As a huge UCONN fan I kept wondering when will Back 2 Sports give ND some flowers😂 Anyway they are gonna be loaded. I could see Hidalgo and Miles starting in the backcourt depending on the matchup. Other times they might have them play separately in the backcourt. Anyway you can drop us UCONN to 4th or 5th as nothing is won in the offseason. I just want us to get back to whipping UCONN annually even though I love their underrated head coach Ivey. And I still want UCONN to find that productive BIG.
I agree with you. I do like the KK add and the Fisher add though. Those two guards are bit different than the usual type UConn recruits UConn needs to really prioritize athleticism though. They are never going to beat South Carolina again if they don’t get more athletic. I could see South Carolina beating them like 10 times in a row the way their teams have been built recently.
Injuries happen to nearly every team, but ND had five scholarship players out at year end 2024. I'm hoping it's two or fewer this year. Avoiding injuries is the key for '24-'25.
@@Sydney12997 I think if both are healthy, South Carolina would be the favorite. I would like Notre Dame's chances against a healthy UCONN. But ND and UCONN are two teams that historically have a hard time staying healthy.
Thank you for finally making a video about ND. They are gonna be a fantastic team. I think Niele Ivey is a very good “players’ coach”. Her players LOVE playing for her and they have great chemistry. She has been able to rally them to come together through all types of injuries and play roles they weren’t expecting to play. I don’t even think Miles and Hidalgo chemistry will be a concern. They already speak highly of each other and Miles is a more pass-first point guard anyway, so their skill sets differ. Ivey is good at getting her teams to play unselfishly. The starting 5 will be a murderer’s row and even their bench will have talented contributors. They could look like the next best thing to South Carolina. This could be a championship team.
What's interesting is that it seemed like Citron and Westbeld actually played better with Hidalgo running the point than when Miles ran the point. But I think having both Hidalgo and Miles on the floor will benefit Citron because she can cut to the basket all game and they can no longer double her.
Westbeld was better this year in general, I’m not sure if it was due to Hannah or just putting offseason work in. She was in way better shape. Citron plays really well off of both
As a UConn fan, I am pretty jealous of Notre dame. They replaced their legendary coach. And their new project with coach Ivey seems like it is going great. They are recruiting outstandingly well. They know how to use the portal. They didn’t have much of a down period at all! I hope when Geno retires, UConn can do as well replacing him. M
I think when Geno retires UConn recruiting will drop heavily unless players want to play for UConn and not the coach but most players go to schools because of coaches
It is possible. I want Geno and UConn to be aware of players portaling out when he retires. So, I don’t want him to retire the way Tara did. I want him and UConn to announce before a season that it’s his last year.
Well the joke is certainly on me😂 I meant I just wanna see us (UCONN) get back to whipping ND annually even though I love their underrated head coach Ivey.
They won at UConn last year. With these two and koval; I definitely think they have addressed their frontcourt weakness too. Emma Risch could be important too. They could use another knockdown shooter; and she might be the best option for that.
Yes they did win....great strategy... foul out their best defensive player who did shut down Hildago in the 1st half.. then exploit the Freshman side of the court. Two of the injured players on the bench were playing... different story.
At NO time in that game did Nika shut down Hannah. In Fact, Hannah had 19 points to end the 1st half (along with the 3-point buzzer beater). Hannah was the main catalyst for Nika getting into foul trouble. Hannah was too quick for Nika. In fact Hannah drew fouls on several players that game by using her quickness!!!
Bransford coming back is perfect for ND. Yea her field goal wasn't sexy, but she was always making big plays with her effort on the glass, and she just always seem to be a part of timely plays. With Miles, Prosper, and Risch coming back from injuries, not to mention these two key additions, ND being in the top four is fair. I don't expect Watson to be back, maybe she'll return later in the year. Personally, I'd have them at two, showing respect for the champs. but I don't have any issues with them at four. On a different note, I look forward to seeing Zam Jones out there in NC State. She was my favorite player to watch during the McDonalds game and she'll be facing some tough guard comp in the ACC. How on earth does women's college basketball lose so many great players to the draft, and yet they look like how South Carolina did this previous year. Oh, we're losing Boston and others to the draft, no biggie we'll continue where we left off. The women's game is in the great place!
The whole ratings thing would be idiotic if were November much less May. But Notre Dame and UCONN just need to be healthy. I don't believe Koval will start. At least not right away. Look at their team. It's built to run and press. I believe South Carolina has people overrating height in WBB. Stanford had Kiki and Brink, along with Haley Jones in 2023 and were out early. King fits the running style. Distribution of minutes could get tricky.
