618 days.
Point guard Olivia Miles knows exactly how long she couldn’t play basketball for Notre Dame due to a torn ACL suffered in the final regular season game of the 2023 season.
“When you’re in that phase, you don’t think [the time will] ever come, but then it’s just kind of in the blink of an eye, you’re on the court again,” Miles told the Got Next podcast this week.
The redshirt junior – who was first team All-ACC in her first two seasons before the injury – was cleared last February, but she sat out the rest of the 2023-2024 season since it was so late in the year. Now, she’s back to her winning ways with the Irish, averaging 18.3 points, 8 rebounds, and 6.8 assists through Notre Dame’s first four games.
While she’s picked up right where she left off, the team landscape has changed significantly since Miles last donned the blue and gold. The biggest difference being one Hannah Hidalgo.
A sophomore now, Hidalgo got to campus just in the nick of time last season. With her new teammate, Miles, out for the season, it was a chance for the freshman point guard to make a name for herself – and that she did.
Hidalgo racked up stats and awards in her first season, leading Notre Dame to the ACC title and winning ACC MVP, Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year – and that’s naming just a few of her accolades. She broke Notre Dame single-season records for points per game (22.6), steals per game (4.6 – led the nation), steals (160), tied for the most free throw attempts in school history (237) and was top 10 in many other categories. This season, Hidalgo is averaging 25 points per game (fifth in the country) and 6.3 rebounds.
Earlier this year, when Miles was getting back to practice, and throughout the offseason, the pair had to figure out how to work together – balance each other out – and in the process, they’ve become one of the best backcourts in college basketball.
“Just building that chemistry during the offseason,” Hidalgo said of how the two got to playing together so seamlessly. “We’re two really, really guards – two dynamic guards – and so it’s fun to be able to have another dynamic guard like that playing with you.
“We want to win, and so we kind of put ourselves to the side and just do what we have to do for the betterment of the team.”
The chemistry building started as soon as Miles was cleared, but the key may have been playing pickup games together over the summer.
“We were able to practice together and get in those moments, getting those game reps together,” Miles said. “And also, we put a heavy emphasis this summer on just playing pickup together… With a player like her, it’s easy to have chemistry with [her]. You kind of know where she wants, she’s just gonna run every time to the rim, so it’s easy to play with her. And she’s a good passer too.”
After a 4-0 start to the season, No. 6 Notre Dame will face No. 3 USC on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. This is the first true test for the Irish this season, and it comes against a stacked USC roster headlined by JuJu Watkins.
“JuJu [is] a phenomenal player,” Hidalgo said. “They have a lot of really good players on their team – Kiki Iriafen, and with JuJu, that’s just a really tough duo. We’re just going to focus in on the scout. We’re going to kind of handle what we need to handle. Of course, we’re going through some adversity right now, but everything that we have is enough, all the players that we have, we have enough to go into USC. As long as we stay locked into each other, trusting each other, and not worry about all the outside noise around us, we’ll be okay.”
That adversity is injuries, particularly to forwards Liatu King and Liza Karlen. While King is on track to play against USC after sitting out against Lafayette with a head injury, Karlen is in a walking boot after suffering a lower-body injury during an exhibition game in October. Her timeline to return is unclear.
“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Miles said of the matchup. “I think it’s going to be a tough game. I think it’s going to be very high scoring. We both love to run and the matchups are going to be very interesting.”
While USC is a talented team, Notre Dame is no longer reliant on a freshman Hidalgo. Instead, it bolsters two experienced guards who are excelling together.
“It’s dangerous,” Hidalgo said of the dynamic. “It’s something that I feel like no other program has, with two point guards – two dogs on their team.”
Listen to the full Got Next podcast with Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles here.
How to watch No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 3 USC women’s college basketball game:
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When: Saturday, November 23
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Where: Galen Center in Los Angeles, California
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Time: 4:00 PM ET
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TV Network: NBC
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Live Stream: Peacock
What devices does Peacock support?
You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices. View the full list of supported devices here.
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