitt a year ago, leading her team in all major categories statistically. She’s an undersized big, but can do literally any and everything that is asked of her. King leads the team with 10.8 rebounds and adds the fourth most scoring on the team with 12.2 per contest.
King would be the go-to of most teams in the country, so her being the third should show just how scary this Notre Dame team is.
Under Niele Ivey, the Irish have run their offense through one primary ball handler who tends to dominate possessions. They still play team basketball, and the integration of Hidalgo and Miles has changed the philosophy a bit, but the offense always runs through a ball dominate player.
If the Cards can contain Hidalgo and Miles’s production, then they have a chance to slow down the very dangerous Irish offense.
Pressure, Pressure, Pressure
It should come as no surprise that Notre Dame has a stellar defense. The Irish give up 61.7 points, giving them a scoring margin of 25.3.
Notre Dame is aggressive as can be, grabbing 11.5 steals each game. They have four players that average at least 1.5 steals each game, with Hidalgo leading the charge with 4.1 steals a game.
Interestingly, Notre Dame only forces 17.7 turnovers each game. When they don’t take the ball directly from their opponents, they don’t do a great job of forcing pressure. If Louisville takes no passes from granted, something they have been much better at as of late, they can limit the disruptiveness of the Irish defense.
The Irish as just as disruptive inside, averaging six blocks a game, the seventh most in the country. Most players for Notre Dame average a block here and there, building up to a nice number as a team, but Kate Noval completely locks down the paint.
Noval averages 2.3 blocks in just over 20 minutes a night. The freshman center actually averages 2.6 fouls a game, a major reason why she rides the bench so much. If Olivia Cochran, Nyla Harris and the like can throw their weight around and create contact, the Cards can likely draw fouls and eliminate her impact.
Notre Dame also cleans up whenever they crash the glass, averaging a monstrous 44.7 rebounds a game. King leads the team with 10.8 boards, and Noval grabs 6.1 boards in limited minutes. The Cards have held their own against teams known for rebounding well, but they’ll have a behemoth of a challenge in battling the Irish on the glass.
Louisville will have their hands full, and need to play their best game of the season to come away with a victory. They played tight for a full four quarters against the current top-ranked team in the nation, UCLA.
The University is attempting to make the crowd a factor, offering free Adidas and parking to the first handful of University of Louisville students with valid student ID to show up
With the Yum! Center pack and behind them, the Cardinals will need their best to pull off the upset, but it can be done.
Photo Courtesy // Taris Smith, Louisville Athletics
