Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame Stumbles Once More, Upset by Duke in ACC Tournament

Notre Dame's hopes of repeating as ACC Tournament champions has come to an end
Nick Shepkowski|
Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo (3) walks off the court after winning a NCAA women's basketball game 64-49 against No. 11 Duke at Purcell Pavilion on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in South Bend.
Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo (3) walks off the court after winning a NCAA women's basketball game 64-49 against No. 11 Duke at Purcell Pavilion on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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If the ACC Tournament was going to be a time and place for the Notre Dame women's basketball team to quiet concerns entering the NCAA Tournament then the mission failed miserably and only more concerns have emerged.

Notre Dame, who lost two of its final three regular season games to close the year, after being unbeaten in the ACC previously on the year, fell to Duke in the semi-finals, 61-56.

Duke used a 9-0 between the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters to trailing by one to leading by eight. Notre Dame would be playing catch up the rest of the afternoon but was never able to even things back with the Blue Devils.

Notre Dame struggled to score most the afternoon, shooting just 20% from beyond the three-point-arc for the day. Hannah Hidalgo led the way with 22 points for Notre Dame but fellow stars Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron combined to go just 6-of-18 from the field and total just 19 points.

As has been the story much of the year, Notre Dame was able to muster just 14 points from others than those big three.

Notre Dame will now await its draw in the NCAA Tournament. What once seemed like a lock to be a No. 1 seed now looks to be more in the debate between being a No. 2 or No. 3 seed.

Niele Ivey, who has coached Notre Dame since the 2020-21 season, will be looking to coach a team past the Sweet 16 for the first time in her head coaching career.

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Nick Shepkowski
NICK SHEPKOWSKI

Managing Editor for Notre Dame On SI. Started covering Chicago sports teams for WSCR the Score, and over the years worked with CBS Radio, Audacy, NBC Sports, and FOX Sports as a contributor before running the Notre Dame wire site for USA TODAY.

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