UConn and Notre Dame is one of women’s college basketball’s longest standing rivalries. Dating back to their days in the old Big East, these matchups featured national championship-winning coaches, superstar players and plenty of fireworks.
The Irish and Huskies renew that rivalry on Monday in Storrs, Connecticut, but it feels like this matchup is lacking excitement.
And that’s probably because we all know how this is going to go.
Notre Dame is wading through an up-and-down season with a short bench. Point guard Hannah Hidalgo is still doing Hannah Hidalgo things — ranking first nationally in steals and third in scoring — but the Irish have struggled to beat elite competition. While Notre Dame has defeated likely NCAA Tournament teams in USC and North Carolina, they’ve also struggled against contenders like Michigan, Duke, Louisville and Ole Miss. And the Irish endured a disappointing loss at Georgia Tech.
Meanwhile, UConn looks like the sport’s Death Star again. They’re undefeated, on a 34-game win streak, and the Huskies have won each of their last 13 games by 26 points or more.
To further examine the disparity between UConn and Notre Dame, let’s look at some common opponents. Louisville lost to UConn by 13, then beat Notre Dame by the same margin. Both the Huskies and Irish beat USC, but UConn did it by 28 points and Notre Dame won by 2. Michigan lost to UConn by just three points, then thumped Notre Dame by 39.
If UConn is the Death Star, Notre Dame might as well be Alderaan.
To see Geno Auriemma’s Sarah Strong-powered machine on full display, tune in at 5 p.m. ET on Monday on FOX.
Here’s the other games to watch in women’s college basketball this holiday weekend:
Game that could shake up national rankings: LSU at Oklahoma
3 p.m. ET, Sunday (ESPN2)
The Sooners have lost back-to-back games to ranked opponents, falling to Ole Miss and Kentucky last week. LSU presents an opportunity for coach Jennie Baranczyk’s team to get back on track. Meanwhile, LSU has rebounded from its 0-2 start in SEC play, beating Georgia and then notching a head-turning win over Texas on Sunday. In a conference as deep and talented as the SEC, it seems like there’s one or two of these big games every weekend.
Must-watch player matchup: Michigan vs. Vanderbilt
2:30 p.m. ET, Monday (FOX)
The Commodores are still undefeated and face their toughest test yet against the Wolverines on a neutral court in Newark, New Jersey. While other players have been impressive this season for Vanderbilt, like freshman Aubrey Galvan and her 6.5 assists per game, Mikayla Blakes is the engine that makes the team go. Blakes won the USBWA’s Tamika Catchings Award last season given to the nation’s top freshman and she’s improved as a sophomore, raising her field goal percentage and assists and lowering her turnover rate. She’s averaging 25.6 points per game, which is second in the nation. On the other side, Michigan’s Syla Swords tends to show up and play well in big games, like when she scored 29 points in a narrow loss to UConn earlier this season.
Mid-major matchup worth watching: High Point at Longwood
2 p.m. ET, Saturday (ESPN+)
Both teams are 4-0 in Big South play and meet in Farmville, Virginia, this weekend. Quietly, Chelsea Banbury — who comes from Karl Smesko’s coaching tree — has built High Point into a mid-major power. She has won 63.1% of her games there, captured three regular season titles and gone to the NCAA Tournament twice in six seasons. Mary Spencer leads the Panthers with 18.7 points per game, but their collective defense is their strength, limiting opponents to 0.88 points per scoring attempt, which is 11th nationally. High Point has two losses this season, but faces a Longwood team that ranks ninth in steals per game (14.4) and 10th in 3-point defense (24.9%).
Sickos game of the week: SMU at Pitt
1 p.m. ET, Sunday (ACC Extra)
Neither of these teams are making the NCAA Tournament. It’s Year One for Adia Barnes at SMU and this could be where she gets her first win in ACC play. For Pitt, it’s the third season of Tory Verdi’s tenure and the Panthers seem to be barreling towards what would be their 11th consecutive losing season. Pitt, by the way, lost to Division III Scranton earlier this year.
Also watch…
Louisville at N.C. State: 1 p.m. ET, Sunday (ESPN2)
Iowa State at Oklahoma State: 1 p.m. ET, Sunday (FOX)
Tennessee at Alabama: 2 p.m. ET, Sunday (SEC Network)
Maryland at UCLA: 4 p.m. ET, Sunday (NBC)
Michigan State at Iowa: 8 p.m. ET, Sunday (Big Ten Network)
