The sixth-ranked Notre Dame women’s basketball team is the preseason favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title. This announcement comes as sophomore Hannah Hidalgo, known for her scoring ability, is named the league’s preseason player of the year.
The ACC made the announcement after a voting session by media members during last week’s “ACC Tipoff” preseason media days.
Notre Dame received 70 of 79 first-place votes. The team, led by coach Niele Ivey, recently captured its first ACC Tournament title by defeating N.C. State. This season, the Fighting Irish will rely on Hidalgo, a returning Associated Press first-team All-American who averaged 22.6 points last season. The team will also welcome back point guard Olivia Miles, a second-team AP All-American in 2023, after she missed all of last season due to a serious knee injury.
N.C. State, ranked ninth, finished second in the preseason poll with eight first-place votes. The Wolfpack made headlines last season by reaching the Final Four for the first time since 1998.
Duke, ranked 11th, was picked third, followed by No. 17 Louisville, No. 19 Florida State, and No. 15 North Carolina. These six teams were included in the AP Top 25 poll released earlier on Tuesday.
Stanford, in its first year in the ACC, was projected to finish seventh. Miami, Virginia, and Georgia Tech rounded out the top 10.
Syracuse was ranked 11th, followed by Virginia Tech, Clemson, California, Boston College, SMU, Wake Forest, and Pittsburgh.
Hidalgo led the preseason All-ACC team, which included Florida State guard Ta’Niya Latson and the N.C. State backcourt duo of Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers. Miles and her Notre Dame teammate Sonia Citron also made the team, along with FSU’s Makayla Timpson, UNC’s Alyssa Ustby, Duke’s Reigan Richardson, and Virginia’s Kymora Johnson.
Related Topics
- Hot Springs crowd to see Arkansas basketball under Calipari
- Can I Lose Weight by Playing Basketball?
- What Station Is the NBA Basketball Game On?
