Notre Dame (30-2) will be gunning for its 16th straight win and second straight ACC Championship title in as many years when it takes on Florida State (29-3) in the Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum at 1 p.m. today. The game will be telecast nationally by ESPN.
FSU features five Division I transfers and a JUCO transfer, and has been described as the most collectively "talented team" in the ACC, while the Irish have been recognized as the "best team." The two teams met on Jan. 2 at Notre Dame and the Irish survived a hard fought 74-68 win in the league opener for both. Muffet McGraw said prior to the game she was stunned FSU wasn't ranked in the top 25 - and afterwards she proclaimed the Seminoles were a top 10 team. She proved prophetic as the 'Noles finished 7th nationally (6th in the coaches poll) and second in the ACC with a 14-2 ledger.
Sophomore Lindsay Allen led the first victory with 18 points, eight assists and made all the tough plays down the stretch in the Jan. 2 meeting. She made a half-court heave right before the halftime horn to pull the Irish within one. Jewell Loyd was the game's top scorer with 20 points while freshman Brianna Turner scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half to go with five blocked shots.
ND was down nine in the second half before an 11-0 run put them ahead. The first Irish lead in the game came on Madison Cable's steal and lay-up with 12:46 left. Allen hit three free throws down the stretch to help secure the win.
Shakayla Thomas scored 18 for FSU while Leticia Romero and Morgan Jones had 15 and 14, respectively. This was the one ACC opponent we thought can best match-up with the Irish and pull the upset, which would not surprise us at all. We will give a slight edge to Notre Dame because it has been used to playing in these grand stages more than FSU, but it can't rely exclusively on Loyd to make all the plays at the end like she did yesterday versus Duke.
Prediction: Notre Dame 71, Florida State 67
FSU features five Division I transfers and a JUCO transfer, and has been described as the most collectively "talented team" in the ACC, while the Irish have been recognized as the "best team." The two teams met on Jan. 2 at Notre Dame and the Irish survived a hard fought 74-68 win in the league opener for both. Muffet McGraw said prior to the game she was stunned FSU wasn't ranked in the top 25 - and afterwards she proclaimed the Seminoles were a top 10 team. She proved prophetic as the 'Noles finished 7th nationally (6th in the coaches poll) and second in the ACC with a 14-2 ledger.
Sophomore Lindsay Allen led the first victory with 18 points, eight assists and made all the tough plays down the stretch in the Jan. 2 meeting. She made a half-court heave right before the halftime horn to pull the Irish within one. Jewell Loyd was the game's top scorer with 20 points while freshman Brianna Turner scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half to go with five blocked shots.
ND was down nine in the second half before an 11-0 run put them ahead. The first Irish lead in the game came on Madison Cable's steal and lay-up with 12:46 left. Allen hit three free throws down the stretch to help secure the win.
Shakayla Thomas scored 18 for FSU while Leticia Romero and Morgan Jones had 15 and 14, respectively. This was the one ACC opponent we thought can best match-up with the Irish and pull the upset, which would not surprise us at all. We will give a slight edge to Notre Dame because it has been used to playing in these grand stages more than FSU, but it can't rely exclusively on Loyd to make all the plays at the end like she did yesterday versus Duke.
Prediction: Notre Dame 71, Florida State 67
