PREVIEWING ND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ACC/SEC CHALLENGE BATTLE AT TENNESSEE
Previewing Notre Dame women’s basketball vs. Tennessee Wednesday in the ACC/SEC Challenge:
No. 18 Notre Dame (5-1) vs. No. 20 Tennessee (4-2)
WHAT: Inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge. WHEN: Wednesday, 5 p.m.
WHERE: Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678), Knoxville, Tenn.
WATCH: ESPN2.
LISTEN: WQLQ (99.9 FM; link at UND.com).
Scouting Notre Dame
Hannah Hidalgo captured her third straight ACC Rookie of the Week honor Monday, becoming the first Irish player ever to earn that many in a row. Brianna Turner in 2014-15 and Sonia Citron in 2021-22 each notched the award six times, but never more than twice straight. Hidalgo’s also scored at least 20 points in six consecutive games, joining Beth Morgan and Arike Ogunbowale as the only ND players with streaks at least that long. Her 6.3 steals per game leads the nation — her 38 on the season is one more than Tennessee’s total as a team — and she’s averaging 25.0 points, 5.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds. … Other Irish leaders are Citron (20.3 ppg), though she’s expected to miss a fourth straight game due to a knee sprain suffered Nov. 15; Maddy Westbeld (13.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg); KK Bransford (9.0 ppg); Anna DeWolfe (8.8 ppg, 4.2 assists); Cass Prosper (8.2 ppg); Nat Marshall (7.8 ppg); and Kylee Watson (7.8 ppg). … ND was 13th in the nation through Sunday in average rebound margin at plus-14.5 and is turning the ball over 6.8 fewer times per game than its opponents. The Irish have heated up from distance, too, making 32-of-74 over their last four games for 43.2%. … ND lost its first 20 meetings all-time against the storied Vols, then won eight of nine from March 2011 to January 2019 before dropping the most recent, 74-63 at home, in November 2019.
Scouting Tennessee Volunteers
Like the Irish, the Vols might be without one of their early-season standouts. All-SEC senior forward Rickea Jackson, after averaging 22.0 points and 12.0 rebounds over Tennessee’s first two games, has missed the last four due to a lower leg injury. Coach Kellie Harper late last week declined to place a timeline on Jackson’s return. … The Vols will be playing their fourth ranked opponent already. They fell 92-91 at currently No. 15 Florida State on Nov. 9 with Jackson. In their last two games, at the Fort Myers Tip-Off, they lost 71-57 to now-No. 17 Indiana on Thanksgiving before downing then-No. 22 Oklahoma 76-73 on Saturday. … Leaders besides Jackson are 6-2 junior swing Sara Puckett (15.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg); senior transfer Jewel Spear (13.5 ppg) from Wake Forest, where she was All-ACC first team as a sophomore and second team last season; fifth-year guard Jasmine Powell (12.4 ppg); 6-3 junior forward Karline Striplin (10.3 ppg); 6-5 junior forward Jillian Hollingshead (8.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg); and senior guard Destinee Wells (6.0 ppg, 3.7 assists). Puckett and Spear have paired to make 23-of-58 on 3s. … UT is at 3.0 more turnovers per game than its opponents, but is 16th in the nation in rebound margin at plus-13.9. The Vols are limiting opponents to just 39.1% from the field overall, though their 3-point percentage allowed is virtually the same at 38.9, with 9.3 makes allowed per game. … Tennessee’s 3-0 at home and averaging 7,732 in home attendance.
Quoting the Irish
“I think seeing no name on the jersey’s real important going into every game, not looking at the name on the jersey and just playing our game and playing to our scout.” — Anna DeWolfe, Irish guard, on ND’s approach regardless of opponent.