Notre Dame Women's Basketball Season Preview 2024-25: Biggest games, key players to watch and more

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish step into the 2024-25 women's basketball season aiming to break the string of successive Sweet 16 finishes from 2021-22 to 2023-24.

The defending ACC Tournament champions parade a talented roster of nine returnees, two transfers and one freshman who are on a mission to win their third national title and first since 2018.

Among the returnees are a solid trio of guards and a crafty forward who are all capable of lighting up the scoreboards with their amazing brand of play.

Here's a deeper look into Notre Dame's 2024-25 college basketball campaign from its biggest games to the key players to watch out for this season.

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Notre Dame's biggest games of the 2024-25 season

Notre Dame will have a challenging schedule for the coming season, beginning with their matchup against the JuJu Watkins-led USC on Nov. 23. The Fighting Irish are 8-2 all-time against the Trojans, who lost to UConn in the Elite Eight.

Up next for Notre Dame is new SEC member Texas in the SEC-ACC Challenge on Dec. 5. The Longhorns, who are 1-1 all-time against the Fighting Irish, topped the Big 12 Tournament before transferring to the SEC and made the Elite Eight where they were stopped by NC State.

A week later, the Niele Ivey-mentored squad will have its hands full against 11-time national champions UConn. The Huskies are coming off a Final Four stint last season where they defeated Syracuse, Duke and USC in the earlier rounds before losing to the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes by two points.

Notre Dame begins its ACC regular season campaign on Dec. 8 against Syracuse. Aside from Syracuse, the Fighting Irish will visit Pittsburgh, NC State, North Carolina, Miami, Virginia Tech, Boston College and Clemson.

Also, it will host California, SMU, Florida State, Duke, Georgia Tech, Stanford, Wake Forest and Virginia. The team will take on Louisville in a home and away series.

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Top Notre Dame players to watch out for in the 2024-25 season

#1. Hannah Hidalgo

Hannah Hidalgo (Image Source: IMAGN)

Hannah Hidalgo is coming off an excellent freshman season where she tallied 22.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 4.6 steals per game.

The 5-foot-6 freshman racked up every award possible for a freshamn, including the AP All-America First Team, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year, All-ACC First Team and the Dawn Staley Award.

Hidalgo is expected to share touches with comebacking Olivia Miles and form a dynamic backcourt duo that is arguably one of the top guard combos in the nation.

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#2. Olivia Miles

Olivia Miles (Image Source: IMAGN)

Olivia Miles returns after sitting out the 2023-24 season due to a knee injury. In the previous season, the 5-foot-10 Miles was an all-around menace, averaging 14.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 6.9 apg and 2.1 spg in 28 games.

Miles will team up with Hannah Hidalgo in the Notre Dame backcourt that is expected to cause a lot of headaches for rival teams this coming season.

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#3. Maddy Westbeld

Maddy Westbeld had a strong 2023-24 season, tallying 14.4 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.5 spg and 1.1 bpg. She took over as the No. 3 scorer for Notre Dame last year in the absence of Olivia Miles.

The return of Miles could affect Westbeld's production in the 2024-25 season. But the incoming fifth-year senior will provide a solid frontcourt presence for the Fighting Irish that is vital for their championship aspirations.

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Predictions for Notre Dame's 2024-25 season

With the return of Olivia Miles from injury, Notre Dame could parade four solid scoring threats this coming season. Miles' return could also allow Hannah Hidalgo, Maddy Westbeld and Sonia Citron to focus more on their offense. The guard has proven that she is capable of contributing to other facets of the game aside from scoring.

Niele Ivey will have the deepest rotation in her coaching career. It could push her to become the second Notre Dame coach to win the national title since the legendary Muffet McGraw led the Fighting Irish to two championships, in 2001 and 2018.

Notre Dame could win at least 25 games in the regular season and could go all the way to the Final Four if they stay healthy as only a few teams can match up with their 2024-25 rotation.

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Will Notre Dame break the string of Sweet 16 appearances in the 2025 NCAA Tournament? Let us know your reactions in the comments section.