I don’t think we know that Paige and Azzi can play well together. To me that is also unclear. We haven’t really seen it. Paige was coming back from injury that year and really was not the best paige she can be other than the nc state elite eight game.
I don’t even know if UConn recruited her. UConn’s recruiting in New York stinks tbh. Where were they on koval? Where were they on Syla swords? What about her younger sister? Going back further; where were they on Citron? New York should be a stronghold for UConn. But it isn’t. Dawn would never let such a thing happen in the state of South Carolina.
Their defense is already good. Yeah the first game against SC was bad but it got way better as the season went on and it was really good towards the end. but the lack of depth was the only thing hampering it once Watson tore her ACL, due to fear of foul trouble they had to be careful.
@@Lilquan2004 hannah can lock up anybody wtf are you talking about? 🤣🤣 miles can play defense, Cassandre Can play defense & Liatu Is an excellent defender as well along with Kate Koval. This team is arguably better than South Carolina
@@Burnerboy215 yeah you smoking some weird sht SC just went undefeated and only lost player who they easily replaced with a 6’5 center and they got a top 3 recruit coming in and you got the nerve to say they better then SC💀 Let’s be honest here Notre dame depth is as they defense isn’t on SC level and SC offense has s better by miles let’s not forget SC has the best coach in the ncaa obviously I’m not talking about all time I’m talking about right now the disrespect don’t ever disrespect SC like that Notre Dame ain’t even on USC let alone UCLA let alone UConn level ✌️
@@back2sports I just don't see anything special about her ,she didn't stand out at all ,I was more impressed by Shaquille O'Neil daughter . Edward's kid was making look easy against all them girls.
@@rover7139 fair enough , I think Edward is going to be good. My question with Edwards is if she will be able to play small forward. I think she might be able to as she is so quick. If not then she will be fine at the 4 but if she can play the 3 then look out. In terms of Koval - compare her to del Rosario at LSU. Classic big centre but think Koval is quicker and will adjust faster.
Yes I think ND could win that game. I think it is even money. But love the matchups HH on Harmon , Citron on Philia, Westbelt vs Moore. & then do they switch up and take miles out and put karlen or king on Booker. Would be fun match up. Hopefully that will be one of the sec vs ACC swap games.
@@back2sportsdon’t forget Olivia miles. They don’t realize how good Olivia Miles really is. I seen it with my own eyes. I can promise you Hannah & Olivia will work very well
Without question, Notre Dame IS the #2 team to beat in 2024-25! (and we all know South Carolina is #1) As for UConn's ranking, #7 or below. Texas at #3, USC at #4 Oklahoma at #5 and NC State at #6.
This is a big, big loss for Marquette. Notre Dame is every bit as good as UConn. That backcourt is amazing. As for that girl going to Miami- well, the snob in me say let her go if she wants an academically BS school like Miami. Yeah, it’s perennial party school.
One thing about Notre dame. They have more veterans and experience than UConn. UConn’s season really depends on strong and el alfy being good.
I'm an SC fan. Notre Dame looks dangerous. I'll put them as the number 2 team. This season is going to be crazy.
As a huge UCONN fan I kept wondering when will Back 2 Sports give ND some flowers😂 Anyway they are gonna be loaded. I could see Hidalgo and Miles starting in the backcourt depending on the matchup. Other times they might have them play separately in the backcourt. Anyway you can drop us UCONN to 4th or 5th as nothing is won in the offseason. I just want us to get back to whipping UCONN annually even though I love their underrated head coach Ivey. And I still want UCONN to find that productive BIG.
All Geno recruits are average guards who he "thinks" will be good 3 point shooters. He would not know how to coach a true BIG if he had to.
I agree with you. I do like the KK add and the Fisher add though. Those two guards are bit different than the usual type UConn recruits
UConn needs to really prioritize athleticism though. They are never going to beat South Carolina again if they don’t get more athletic. I could see South Carolina beating them like 10 times in a row the way their teams have been built recently.
Injuries happen to nearly every team, but ND had five scholarship players out at year end 2024. I'm hoping it's two or fewer this year. Avoiding injuries is the key for '24-'25.
Do you think Notre Dame can win it if they are all healthy?
@@Sydney12997 I think if both are healthy, South Carolina would be the favorite. I would like Notre Dame's chances against a healthy UCONN. But ND and UCONN are two teams that historically have a hard time staying healthy.
