Fort Worth – Geno Auriemma was just one step away from facing Shea Ralph, his former player and assistant coach.
That is, until Hannah Hidalgo and the No. 6-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish battled their way through the Ralph’s No. 2-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores beating them 67-64.
Hidalgo’s triple-double, consisting of 31 points, 11 rebounds and 10 steals, aided in punching her program’s ticket to the Elite 8.
Despite Auriemma not going up against Ralph, he will be going up against a familiar face in the Fighting Irish’s head coach, Niele Ivey.
On March 30, 2001, Ivey and the Irish played the Huskies in the Final Four. With a 90-75 win for Notre Dame, they would eventually win the National Championship with Muffet McGraw at the helm.
“Obviously, that was in the semifinal round, but that Final Four, playing UConn to get to the championship game, was probably my most memorable experience,” Ivey said on that Final Four game. “Geno [Auriemma] is one of the best coaches in the country. He’s created a standard of excellence at UConn. When you are part of that program, that’s how you operate. That’s number one.”
Between that 2001 Final Four matchup between the two programs and the Huskies 2015 National Championship win, the rivalry among UConn and Notre Dame is a tale as old as time.
“I think we’re just gonna take it for what it is, as an Elite 8 game, I think that’s our goal.” Ashlynn Shade said, “We’re not going to worry about past rivalries or anything. Obviously, it’s a big game for us. We’re gonna focus on that. We’re not really gonna get caught up in the history or anything [because] we’re in the now.”
Both squads have seen each other once before this season, on Jan. 19, where the Huskies took the win 85-47.
However, a lot can change for two teams within a span of two and a half months.
“It’s a different time. We’re playing better basketball. We’re playing smarter. We’re playing tougher. So, we’re different. We’re more confident. This is the biggest stage you can be on.” Ivey said on her Notre Dame squad, “We’re not just excited to be here. We’re going to fight [Sunday].”
On Friday afternoon, UConn struggled to find their rhythm in the first half of their Sweet 16 matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Huskies wrestled to maintain consistency in their shots but managed to flip the script in the second half.
As UConn survives and advances a date versus Notre Dame, they are looking to shift their mindset.
“I think it’s just pouring confidence into each other,” Kayleigh Heckel said on what the squad is looking to fine-tune heading into Sunday’s game. “We didn’t start shooting the way that we wanted to, but I think we all have confidence in each other and we all want each other to shoot no matter how many shots they missed.”
This will be the first time both blue bloods will face one another in the Elite 8, fans will want to miss this one.
Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST from Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Husky fans can tune in to the matchup on ABC.