Niele Ivey has been vocal about how Notre Dame women’s basketball’s sense of urgency has heightened since senior KK Bransford returned from a two-month injury on Feb. 1. Much has been made of the Irish going on a 9-2 run since then, helping earn a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament after being projected as low as a No. 9 seed in late January.
Now at 22-10, everything Notre Dame has worked for since assembling a new-look team last summer begins Saturday, March 21 with a Round of 64 contest against No. 11 seed Fairfield (2 p.m., ESPN).
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While picking up a victory at Louisville in the regular season finale and two wins in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship Tournament were nice, March Madness success is what truly matters. Notre Dame has been one of the best programs at that, making at least the Sweet Sixteen in its last 14 tournament appearances. Even if they aren’t favored to do so by seeding this weekend, the Irish’s reputation brings expectations that they’ll advance past the first weekend once again in 2026.
“Business is the one word we talk about; this is a business trip,” Ivey said.
Business is how Ivey has wanted Notre Dame to approach every film session, every scouting assignment, every practice, every game and every day all season. That was questioned some when the Irish were sitting at 13-8 with just three Quad 1 wins at the end of January. But now that they’re playing their best basketball when it matters most, there is no doubt that they have.
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“They know what this means … Our energy has been on a high level. We know we have to be elite in all aspects, so we approach that in everything we do … I would say this group is hungry, they’re determined, and they’re very focused,” Ivey said.
‘That’s all that matters’
Although Hannah Hidalgo was a First Team All-American, ACC Player and Defensive Player of the Year in her sophomore season, she has somehow boosted her game to a new level as a junior. She is just the second player since 2000 to average 25+ points, 5+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 5+ steals per game in a season.
The on-court skills were never up for debate, but she admitted that her biggest goal for the 2026 season was to be a better person. It started with being a better leader for her team on which she was the lone superstar for the first time after grad student Olivia Miles transferred to TCU.
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That ball may have started rolling even before Miles left, as Hidalgo recalled a conversation with Maya Moore at the 2025 Final Four. The four-time WNBA Champion with the Minnesota Lynx and two-time NCAA Champion with the UConn Huskies described the camaraderie those teams shared, and Hidalgo made it her mission to create that culture for the Irish.
Leading a team with seven new players on it and one that only consistently plays seven total players to an NCAA tourney berth is proof that Hidalgo’s work has paid off. She doesn’t want those efforts to be for naught with a first-round exit. Although Notre Dame is favored to win against a Fairfield squad that has never won an NCAA Tournament game in seven previous tries, the Stags are the best 3-point shooting team in Division I.
Hidalgo believes if the Irish can force a Fairfield team that has won 11 straight games out of its comfort zone, the former will have a good shot at advancing to the Round of 32 against either No. 3 seed Ohio State (26-7) or No. 14 seed Howard (26-7).
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“It’s really just a matter of being disciplined; but for us the biggest thing is that we know they’re shooters, so we’re going to run them off the line and trust that our rotation is going to be there and that our help is going to be there,” Hidalgo said. “I know we talk about trust, so that’s kind of what we need to stick to, just trusting that our help is going to be there when we do run them off the floor.”
That defense, as all things do, starts with Hidalgo. She leads the NCAA in steals per game with 5.4.
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Cassandre Prosper called Notre Dame’s defense its “superpower.” The Irish allow less than 65 points and force 20 turnovers per game.
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Prosper, a senior who was named the ACC’s Most Improved Player with 13.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, feels confident her time with the Irish won’t end Saturday even if she may have already played her final game in South Bend.
“We’re going into the tournament knowing that we’re a great team, and that’s all that matters,” Prosper said. “… I think this year we’ve faced a lot of adversity, and now being in a different environment, we just get to showcase how [much] more resilient we are as a team.”
Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleMSmedley.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Hannah Hidalgo, Cass Prosper speak before Women’s NCAA Tournament