@@pwk22 fr, I am praying we don’t have injuries next season. 😓
Thank you for finally making a video about ND. They are gonna be a fantastic team. I think Niele Ivey is a very good “players’ coach”. Her players LOVE playing for her and they have great chemistry. She has been able to rally them to come together through all types of injuries and play roles they weren’t expecting to play.
I don’t even think Miles and Hidalgo chemistry will be a concern. They already speak highly of each other and Miles is a more pass-first point guard anyway, so their skill sets differ. Ivey is good at getting her teams to play unselfishly.
The starting 5 will be a murderer’s row and even their bench will have talented contributors. They could look like the next best thing to South Carolina. This could be a championship team.
What's interesting is that it seemed like Citron and Westbeld actually played better with Hidalgo running the point than when Miles ran the point. But I think having both Hidalgo and Miles on the floor will benefit Citron because she can cut to the basket all game and they can no longer double her.
Thought miles to ball dominant at times. Wonder if watching for season will help her in running the team. Tbd
Westbeld was better this year in general, I’m not sure if it was due to Hannah or just putting offseason work in. She was in way better shape. Citron plays really well off of both
As a UConn fan, I am pretty jealous of Notre dame.
They replaced their legendary coach. And their new project with coach Ivey seems like it is going great. They are recruiting outstandingly well. They know how to use the portal. They didn’t have much of a down period at all!
I hope when Geno retires, UConn can do as well replacing him. M
I think when Geno retires UConn recruiting will drop heavily unless players want to play for UConn and not the coach but most players go to schools because of coaches
It is possible. I want Geno and UConn to be aware of players portaling out when he retires. So, I don’t want him to retire the way Tara did. I want him and UConn to announce before a season that it’s his last year.
@@Lilquan2004I think geno retire after this season tbh
.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@QazPlm10 what about the freshman that committed to UConn because they wanted to play for him
Well the joke is certainly on me😂 I meant I just wanna see us (UCONN) get back to whipping ND annually even though I love their underrated head coach Ivey.
It will be a LONG time (if ever) that UConn will take down ND.
@@RustyLou18 Haha
They won at UConn last year. With these two and koval; I definitely think they have addressed their frontcourt weakness too. Emma Risch could be important too. They could use another knockdown shooter; and she might be the best option for that.
Yes they did win....great strategy... foul out their best defensive player who did shut down Hildago in the 1st half.. then exploit the Freshman side of the court.
Two of the injured players on the bench were playing... different story.
@@MooreCEJr Muhl made some stupid fouls, and she did a half a** job defending Hannah.
@@RustyLou18 You know better but what ever makes you sleep well at night.
@@MooreCEJrdid you watch the game??? Hannah literally destroyed Uconn 🤣🤣🤣 Nika muhl had ZERO
At NO time in that game did Nika shut down Hannah. In Fact, Hannah had 19 points to end the 1st half (along with the 3-point buzzer beater). Hannah was the main catalyst for Nika getting into foul trouble. Hannah was too quick for Nika. In fact Hannah drew fouls on several players that game by using her quickness!!!
With Hannah, Olivia and Karlen ND is gonna need a shot-blocker...
Bransford coming back is perfect for ND. Yea her field goal wasn't sexy, but she was always making big plays with her effort on the glass, and she just always seem to be a part of timely plays. With Miles, Prosper, and Risch coming back from injuries, not to mention these two key additions, ND being in the top four is fair. I don't expect Watson to be back, maybe she'll return later in the year. Personally, I'd have them at two, showing respect for the champs. but I don't have any issues with them at four.
On a different note, I look forward to seeing Zam Jones out there in NC State. She was my favorite player to watch during the McDonalds game and she'll be facing some tough guard comp in the ACC. How on earth does women's college basketball lose so many great players to the draft, and yet they look like how South Carolina did this previous year. Oh, we're losing Boston and others to the draft, no biggie we'll continue where we left off. The women's game is in the great place!
Variety is what you want
Miles and Hidalgo, 2 Jersey kids. They'll be fine together, one from the north and one from the south. Unfortunately, as I'm a UConn fan :-(
The whole ratings thing would be idiotic if were November much less May. But Notre Dame and UCONN just need to be healthy.
I don't believe Koval will start. At least not right away. Look at their team. It's built to run and press. I believe South Carolina has people overrating height in WBB. Stanford had Kiki and Brink, along with Haley Jones in 2023 and were out early. King fits the running style.
Distribution of minutes could get tricky.
