What to expect from Syracuse women’s basketball’s matchup vs. Notre Dame
Syracuse heads into the penultimate matchup of its regular season against Notre Dame Thursday, coming off Sunday’s 82-69 loss to NC State. Matthew Crisafulli | Staff Photographer
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
There’s one chance left for Syracuse to prove it can hang with the Atlantic Coast Conference’s elite. Right now, the jury’s still out.
With its 82-69 loss to NC State Saturday, SU dropped to 1-5 in Quad 1 opportunities, with its lone win coming against Virginia back in January. The Orange have a grand total of eight opponents with a Simple Rating System score above 20 on their schedule, and they’ve lost to six of them. They’ve beat one — the aforementioned Cavaliers — and they’ll travel to South Bend Thursday to take on the final one: Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish beat the Wolfpack less than two weeks ago, and yet again, they have the uber-talented Hannah Hidalgo controlling their offense. But the Orange have improved significantly in the 14 months since these two last faced off, and with one last opportunity at a Quad 1 victory, it’s imperative for them to come out of the gate swinging.
Here’s everything to know about the Fighting Irish (18-9, 10-6 ACC) before they square off against Syracuse (21-6, 11-5 ACC):
All-time series
Notre Dame leads 39-5.
Last time they played
When the Fighting Irish rolled into the JMA Wireless Dome on Dec. 8, 2024, they did so with the intention of making it a long day for the Orange. Yet, in a 2024-25 season full of long days for SU, that matchup against ND might’ve been one of its longest all year.
Let’s face it. Syracuse never stood a chance against Notre Dame’s All-ACC trio of Sonia Citron, Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles. The three outscored SU’s entire roster 69-62, with all three of them scoring over 20 points in ND’s dominant 93-62 victory.
The Orange hung around for the first quarter, entering the second frame down just 21-20. But the wheels fell off after that. The only positive on the day was Keira Scott, who led the team with a career-high 16 points in 34 minutes.
The Fighting Irish report
Hannah Hidalgo. That’s all you need to know.
Just kidding, more on her later. But with how heliocentric ND’s offense is without Citron and Miles, it would be accurate to name this section “The Hidalgo report” because the Fighting Irish are truly her show.
The Irish are remarkably efficient from the field, ranking 17th in the nation with a 47% field goal percentage. Do you want to guess what Hidalgo’s field goal percentage is, on her team-leading 19.5 field goal attempts per game? That’s right, 47% on the dot.
Her 34.1% usage rate leads the ACC. So does her 39.4 PER, and her 8.4 win shares, and her 18.2 box plus/minus. Cassandre Prosper has had a breakout senior season, averaging 14.6 points and 7.3 boards per game, but it’d be naive to act as if she’s anywhere as important to Notre Dame’s success as Hidalgo. It’s simple: ND goes where Hidal-goes.
How Syracuse beats Notre Dame
But — adding on to that previous point — no matter how good Hidalgo is, she can’t be expected to go at it alone. It’s not realistic, especially in a conference as competitive as the ACC.
The difference between last year — when the Irish seemed indefatigable — and now, is the supporting cast. The characters Niele Ivey has collected around her point guard just aren’t as strong this year. That’s why ND already has nine losses — three more than its season total last year.
Thus, that’s why the key for Syracuse is forcing Notre Dame to funnel its offense through Hidalgo. She’s going to get her buckets regardless — she’s scored in double-digits every game this season. But, the teams that have beat the Irish have been able to limit their offense to just her and one complimentary piece.
When the Irish lost to Cal, Hidalgo and Moore were the two ND players with over 15 points. The same was the case in its loss against Virginia, and when it fell to Clemson, too. If SU can take advantage of the severe imbalance in Ivey’s scheme, it could secure a crucial Quad 1 win.
Stat to know: 23.5
Make no mistake. This war will be waged in the paint.
Syracuse ranks fourth in the nation in 2-point attempts per game, at an average of 50.1. SU ranks 13th out of 363 Division I schools in 2-point makes per game, with 22.9. But, unfortunately for the Orange, the Fighting Irish have them beat.
Notre Dame averages 23.5 2-point makes per game, which places them squarely in the nation’s top 10 schools. It’s also much more efficient than SU, with its 51.6% 2-point percentage soaring above Syracuse’s pedestrian 45.8% mark on tries inside the arc. ND might only have one real 3-point threat — Iyana Moore — but it won’t really matter if it can dominate the paint.
Player to watch: Hannah Hidalgo, guard, No. 1
Are you tired of hearing about Hidalgo, yet? There’s only one player on Notre Dame’s roster who was talented enough — as a freshman — to earn a feature in The Daily Orange.
It’s Hidalgo. She scored 32 points on Syracuse as a freshman, then poured on 24 when she rolled into the Dome in that aforementioned 93-62 Irish victory last season. She averaged 22.6 points and led the country with 4.6 steals per game in her debut collegiate campaign, earning First-Team All-American honors.
And she’s only gotten better since then. Hidalgo is currently the only Notre Dame player averaging at least 15 points per game — she’s scoring a career-high 24.9 currently — and leads the nation with an even-more-obscene average of 5.6 steals a game. There’s no better point guard on either end of the ball than Hidalgo, and stopping her is the only way for SU to stop ND.
