Why the UConn-Notre Dame matchup is the best game left in 2024

The matchup was once women’s college basketball’s premier rivalry. Although it may lack that invoicing when no. 8 Notre Dame hosts the no. 2 UConn on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN), it’s one of the biggest games left on the calendar this year.

The Huskies (8-0) are undefeated. The Irish (7-2) have lost twice, but they also have top-5 wins over USC and Texas. UConn’s Paige Bueckers and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo are the frontrunners for national player of the year. The game will feature two of the top freshmen in the country in the Huskies’ Sarah Strong and the Irish’s Kate Koval.

And both teams have other star guards coming off knee injuries from last season: Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles and UConn’s Azzi Fudd, though Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said Fudd likely won’t be available Thursday after suffering a minor knee sprain last weekend.

Dating to the series’ first game in 1996, Thursday marks the 55th meeting between UConn and Notre Dame. The Huskies lead the series 39-15, although five of the Irish wins have come in the Final Four semifinals.

So it’s a rivalry with a lot of history, but it also has a lot of future: Both teams are expected to be the No. 1 seed in the latest version of ESPN’s Bracketology, and this game could have huge implications for March Madness.

ESPN’s Michael Voepel, Alexa Philippou and Charlie Creme take a look at five key matchups Thursday in South Bend. Notre Dame has won the last two meetings and four of the last seven, but can the Irish upset UConn this year?

This year’s player showdown against two of the country’s best backcourts

Bueckers, the consensus pick for the 2020-21 Rookie National Player of the Year, is known for his scoring efficiency, passing and leadership. The senior is averaging 18.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.3 steals and is shooting 56.3% from the field and 42.1% from behind the arc. Bueckers scored a season-high 29 points against ranked teams Ole Miss and North Carolina. She is coming off an uncharacteristic 2-of-11 shooting game (finishing with 8 points) in a blowout over Louisville on Saturday.

Hidalgo is averaging 24.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 4.1 steals while shooting 46.2% overall and 39.5% from 3-point range. The sophomore is one of college basketball’s best on-ball defenders. At 5-foot-6, she gives up the height of the 6-0 Bueckers. But Hidalgo’s quickness is lethal and her size is not a hindrance to being a good rebounder. She scored a season-high 30 points in Notre Dame’s overtime win against Texas on Dec. 5.

Had Fudd been available, Thursday’s matchup would have been a showdown between two of the country’s best backcourts. UConn sophomore Ashlynn Shade is expected to start in place of Fudd, who missed all but two games last season with a torn ACL.

Miles was sidelined for the entire 2023-24 season after suffering an ACL tear in February 2023. Known for her court vision and flashy passing, Miles has played at the American level since resuming, recording a triple-double to open the season and entered the conversation as a 2025 WNBA draft lottery pick. Miles, who has increased his 3-point shooting to a team-best 46.2% this season, and Hidalgo is a headache to defend. — Michael Voepel and Alexa Philippou

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Strong vs. Koval: Frontcourt freshmen

Both teams have promising freshman forwards who were top-5 recruits. Strong, no. 1 recruit in the class of 2024, has been sensational for the Huskies, ranking second on the team in scoring (16.3 PPG), first in rebounding (7.6 RPG) and third in assists (3.6 APG), while shot 36% from 3. On Saturday, Auriemma went so far as to say Strong has an offensive skill set unlike any post player he’s had since Breanna Stewart, who won four NCAA titles at UConn.

Koval (8.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG), 2024’s no. 5 recruit, has been forced to step up even more with the Irish frontcourt depleted by injuries. She has had an up-and-down start. In Notre Dame’s back-to-back losses, she finished scoreless and had a combined nine turnovers and eight errors.

Will Strong, fellow starter Ice Brady and UConn rule the paint, or will Koval, Liatu King and Notre Dame hold their own? The answer to that could very well decide Thursday’s game. — Alexa Philippou

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UConn vs. the drought

The Huskies have enjoyed unparalleled success with 11 national titles, but are in the midst of their worst championship drought since their first in 1995: UConn hasn’t cut down the nets since 2016, Stewart’s senior year, which ended a historic streak of four straight national titles. Injuries have been the biggest culprit in recent seasons, including Bueckers and Fudd, who have played just 22 games together.

Auriemma said this group is “potentially” the best team he’s had in the last four or five years; “potential” depends on whether the group has better health luck and whether its younger players develop quickly. Auriemma doesn’t need more titles for his sake, but he wants to win for players like Bueckers, who has indicated this is her last season in Storrs. If she ultimately falls short, she would be the best player in program history to never win a championship.

Auriemma knows nothing is set in December, but leading non-conference games like Thursday’s will help the Huskies gauge how much further they have to go on their road to the No. 12. — Philippe

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Notre Dame vs. its potential

The Notre Dame teams that won the NCAA title in 2018 and finished second in 2019 featured three outstanding guards: Arike Ogunbowale, Jackie Young and Marina Mabrey. They were drafted in 2019 and have gone on to WNBA success.

Hidalgo, Miles and Sonia Citron – the current guard trio – also have WNBA futures ahead of them. Perimeter play is crucial in the NCAA Tournament, so a team with guards this talented has a very high ceiling: another Final Four and maybe even a third Irish NCAA title. It’s a tempting prospect, but can Notre Dame get there?

The biggest problem is the post depth. Injured forwards Maddy Westbeld and Liza Karlen have yet to play this season; they can make a big difference. But Koval and King – the freshman and the fifth-year senior – are holding their own in the meantime. King, who spent four seasons in Pittsburgh, is the Irish’s leading rebounder (11.0 RPG) and averages 12.1 points. The ACC’s Most Improved Player last season, King has been a great addition for Notre Dame. — Weapons

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no. 1 seed vs. no. 1 seed

This game will affect seeding for the 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament and could be an important resume for UConn and Notre Dame in March. Both teams have played good non-conference schedules to this point, and each will be the best opponent they have faced to this point. The Irish have been especially tested, having already played four Quad 1 games, and wins over USC and Texas are why they moved up to the final no. 1 seed this week.

Beating the Huskies will be a requirement to keep that seed. A win over UConn would also give Notre Dame the best resume in the country and would ease the impact of the two losses in the Cayman Islands (to TCU and Utah).

But Thursday’s game might be bigger for the Huskies. Even with games against Iowa State and USC coming up later this month, plus South Carolina in February, there aren’t many Quad 1 games available for the Huskies. In fact, using Tuesday’s NET rankings, UConn has zero Quad 1 options in the Big East (by comparison, Notre Dame has six in the ACC). The Huskies need to take advantage of any high-profile nonleague games they have left.

UConn’s team at a no. 1 seed can withstand a loss in South Bend, but that would reduce the margin of error significantly. — Charlie Creme