Notre Dame Looking Strong to Repeat as National Champions
It’s hard to top beating Mississippi State 61–58 in a thrilling national championship game last April. Amazingly, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a chance to be even better this season.
Notre Dame has had a remarkable 5-year run leading up to the championship. Since 2013–14, they have won 93% of their games with a record of 174–13. The team ranks in the top ten nationally each year in Wins, Points Per 100 Possessions (Offensive Efficiency), Margin of Victory per Game and Field Goal Percentage.
Head coach Muffet McGraw, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 2017 inductee, is entering her 32nd season in South Bend, IN. Her roster has a good mix of returning players and a strong freshman class.
Notable Returning Players
Notre Dame had remarkably balanced scoring last year. They have 4 returning starters who accounted for 77% of ND’s total scoring.
Arike Ogunbowale G
Averaged 20.8 points a game, which led the ACC and was 20th in the country. First Team All-ACC.
Jessica Shepard F
Her 15.6 points per game ranked 2nd on the team and 11th in the ACC. Her .565 shooting percentage ranked 4th in the ACC.
Jackie Young G
Averaged 14.5 points per game, which ranked 3rd on the team and 15th in the ACC. She also recorded 10 games of 20-plus points and five double-doubles.
Marina Mabrey G
Averaged 14.4 points per game, which ranked 4th on team and 16th in the ACC.
Brianna Turner F
Returns as a graduate student after a year off due to a torn ACL. She is a two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Her .622 career field goal percentage ranks fourth all-time in the ACC. In addition, her 263 career blocks ranks ninth all-time, while her 2.6 career blocks per game ranks sixth.
Incoming Freshmen
Katlyn Gilbert G
ESPN 2018 class ranking: 27th overall and 7th at the position.
Coach McGraw says, “She reminds me of Kayla McBride. She is someone that can score, rebound, run the floor and defend. Just a gifted athlete with a promising future.”
Jordan Nixon G
Ranked 38th overall in the Class of 2018 and 10th at point guard by ESPN.
Coach McGraw says, “Jordan was the final piece of the puzzle that we were missing, in the point guard position. She’s going to be counted on to step in right away and lead our team. She’s a very mature, intelligent, high basketball IQ player, who will look to take over the reins of running this team.”
Danielle Cosgrove G
ESPN 2018 class ranking: 68th overall and 14th by position in 2018 class.
Abby Prohaska G
ESPN 2018 class ranking: 73rd overall and the 21st-best shooting guard.
Possible Weaknesses
While Notre Dame is definitely an elite team, there are some trends indicating a few weaknesses. Defensively, they ranked 239th in opponent points per game last season, allowing a five-year high of 67.8. This is where a healthy Brianna Turner can really make a difference.
One area the Fighting Irish could improve on is 3-point shooting rate. Last year, they ranked 341st in percentage of long-range shots attempted. In addition, they ranked 306th in defending 3-point shots, allowing their opponents to shoot 34.5%. Due to their excellent 2-point shooting percentage and large average margin of victory, 3-point shooting and defending may not be as crucial.
Prediction
Notre Dame must contend in a tough conference — the ACC. Louisville won 37 games and the ACC tournament last year, while seven other teams in the conference won at least 20 games. The non-conference schedule is not a cakewalk either and includes both Connecticut and Tennessee.
That being said, with their returning players from last year, the return of Brianna Turner, and a highly touted freshman class, I predict another Final Four appearance for the Fighting Irish and better-than-even odds of another championship.
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