OXFORD, Miss. – Finishing off November undefeated, Ole Miss women’s basketball is set to compete in the annual ACC/SEC Challenge, as the Rebels will take on their first top 25 opponent this season in Notre Dame at the SJB Pavilion on Thursday, December 4. Tipoff at the SJB Pavilion will be at 8 p.m. CT, airing on ESPN2.
TEAM FACTS
No. 13/13 Ole Miss Rebels (7-0, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 8th Season at Ole Miss (132-95) • 13th Season in Career (226-158)
No. 18/19 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-1, 0-0 ACC)
Head Coach: Niele Ivey • 6th Season at Notre Dame (122-39) • 6th Season in Career (122-39)
ON THE AIR
Television: ESPN 2
Play-by-Play: Tiffany Greene
Color: Carolyn Peck
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
Courtesy of Ole Miss Women’s Basketball.
SERIES HISTORY
Ole Miss and Notre Dame are facing off for just the second time in the series history, but the second time in two years. The Rebels and Fighting Irish last faced off in the second round of the 2023-24 NCAA Tournament, with Notre Dame claiming a 71-56 win as the host team.
In that game, Madison Scott and Kennedy Todd-Williams combined for 30 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as the Fighting Irish shot 50 percent from the field, including 44.4 percent from beyond the arc.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING IRISH
Head coach Niele Ivey is in her sixth season at the helm of her alma mater and has revitalized the program into a perennial powerhouse. With a career record of 122-39, Ivey has guided the Fighting Irish to four consecutive trips to the Sweet 16 and an ACC Tournament title.
Ivey and the Fighting Irish have continued that upward trajectory to start 2025-26, opening the season with a 5-1 record. Notre Dame’s only loss this season has come from now No. 6 Michigan.
Last season, Notre Dame went 28-6 and earned a share of the ACC regular season title for the second time in three years. The Fighting Irish downed three AP Top 5 teams in the same season for the first time in program history.
Courtesy of Desrae Kyles’ X/Twitter: @KDesrae.
One of Ivey’s crown jewels is junior guard Hannah Hidalgo out of Merchantville, New Jersey. Hidalgo has been one of the best players in the country and is an established offensive threat from all areas of the court.
Hidalgo has averaged at least 20 points per game in each of her seasons with the Fighting Irish and enters Thursday’s matchup against the Rebels averaging 27.0 points in six games. Hidalgo is also a defensive menace, averaging over six steals a game to start this season.
The Fighting Irish boast one of the most experienced teams in all of NCAA women’s basketball this season. Ten members of the team are upperclassmen, five of which are graduates.
Two seniors who have entered the conversation as strong second and third options behind Hidalgo are KK Bransford and Cassandre Prosper. Both guards are averaging north of 10 points per game, while Bransford leads the team in rebounds at 6.8 per contest.
Rounding out the starting five for the Notre Dame is Vanessa De Jesus and Gisela Sanchez. De Jesus has established herself alongside Hidalgo as one of the best 3-point shooters on the team while Sanchez’ 6-foot-4 stature is the tallest on the team. The aforementioned five athletes have been Notre Dame’s staple to start each game this season.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Women’s Basketball.
GAMES AGAINST THE ACC
The Rebels are 16-21 against all members in the ACC during their 51-year history. Ole Miss has most frequently played Miami, playing the Hurricane seven times. Ole Miss has beaten Miami and Florida State the most among ACC opponents, claiming three wins each.
Ole Miss faced two members of the ACC last season, besting Boston College but falling to NC State. Ole Miss dominated Boston College in the first round of the Continental Tire Baha Mar Championship, 92-55, as five Rebels reached double-digit scoring. It was Ole Miss’ first victory against an ACC opponent since beating Georgia Texh, 63-48, on March 22, 2015.
In last season’s edition of the SEC/ACC Challenge, the Rebels narrowly fell to the Wolfpack, 68-62. The Rebels are looking for their first victory in the challenge on their third attempt. In the inaugural SEC/ACC Challenge game, Ole Miss fell to No. 22 Louisville, 64-58.
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