ACC Disaster Forces National Analyst to Give Immediate Wake-Up Call to Olivia Miles & Co.

It was week 16 and nothing must have seemed impossible for Notre Dame. They were riding a 19-game win streak, sat at No.1 on the AP Poll, made it to the NCAA tournament committee’s early top-16, and looked every bit a Final Four lock. But a late-season slump hit the Fighting Irish, and it hit hard. Just three hours after making the no.1 seed for the second time, they’d lose a second consecutive game. And the disappointment stared right at you in coach Niele Ivey’s an-hour-late arrival at the press conference. But the worst was yet to come.

The Fighting Irish may have lost to two lower-ranked teams consecutively, but they ensured to keep up their offense, not dropping below 80. However, against Duke in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament? That wasn’t the team Niele Ivey entered the season with. In a 56-61 defeat, Notre Dame recorded its lowest score of the season.

Rachel Annamarie put it bluntly: “I have never seen Notre Dame have so much trouble scoring.” And that’s hard to figure out when you’ve got some of the leading scorers in the country.

Hannah Hidalgo. Olivia Miles. Sonia Citron. The three average 24.2, 16.2, and 13.8, respectively, and make among the top 20 leading scorers in ACC. Hidalgo at no.2. Alexa Philippou even exclaimed it: Miles and Hidalgo “figure to produce one of the most dynamic guard pairings in the country.” But it hasn‘t been quite as magical as expected. 

Well, the sophomore guard did her part, dropping 23 points. But Olivia Miles had a rough night with just 10 points, and Sonia Citron wasn’t much better with 9. Beyond that, it was ugly. Maddy Westbeld and Liatu King went 0-for-8 combined and the rest hardly showed up.

They shot 37.5% from the field and went 3-for-15 from three. With March Madness around the corner, offensive woes are the last thing Ivey would need on the list. More so, when you have draft prospects who failed to show up. “That’s such a rare thing when you have players like Hannah Hidalgo… Olivia Miles… Sonia Citron. Those are three players that I think that they are going to be drafted high,” Rachel adds. But what she really tries to emphasise here is the Duke’s incredible defense, without really a star player on the roster. 

The Blue Devils forced 21 turnovers, grabbed 38 rebounds, and limited a team that averages 84.7 per game to 56. This was a team that spent much of the season as a top-5 team in scoring, field goal percentage, and 3-point percentage. Good for Kara Lawson’s squad, but for Ivey it was a sting too deep and a call to get back on track. The frustration was clear.

A coach that made the press wait for over 70 minutes after the upset to Florida State, set a pattern when she delayed her arrival by about 60 minutes this time. “We played below our standard,” she said. “That’s on me. When we get back on the court, we’ll be better for this loss.”

The reigning ACC champions started the tournament well when they came off a win against Louisville to face California in the quarterfinals. They’d a win there too as Hidalgo led with 25 points. But they have fallen to no.2 seeding and 8 on AP Poll. That Final Four dream? Still shaky. Liza Karlen, however, still believes in this team. “We’re really the only ones in our way,” she said. “I’m still all-in on this team and really believe we can go all the way in March.”

March Madness is brutal — if Notre Dame’s offense doesn’t wake up soon, this season will end with a whole lot of “what ifs.” 

Olivia Miles leading her 3-pointer game

No college player has enhanced her 3-point shooting more than Olivia Miles. That’s not hype — ESPN substantiated it with the data. No one has made a greater leap from beyond the arc since last year than Miles. And head coach Niele Ivey notices.

“She’s elite. She’s been playing at a high level,”  Ivey said. And to be honest, that‘s an understatement. Miles has made a tremendous comeback after a poor stretch last season. She tore up her knee in the regular-season finale of her All-American sophomore season. That type of injury could rattle any player‘s confidence. But not Miles.

“I feel like I didn’t work on anything, really. It was really, just truthfully, my confidence,” Miles stated.

Miles didn‘t relax and cry about it. Rather, she worked on it. She continued practicing her shot. And now? It‘s proving worth it on a big time. OM is putting up 16.5 points, 5.9 assists, and 6.1 rebounds on the year . Quite a sky-high statistic for someone after a year of being lost. She even became a candidate for the Nancy Lieberman Award, awarded to the nation’s best point guard.

The rest of the nominees? Georgia Amoore (Kentucky), Rori Harmon (Texas), Kiki Rice (UCLA), and Paige Bueckers (UConn). That’s elite company of 5. She’s not just back — she’s better than ever. And with March Madness around the corner, she better put it to use.