Women's basketball game of the week: No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 13 NC State

March is right around the corner, which means the college basketball regular season is approaching its end.

Teams are starting to wrap-up play and positions in conference tournaments are falling into place. The top-two teams in the ACC will battle it out this weekend when No. 1 Notre Dames take a trip to Raleigh to face No. 13 NC State.

This will the first matchup between the two since last year's ACC Championship game that saw the Fighting Irish take home the crown in a 55-51 victory.

Notre Dame is ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for the first time since Jan. 21 2019. In the Irish’s first game as the top overall seed they defeated No. 11 Duke to extend their winning-streak to 18 games. This victory was also Notre Dame’s seventh ranked win of the season.

The Irish have been dubbed as the best backcourt in the country, led by Hannah Hidalgo, Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron.

Hidalgo is a front-runner in a tight race for National Player of the Year. The 5-foot-6 sophomore is averaging 24.9 points per game and 4.04 steals per game, both place second in the nation.

Miles returned to action after missing the entirety of the 2023-24 season, but the graduate guard didn’t skip a beat in her return this year. Miles places in the top-10 nationally with 6.2 assists per game. The Phillipsburg, New Jersey, native is second on the team with 16.7 points per game.

Citron has scored double digits in each of Notre Dame’s last three contests, including a 22-point, 10-rebound performance against Pitt on Feb. 13.

The Irish are a top-five scoring offense in the nation, notching 86.7 points per game while holding their opponents to 60.4.

The Wolfpack are coming off of a disheartening 66-65 loss to North Carolina.

NC State’s offense is highlighted by a strong guard trio of its own, led by Aziaha James, Zoe Brooks and Saniya Rivers.

James was a huge part of the Wolfpack’s run to the Final Four a season ago, and she has continued to lead the offense this season. The 5-foot-10 senior is sixth in the ACC with 17.8 points per game. James has scored double-digits in all but one game this season, including a 36-point effort in a win over Duke on Feb. 3.

Brooks is second on the team in scoring with 13.3 points per game. Rivers falls right behind, averaging 12 points per game.

As a team NC State is averaging 77 points per game, while holding its opponents to 65 per game.

The Wolfpack are yet to lose a game at home this season and will look to keep this stand alive when the top dogs come to town. On the other hand, Notre Dame looks to keep its perfect conference record alive.

Both teams will have a tune up game before facing each other on Sunday, with the Irish traveling to face Miami and NC State taking on No. 20 Georgia Tech.

This thrilling top-15 matchup will be at noon Sunday and can be viewed on ESPN.

Gianna Dowling is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email gmd5738@psu.edu.