Tag: acc women’s basketball

Notre Dame’s Sonia Citron, Maddy Westbeld make All-ACC Second Team

Two players have made all-conference again.

[autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] and [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] are true seasoned leaders for Notre Dame. It only makes sense for them to be recognized by their conference again. Citron and Westbeld have been named to the All-ACC Second Team.

This is the third all-conference selection for Westbeld and her second on the Second Team. So far this season, she is averaging 14.1 points and a career-high 9.4 rebounds a game. She has reached double digits in rebounds 13 times and recorded 12 double-doubles.

After missing time early in the season with injury, Citron has bounced back nicely to play in 20 games and earn her second straight All-ACC selection. She is averaging career highs in scoring (16.3) and assists (2.7). She also has 1.7 steals a game and has tied her career-high of four steals in a game twice this season.

Everyone talks about All-ACC First Team selection [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag], who also was the conference’s top rookie and defensive player, but she can’t do as much if Citron and Westbeld aren’t around. They’re just as deserving of recogntion no matter how much attention Hidalgo gets.

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Hannah Hidalgo named ACC Rookie and Defensive Player of the Year

Congrats, Hannah!

The announcement really only was a formality at this point, but now, it’s official. Notre Dame’s [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] has been named the ACC Rookie of the Year and the Defensive Player of the Year. Those obviously mean spots on the conference’s All-Freshman Team and All-Defensive Team. She also made the All-ACC First Team.

Hidalgo is the ninth Notre Dame player since the program joined the ACC to make the All-Freshman Team and the fourth to make the All-Defensive Team. She also is the 11th to be named to the All-ACC First Team.

During the regular season, Hidalgo was named the ACC Rookie of the Week a record 12 times and the conference’s Player of the Week three times. On her way to setting those marks, she’s become the third-highest scorer nationally at 23.8 points a game, and she leads the nation in steals at 4.9 a game.

Now, Hidalgo gets to play at a higher level with the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament on the horizon. It will be interesting to see what more she does.

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Both weekly ACC rookie honors go to Notre Dame guards

There are some special young players for the Irish.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] and [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] both have turned heads for Notre Dame’s basketball teams this season. The ACC has honored them for that multiple times. Now, for the third time this season, both have been named ACC Rookie of the Week for their respective sports in the same week.

This is the fourth ACC Rookie of the Week honor for Burton, who averaged 26.0 points a game for the week to help beat Wake Forest and Clemson. Hidalgo has won it a conference-record 12 times now, and she also was named ACC Player of the Week after averaging 24.5 points a game in big wins over Virginia Tech and Louisville. She also has been named a finalist for the Nancy Lierberman Award, which is given to the country’s top point guard.

It’s been said before, but with Hidalgo and Burton, the future is looking bright for both Notre Dame basketball teams. We already are seeing it benefit the women, and hopefully, the men will follow suit before too long.

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ACC women’s basketball leaders as of March 3

Guess who leads for Notre Dame.

Well, we finally have reached March. The spotlight will shine bright on every team from here on out. But nowhere where the spotlight shine brighter than on the players most expected to lead their teams. That includes the ACC’s major statistical leaders, and you can find those players below:

Duke’s path through the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament begins as No. 7 seed

The ACC women’s basketball regular season ended on Sunday, meaning Duke’s official seeding and path through the conference tournament bracket is now set in stone. See what the bracket holds for them here.

The ACC women’s basketball regular season officially ended on Sunday, meaning the conference tournament bracket is finally set.

The Blue Devils finished as the seventh seed in the conference after an 11-7 record against ACC opponents. The seeding gives Duke a first-round bye for the conference tournament, awaiting either No. 10 Georgia Tech (16-14, 7-11) or No. 15 Pittsburgh (8-23, 2-16).

Should Duke defeat either the Yellow Jackets or the Panthers in the opening round, they would move on to face No. 2 NC State. The Blue Devils just defeated the Wolfpack in a stunning upset two weeks ago, an emphatic 69-58 win on their home court.

The Virginia Tech Hokies, who finished 23-6 with a 14-4 record in conference play, clinched the top overall seed in the bracket.

Rival North Carolina, who beat Duke on Sunday to split the season series, is the eighth seed after finishing with an identical 11-7 conference record. Duke wouldn’t get a rematch with the Tar Heels unless it came in the tournament final.

