Basketball is back.
Notre Dame gets the second season of head coach Niele Ivey's tenure underway Tuesday night against Ohio. The Fighting Irish host the Bobcats at 7 p.m. ET at Purcell Pavilion.
The Ivey era began with an 86-85 loss to Ohio on Nov. 27, 2020. The Irish sputtered to a 10-10 overall mark thereafter. They finished sixth in the ACC standings, and that’s where they’re projected by media and the conference's coaches to finish again.
But Notre Dame has a higher ceiling for itself.
Sophomore forward Maddy Westbeld said last month the Irish are taking every game personally this season. They're out to prove repping the blue and gold still means something in the grand scheme of women's college basketball.
A good way for Notre Dame to back that up from the jump would be to beat the same team it lost to in last year's season opener. And not just beat the Bobcats but beat them soundly. Ohio went 15-10 with a first-round WNIT exit last season. It's not exactly a cream of the crop type of program. Notre Dame needs to set the tone for the season, especially playing at home.
Look for Stanford transfer Maya Dodson to build upon her strong performance in Notre Dame's exhibition victory over Emporia State last week. Dodson scored 24 points in 25 minutes. She was unstoppable in the post. She should have another favorable size advantage against the smaller Bobcats.
"She gives us everything in terms of her presence inside, her leadership off the court, she's our hardest worker," Ivey said. "She demands a lot of respect from our team. And she carries a lot of experience being a senior and coming from a great program in Stanford."
Guard play will also be critical. Freshman point guard Olivia Miles and senior shooting guard Dara Mabrey combined for 16 assists against Emporia State. Notre Dame had 29 helpers as a team and just 14 turnovers.
Westbeld, Dodson, Miles and Mabrey made up four-fifths of Notre Dame's starting five against Emporia State. Junior guard Anaya Peoples was the fifth starter. Her energy was contagious in the exhibition, but in games when Notre Dame needs another boost freshman combo-guard Sonia Citron will be called upon to provide it.
Citron was Notre Dame's first player off the bench against Emporia State. She scored 15 points on five shot attempts. She's a pure scorer that finds a way to get involved in every area of the game. She could have a big debut.
Notre Dame primarily employed an eight-player rotation against Emporia State. Junior forward Sam Brunelle and senior guard Katlyn Gilbert were the other players in the rotation. Look for that to be the case for most of the night unless Notre Dame starts to run away on the scoreboard.
The Irish stay at home for the second game of the season against Western Illinois on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. Then it's on the road against Syracuse on Sunday at 12 p.m. ET.
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