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At the triumphant inauguration of each college basketball season, Power 5 teams debut down one of two roads: either they humorously stomp a mid-major program that’s just happy to be playing in a real arena, or they’re locked into an exhibition dog fight with a fellow title contender. The latter games are played in the interest of national excitement. The former are mostly-pointless stimuli for the host team’s record.
Monday’s matchup in South Bend between No. 6 Notre Dame and Mercyhurst, hailing from Erie, Pennsylvania, never projected to be a competitive outing—rightfully so. However, the game found purpose elsewhere. 617 days since she last played, Notre Dame senior guard Olivia Miles was making her return to the sport.
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Miles, who tore her ACL in late February of the 2022-23 season, headlined the AP All-American Second Team that very same year. The Fighting Irish closed out that regular season 2-2 following Miles’ injury, valiantly fighting to win two March Madness contests without their floor general before losing to Maryland in the Sweet 16. Miles would miss the entirety of the following season as well.
In Miles’ absence, freshman point guard Hannah Hidalgo dispatched one of the most decorated, memorable seasons from a freshman in women’s college basketball history in 2023-24. Hidalgo finished first in the nation in steals, sixth in scoring, 25th in assists and was third in win shares. At just 19 years old, she was named to the AP All-American First Team, set the ACC Freshman scoring record and won ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Hidalgo and Miles, marching respectively into their second and fourth seasons, compose what could be one of the greatest backcourts in NCAA history.
Theories of redundancy between Miles and Hidalgo are only projected by those rooting for Hidalgo to put up historic numbers. There’s no basis to claim that an excess of world-class guard play could hurt the Fighting Irish’s team success. Miles led the ACC in assists-per-game in two of the three seasons she’s played and will take pressure off of Hidalgo, who frequently demanded aggressive pick-and-roll coverages late in her freshman campaign. Hidalgo has proven to be a capable jump shooter, and likely will alternate between playing on- and off-ball while sharing the court with Miles. Both guards are absolute menaces on defense who can be deployed as pesky ball-hawks in both man coverage and head coach Niele Ivey’s signature staggered 2-3 zone.
The expectations for Notre Dame’s headline duo couldn’t be higher. Regardless of the quality of opponent they faced on Monday, they somehow still exceeded them. Miles finished their season opener with a triple-double: 20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals. Hidalgo kept pace with 19 points, nine rebounds and six (!!!) steals. Pittsburgh graduate transfer Liatu King impressed in her Irish debut, leading the team with 24 points.
Olivia Miles of @ndwbb is the only NBA, WNBA or Division I men’s or women’s player in the last 25 years to miss an entire season and then have a 20-point triple-double in his or her first game back. pic.twitter.com/83jfk4SeA9
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) November 5, 2024
Notre Dame showed off with a 44-point victory. despite two of their top three scorers from last season being inactive. Sonia Citron is expected to be back soon with a minor health concern. Maddy Westbeld, the team’s flagship interior presence, hopes to return from a lingering foot injury by the beginning of ACC play.
Banners aren’t hung for trampling Mercyhurst University, who just this year ascended to the Division I level. Regardless, Miles and Hidalgo looked like everything Fighting Irish fans hoped they would look like in their first game together. It’s rare to have the luxury of two generational two-way guards, but having the depth to back them up seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Notre Dame checks all the boxes. It’s hard to argue that a bad matchup exists for the program’s best roster since 2018. Miles’ final ride will undoubtedly be one to remember.
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