Notre Dame ready for rematch with TCU, as is Tennessee, which will face SEC foe Texas in Birmingham
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — After a disappointing finish in the ACC Tournament, Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey had a week of hard practices to refocus her team and get them ready for a run in March Madness.
It seems to have worked so far as Notre Dame prepares to face TCU in the Sweet 16 on Saturday in the Birmingham 3 Regional. Top-seeded Texas faces SEC foe Tennessee in the other game in the regional semifinals.
'She made practice really hostile and really intense, and she challenged us, so it was really good for us,' Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles said Friday.
The Horned Frogs already had the Irish's attention after beating them in a Thanksgiving tournament in the Cayman Islands. The Irish blew a 14-point third quarter lead in that loss. They watched that game on film earlier this week.
'I was just cringing. I was, like, I can't even watch this,' Miles said. 'Coach Ivey showed it to us for a specific reason. She showed it to us to ignite something in us, to make us mad, to see how we were playing and how we've been playing recently. So it showed a lot of growth, but it was definitely hard to watch for sure.'
The Irish only had six healthy players for that game as they were missing veteran posts Maddy Westbeld and Liza Karlen. Both are back and will give Ivey more depth to throw against TCU star Sedona Prince, who had 20 points and 20 rebounds in the November win.
'Definitely going to rely on that and happy that we have a healthier roster than the last time we played them,' Ivey said.
Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell was happy that she'll be on the sidelines for the Lady Vols' rematch with Texas. She missed the regular season game that Tennessee lost by four points while she was recovering from giving birth to her son.
'I was not very involved in the prep on that one. A little bit busy. But, you know, it was interesting to sit at home and watch it and to yell at your team through the TV like a fan as opposed to a coach. We did go back and watch the film and just treated it like a normal game prep since.'
Caldwell was also happy to be back in Birmingham because she's had a lot of success in the city. She coached Glenville State to a national championships in 2022. That game wasn't played at the same venue as Saturday's contest, though.
Familiar foe
Vic Schaefer thought he was done with the SEC for at least a while after finishing tied with South Carolina for the regular-season title. But sure enough, it only took a trip to the Sweet 16 for a conference opponent to pop up again.
'I do think when you get in the NCAA Tournament, you think, OK, thank goodness you get out of the SEC and you don't have to go against those people because you have so much respect and admiration for everybody in our league,' he said. 'Then these things happen. I mean, they go into Ohio State, and they thumped them. They played really good. Those kids play so hard.'
At least playing in the regular season gave Schaefer and his team a bit of familiarity with the Lady Vols' fast-paced pressing style that sees subs constantly coming in and out of the game.
Getting healthy
Miles has had a few extra days to let her injured left ankle get better. She hurt it in the opening NCAA win over Stephen F. Austin. She played two days later against Michigan, but wasn't her normal self. Now the second-team AP All-American feels a lot healthier.
'I practiced yesterday, so it's feeling better,' she said. 'But my performance team is so good. They've been helping me to rehab. You know, keeping me on track, making sure I'm wearing a brace, making sure I'm icing, stim, whatever it may be. They've helped me a lot.'
Quick turnaround
It's been an incredible turnaround the past two seasons for TCU, which was 1-17 in Big 12 play in 2023 before Mark Campbell took over. The Horned Frogs were able to rebuild using the transfer portal and now are in the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history after sweeping the Big 12 regular season and conference tournament titles, then winning their first two NCAA games as a host team. Campbell added 11 transfers, eight of them had previous NCAA experience, including Hailey Van Lith. They have an average age of 22 1/2 years old — a full year older than Oklahoma, the nation's next-oldest power conference team.
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