ND has lot of pieces but we don't know for sure Hidalgo & Miles can operate together on floor, we know Paige & Azzi can so Uconn gets the nod.
Hannah is more of a scorer while Olivia is a pass first player who can score. So it can work if they make Hannah and undersized 2 guard.
I don’t think we know that Paige and Azzi can play well together. To me that is also unclear. We haven’t really seen it. Paige was coming back from injury that year and really was not the best paige she can be other than the nc state elite eight game.
How many times do we have to hear PB & AF? Good God, they don't even have a history of playing time together to even compare to Miles and Hidalgo.
There are a lot of people in the UConn fan base that are more Paige bueckers fans than they are UConn fans. And this is the result.
Miles will play point I think, she’s a vet and she’s a true point
And Hannah won't mind at all, it's going to be a real treat to watch!
Yep. Miles is a elite passer with rare vision and keeps all involved.
They are going to switch it up. They both can play off the ball.
Good video.
Thx
Just wished Kate Koval was coming to UCONN this yr too as we have no true depth at the 5.
I don’t even know if UConn recruited her. UConn’s recruiting in New York stinks tbh. Where were they on koval? Where were they on Syla swords? What about her younger sister? Going back further; where were they on Citron?
New York should be a stronghold for UConn. But it isn’t. Dawn would never let such a thing happen in the state of South Carolina.
@@TheDisruptiveOneyou’re right about that, ND loves NJ & NYGuards & Wing Fowards. They have that tough gritty skill that’s rare to find
If Notre dame can fix they defense/depth they could very scary
Hannah Hidalgo led the nation in steals per game, what are you talking abt?
@@Poledancebeginner that's 1 player her defense is not enough to stop a team like SC UCONN OR USC
Their defense is already good. Yeah the first game against SC was bad but it got way better as the season went on and it was really good towards the end. but the lack of depth was the only thing hampering it once Watson tore her ACL, due to fear of foul trouble they had to be careful.
@@Lilquan2004 hannah can lock up anybody wtf are you talking about? 🤣🤣 miles can play defense, Cassandre Can play defense & Liatu Is an excellent defender as well along with Kate Koval. This team is arguably better than South Carolina
@@Burnerboy215 yeah you smoking some weird sht SC just went undefeated and only lost player who they easily replaced with a 6’5 center and they got a top 3 recruit coming in and you got the nerve to say they better then SC💀 Let’s be honest here Notre dame depth is as they defense isn’t on SC level and SC offense has s better by miles let’s not forget SC has the best coach in the ncaa obviously I’m not talking about all time I’m talking about right now the disrespect don’t ever disrespect SC like that Notre Dame ain’t even on USC let alone UCLA let alone UConn level ✌️
Watching all the girls high school Allstars games i was not impress with Kate kovel at all..joyce Edward's made her look like a statue .
Very different players
@@back2sports I just don't see anything special about her ,she didn't stand out at all ,I was more impressed by Shaquille O'Neil daughter . Edward's kid was making look easy against all them girls.
@@rover7139 fair enough , I think Edward is going to be good. My question with Edwards is if she will be able to play small forward. I think she might be able to as she is so quick. If not then she will be fine at the 4 but if she can play the 3 then look out.
In terms of Koval - compare her to del Rosario at LSU. Classic big centre but think Koval is quicker and will adjust faster.
Yall think ND can beat Texas?
Yes I think ND could win that game. I think it is even money. But love the matchups HH on Harmon , Citron on Philia, Westbelt vs Moore. & then do they switch up and take miles out and put karlen or king on Booker. Would be fun match up. Hopefully that will be one of the sec vs ACC swap games.
@@back2sportsdon’t forget Olivia miles. They don’t realize how good Olivia Miles really is. I seen it with my own eyes. I can promise you Hannah & Olivia will work very well
Liatu's name is pronounced "Lee-uh-two."
thanks - How about I go with King? but really thanks
Without question, Notre Dame IS the #2 team to beat in 2024-25! (and we all know South Carolina is #1) As for UConn's ranking, #7 or below. Texas at #3, USC at #4 Oklahoma at #5 and NC State at #6.
This is a bit biased. I like some of the teams listed here. But UConn would batter Oklahoma.
1 SC, 2 Nd, 3 UConn, 4 USC
This is a big, big loss for Marquette.
Notre Dame is every bit as good as UConn. That backcourt is amazing.
As for that girl going to Miami- well, the snob in me say let her go if she wants an academically BS school like Miami. Yeah, it’s perennial party school.
Yep looking fwd to UConn and ND playing. As well UConn playing SC.