During the 2012-13 season, the UConn women’s basketball team played the Notre Dame Fighting Irish four times. Notre Dame won the first three matchups, one of them being the Big East Championship game at the XL Center. UConn got their revenge in the Final Four, setting up the path to their eighth national title and first of four straights.
11 years later, that team will not be the only championship squad recognized. The 2013-14 national championship team, which beat the Fighting Irish in the title game, will also be entering the Huskies of Honor. It all occurs at halftime of the 54th all-time battle between the No. 8 Huskies and No. 15 Notre Dame at Gampel Pavilion on Saturday.
The 2002-03 and 2003-04 national championship teams will also be attending to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Both programs combined for a 2-1 record against the Fighting Irish in that span, all in the regular season.
Connecticut leads the all-time series 39-14 and holds a 5-2 record against Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies have won all but three meetings since that 2013 Final Four, with the Fighting Irish taking last season’s duel at Purcell Pavilion. Undefeated heading into that battle, UConn struggled after then-sophomore Azzi Fudd suffered a knee injury late in the first quarter.
Over the final 32 minutes, the Fighting Irish outscored the Huskies 65-49 for their first victory at home in 10 years. Connecticut hopes for a different outcome with four national championship teams in attendance and redshirt junior Paige Bueckers back in the mix.
In her last four games, Bueckers has shot 38-54 from the field and dropped 20+ points in each contest. Already an efficient scorer this season and throughout her career, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award candidate has made strides this season on the defensive end. On top of shooting 38-54 in that four-game span, Bueckers is averaging over a block and two steals a night.
Senior forward Aaliyah Edwards brings her own balanced attack. Even though she ranks second on the team in points and blocks behind the redshirt junior, the Katrina McClain Award candidate can cause headaches in the post. At 16.4 points and 8.3 rebounds a night along with nine double-doubles, her presence down low does not go unnoticed.
Neither does the impact from first-years KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade. Both top 15 recruits are shooting better than 53% from the field and affect the game from a different spot on the court. For Arnold, that impact comes in transition with 62 assists and 48 steals in 14 starts. As for Shade, her 32 three-pointers and under-the-radar defensive aggression (14 steals; three blocks) make her hard to guard. When all the attention goes toward those four impact players, it allows senior guard Nika Mühl to bury a wide-open three-pointer. The two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year’s 43.5% clip from downtown complements her 123 assists (6.15 a night) and 22 steals.
Beyond their starting five, UConn needs major contributions from redshirt freshman Ice Brady and first-year guard Qadence Samuels. Strong games from both players, which may be necessary should the Huskies get into foul trouble, significantly increase their chances of winning.
Do not let Notre Dame’s ranking fool you; they are as dangerous as any Top 10 team. Their three losses have come against No. 1 South Carolina (who were then No. 6) in Paris and two Atlantic Coast Conference foes who have been in the Top 25 this season.
Junior guard Olivia Miles has not played since suffering a knee injury against the Louisville Cardinals in last year’s regular-season finale. Enter true freshman Hannah Hidalgo. The No. 5 recruit leads the Fighting Irish in almost every major category, from points per game (23.9 as of 6 p.m. Thursday) to steals (94) and sits one spot ahead of Arnold in ESPNW’s Class of 2023 rankings.
The two-time ACC Player of the Week is, almost literally, Notre Dame’s version of the four-time Big East Freshman of the Week. Each first-year phenom facilitates the offense and consistently goes after the ball on defense. Although Connecticut runs a four-guard starting lineup and may put Bueckers on her, do not be surprised if Arnold is the one defending Hidalgo.
Junior guard Sonia Citron has played in eight total games heading into Notre Dame’s eighth conference contest. She has scored in double figures every time, including a 28-point performance against the Virginia Cavaliers back on Jan. 18. The Fighting Irish force their opponents to commit 18 fouls a game. When she is at the charity stripe, the New York native is almost certainly making the free throw as she has done on 33 of 35 attempts.
Senior forward Maddy Westbeld is Edwards’ equivalent for Notre Dame. On top of attacking the bucket and ranking second on the team in total points, Westbeld ruthlessly guards the glass and grabs 9.5 boards a night. Westbeld can also let it fly from downtown; her 38.5% clip from beyond the arc ranks second on the team among players who have taken 15+ attempts behind Citron.
Also watch for graduate guard Anna DeWolfe, sophomore guard KK Bransford and senior forward Kylee Watson. Instead of making her living on the glass, DeWolfe deals most of her attention toward getting the ball to her teammates with 58 assists. Opponents that might want to double team the graduate guard may have a hard time shutting down the Fighting Irish offensively as a result.
Even with Citron back, Bransford still plays over half of the game. Unless she enters some foul trouble early, expect the sophomore guard to play around 30 minutes. Watson’s 4.7 rebounds and team-leading 23 blocks make her a major problem for anyone trying to score in the post.
Tip-off in the 34th regular-season meeting between these two championship-winning programs is at 8 p.m. on FOX.