Everything Notre Dame WBB coach Niele Ivey said before facing North Carolina
No. 4 Notre Dame (12-1, 3-0 ACC) has a chance to keep its unblemished road record intact at No. 22 North Carolina (9-5, 0-3) at 4 p.m. CT in Chapel Hill on Sunday. The Irish are a perfect 3-0 in true road games with wins at Northwestern, Virginia Tech and Miami.
The Tar Heels, meanwhile, have lost four consecutive games overall. They’ve yet to emerge victorious in against a conference foe. Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey alluded to there being danger in facing a team that badly needs a win.
Here’s everything Ivey said before Sunday’s matchup.
On facing a UNC team that has lost four games in a row
“Just taking care of what we need to take care of. I feel like North Carolina is an incredible team. They play well at home. I know that they’re desperate, so we have to make sure that we’re playing even harder and more competitive than they are.”
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On Notre Dame’s turnover issue in the last three games
“Yeah, it definitely does [worry me]. This week I tried to throw in a lot of pressure-passing, a lot of decision-making drills. Working on our ball-handling, trying to get back to the fundamentals. A lot of that is decision-making. I showed them a lot of film individually. I talked to them a lot about what might have been a better decision in different scenarios. Just recognizing it and working on it. Hopefully we get better in game situations.”
On Notre Dame early enrollee Cassandre Prosper’s pushing other players for playing time
“It’s definitely a great position to be in. We have more depth now at the wing position. Just trying to get her comfortable but also trying to implement her within our chemistry. That’s definitely something I’m trying to navigate. I do have experience with Olivia Miles [being an early enrollee in 2021] in just trying to grow Cass with her IQ and what we’re doing each day. Trying to get her better and better. Try to get a better feel for the team with her. She’s been great. The transition has been just as smooth as I thought it would be. Her impact is just so incredible. She really helps us.”
On Olivia Miles being named to the midseason Wooden Award watch list
“I’m so proud. It’s all so well-deserved. All the accolades she’s receiving, what she’s done for this program in the short two years. The basketball she is playing, she’s playing at a high level. One of the best point guards in the country. She just makes everyone around her better. I’m definitely extremely proud of her and encouraging her to get better.”
On less three-point shooting from the Irish this season
“It’s kind of how the season is playing out. I feel like there have been a lot of opportunities to dish more to the wing and some things we are working on. We have such great dominance inside. The focus is always try to score in the paint. I think we’re doing that. But I definitely want to look at more perimeter shooting.”
On how she would grade the Notre Dame season so far
“I would give us a B+. There is always room for improvement. I love the way we’re trending. I love what we’ve done this season. And I love the character and identity we’ve created with this group. Every year is different. I’m excited and I feel like there are always areas for us to get better. But definitely a high B+.”
On preparing to play on the road
“Sometimes I like crowd noise in practice just to make sure we find a way to lock in when it’s really loud. We’re in as hostile environment. I did that before Virginia Tech. And then just doing drills to make sure I’m helping us prepare for adverse situations on the road. That’s pretty much how I do it. A lot of it is experience. We had a couple really good games at neutral sites, then we obviously had that big win at Virginia Tech. I think those experiences will help us this weekend.”
