NFL
By: Nick Andre
Women’s College Basketball is just heating up. Through three weeks, fans have witnessed thriller matchups between top contenders in the country followed by the best players. Saturday will be a showdown as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish travel to Southern California to face the USC Trojans.
This is the matchup everyone has been waiting for. Throughout last season, the best freshmen in the country were both Juju Watkins and Hannah Hidalgo. Both guards provide a different dynamic of scoring, defending, playmaking, and more. Watkins and Hidalgo were so spectacular as freshman guards that fans requested a non-conference matchup between their teams.
That request was granted for Women’s Basketball fans. The matchup was announced this past offseason as USC and Notre Dame will go head to head twice over the next two seasons. This will be the game to watch. Celebrities will be courtside and everyone will have an opportunity to witness greatness.
The USC Trojans have taken care of business at home to begin the season. Watkins continues to emerge as one of the best players in the country with averages of 21.5 pts, 6.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 3.8 steals, and three blocks. However, Watkins is also surrounded by a great supporting cast that has helped her get the job done. Kiki Iriafen is showing why she was a great transfer for the team. Her dominance inside the three-point line makes her one of the more dynamic post-players in the country.
Other key contributors for USC have been freshman Kennedy Smith, Talia van Oelhoffen, Rayah Marshall, and others. The key for the Trojans in this matchup is to get great production out of their supporting cast. Sure, Watkins is expected to put up a great performance. While that’s guaranteed, she won’t be able to get the win without her teammates. Notre Dame will figure out a game plan to send double teams at Watkins and force the ball out of her hands. With that being said, the other players will have to be ready to contribute offensively.
Notre Dame is another team that has been rolling through the first few weeks of the season. Head coach Niele Ivey has done a terrific job of preparing her players for matchups and allowing them to shine in their roles. All eyes will be on the Irish backcourt of Hidalgo and Olivia Miles. In a small sample, Hidalgo and Miles have been dynamic on both ends of the floor and have led Notre Dame to success.
Hidalgo has proven to be a winner from the time she stepped foot on campus. As a freshman, she led Notre Dame to an ACC championship and put the team on her back when it mattered most. What made Hidalgo’s freshman season impressive was that she was able to lead the Irish without Miles, who missed last season due to injury. With Miles making her return this season, Notre Dame had high expectations to remain one of the best teams in the country.
Hidalgo is leading the way for Notre Dame with averages of 25 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.3 steals on 50 percent shooting. Miles is following that up with 18.3 points along with 8 rebounds and 6.8 assists. Together, the two have dominated their way to an undefeated start. Besides Notre Dame’s backcourt, the Irish have a great supporting cast. Players like Sonia Citron, Kate Koval, Liatu King, and others must contribute at a high level to come out on top.
Notre Dame vs USC is arguably the biggest game of the early season. Not only because of the star power in the game but also with how well both teams have begun the season. As Notre Dame and USC head into today’s matchup undefeated, someone will unfortunately take a loss.