Ivey, Hidalgo, Citron, Westbeld speak after Notre Dame win

Hear what the victors had to say about this game.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – There’s no doubt Notre Dame wants to have one or two more games at Purcell Pavilion this season. The Irish have been playing even better lately, most recently with their 74-58 win over Louisville. It all depends on what the NCAA Tournament selection committee thinks of its resume. We’ll save that discussion for another day though.

The discussion right now is this latest victory, which [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] was happy to talk about afterwards. After a win like that though, it wasn’t enough to bring in the usual one or two players. She brought in her three best, and they all deserved it.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] did her usual thing with 26 points, eight rebounds, four assists and six steals. [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] scored 17 points, and [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Fighting Irish Wire was on hand during this postgame news conference, and here is some of what was said:

Notre Dame clinches ACC Tournament double-bye with win vs. Louisville

Great way to end the regular season.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Hopefully, Notre Dame has not played its final game at Purcell Pavilion this season. That depends on how the selection committee for the NCAA Tournament feels about giving the Irish a top-four seed. Regardless, the Irish continued to make their case in front of a packed house with a 74-58 win over Louisville, giving them a double-bye for this week’s ACC Tournament.

The first half was very much even until the Irish (23-6, 13-5) saw the Cardinals (23-8, 12-6) take their biggest lead at seven going into halftime. The third quarter was a much different story though as the Irish became as red-hot from the field as the Cardinals became ice-cold, though the Irish’s defense also had a hand in that. The shooting numbers in that quarter told the story: 11 of 13 for the Irish, and 2 of 17 for the Cardinals.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] had a trademark game of 26 points, eight rebounds, four assists and six steals. [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] scored 17 points, [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag] added 10, and [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] achieved a double-double of 11 points and 11 boards.

With the victory in their final regular-season game, the Irish didn’t need to worry about Wake Forest having to upset NC State. They now get to go straight to the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. That extra rest will do wonders for a team that has had depth issues all season. We’ll see how much it pays off.

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Purcell Pavilion sold out for Notre Dame’s home finale vs. Louisville

Hope you’ve got your ticket already.

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team’s final regular-season game will be loud. That can be said definitively because the program posted on social media that Sunday’s contest against Louisville has been sold out:

There likely are several factors playing into this, not the least of which is that the Irish have won four straight games and five of their past six. Fans might also be on a high from the last victory over No. 5 Virginia Tech.

There also is seeding for the ACC Tournament at stake as the outcome likely will determine whether the Irish obtain a double-bye. With a 12-5 conference record, they’re in a three-way tie for third with the Cardinals and NC State. A loss not only would put those double-bye hopes in serious jeopardy, but it also probably would end any remaining chance of obtaining a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Fighting Irish Wire will be on hand to cover this big game. It should be a good one.

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Notre Dame remains No. 5 seed in most latest bracketologies

Sure feels like the Irish are stuck right now.

Notre Dame beat No. 5 Virginia Tech on Thursday, but most bracketologists remain unmoved. A couple of new bracketologies were released Friday, and the Irish remain where they’ve been in those particular ones. ESPN, CBS Sports and NCAA.com all have the Irish as a No. 5 seed, joining Her Hoop Stats from the day before. Only College Sports Madness currently has the Irish as a fourth seed.

Perhaps the biggest warning yet that the Irish might not get to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament came from the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee. In the top 16 it released before Thursday’s game, the Irish were nowhere to be found. The way things are going, that probably wouldn’t have changed even if the rankings had been released after the game.

One now has to wonder if an Irish win over Louisville would be enough to bump them up in the seedings. Are they going to have to win the ACC Tournament to even have a shot at being a tournament host? It sure feels like it right now. We’ll see if they rise to that challenge.

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Photos from Notre Dame’s upset victory over No. 5 Virginia Tech

Until Thursday, Notre Dame’s only win that really stood out was its earlier nonconference win at UConn. That changed with a 71-58 victory against No. 5 Virginia Tech. Now, it seems like almost anything is possible.

While the Irish haven’t done everything yet that would convince the selection committee to make it an undisputed top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament, this win gives them a strong argument for one. The Hokies were the better of their two remaining regular-season opponents, and another tough opponent in Louisville will come in a few days. If the Irish win that game, they will be impossible for the committee to ignore.

Did the green jerseys provide the Irish in a way they really haven’t done so for the football team? All we know is that the Irish are playing some great basketball right now, and it’s happening at the right time.

Check out some memorable images from the win over the Hokies: