The five key matchups that will define UConn vs. Notre Dame

The matchup was once women's college basketball's premier rivalry. While it might lack that billing when No. 8 Notre Dame hosts No. 2 UConn on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN), it is one of the biggest games remaining on the calendar this year.

The Huskies (8-0) are undefeated. The Irish (7-2) have lost twice, but they also have top-5 wins over USC and Texas. UConn's Paige Bueckers and Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo are front-runners for national player of the year. The game will feature two of the top freshmen in the country in the Huskies' Sarah Strong and the Irish's Kate Koval.

And both teams have other star guards coming off knee injuries from last season: Notre Dame's Olivia Miles and UConn's Azzi Fudd, although Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said Fudd is likely unavailable Thursday after suffering a minor knee sprain last weekend.

Dating to the series' first game in 1996, Thursday marks the 55th meeting between UConn and Notre Dame. The Huskies lead the series 39-15, though five of the Irish wins have come in the Final Four semifinals.

So it's a rivalry with a lot of history, but it also has a lot of future: Both teams are projected No. 1 seeds in the latest version of ESPN's Bracketology, and this game could have huge implications for March Madness.

ESPN's Michael Voepel, Alexa Philippou and Charlie Creme take a look at five key matchups Thursday in South Bend. Notre Dame has won the past two meetings and four of the past seven, but can the Irish upset UConn this year?

Player of the year showdown vs. two of the country's best backcourts

Bueckers, the consensus choice for national player of the year as a freshman in 2020-21, is known for her scoring efficiency, passing and leadership. The senior averages 18.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.3 steals and shoots 56.3% from the field and 42.1% from behind the arc. Bueckers scored a season-high 29 points against ranked teams Ole Miss and North Carolina. She is coming off an uncharacteristic 2-of-11 shooting game (finishing with 8 points) in a blowout over Louisville on Saturday.

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Hidalgo averages 24.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 4.1 steals while shooting 46.2% overall and 39.5% from 3-point range. The sophomore is one of college basketball's best on-ball defenders. At 5-foot-6, she gives up height to 6-0 Bueckers. But Hidalgo's quickness is lethal, and her size is not an impediment to being a good rebounder. She scored a season-high 30 points in Notre Dame's overtime win against Texas on Dec. 5.

Had Fudd been available, Thursday's matchup would have been a showdown between two of the best backcourts in the country. UConn sophomore Ashlynn Shade is expected to start in place of Fudd, who missed all but two games last season with a torn ACL.

Miles was sidelined all of 2023-24 after suffering a February 2023 ACL tear. Known for her court vision and flashy passes, Miles has been playing at an All-American level since retaking the floor, recording a triple-double to open the season and moving into the conversation as a 2025 WNBA draft lottery pick. Miles, who has bumped up her 3-point shooting to a team-best 46.2% this season, and Hidalgo are a headache to defend. -- Michael Voepel and Alexa Philippou

Strong vs. Koval: Frontcourt freshmen

Both teams have promising freshman forwards who were top-5 recruits. Strong, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2024, has been sensational for the Huskies, ranking second on the team in scoring (16.3 PPG), first in rebounding (7.6 RPG) and third in assists (3.6 APG) while shooting 36% from 3. On Saturday, Auriemma went as far as saying that Strong has an offensive skill set unlike any post player he has had since Breanna Stewart, who won four NCAA titles at UConn.

Koval (8.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG), 2024's No. 5 recruit, has been forced to step up even more with the Irish's frontcourt depleted by injury. She has had an up-and-down start. In Notre Dame's consecutive losses, she finished scoreless and with a combined nine turnovers and eight fouls.

Will Strong, fellow starter Ice Brady and UConn control the paint, or will Koval, Liatu King and Notre Dame hold their own? The answer to that might well determine Thursday's game. -- Alexa Philippou

UConn vs. the drought

The Huskies have had unparalleled success with 11 national titles but are amid their worst championship drought since clinching their first in 1995: UConn hasn't cut down the nets since 2016, Stewart's senior year, which capped a historic run of four straight national titles. Injuries have been the major culprit in recent seasons, including to Bueckers and Fudd, who've played just 22 games together.

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Auriemma said this group is "potentially" the best team he has had in the past four or five years; "potentially" depends on whether the group has better health luck and whether its younger players develop quickly. Auriemma doesn't need any more titles for his sake, but he wants to win for players such as Bueckers, who has indicated this is her last season in Storrs. If she ultimately falls short, she'd be the best player in program history to never win a championship.

Auriemma knows nothing is decided in December, but premier nonconference matchups like Thursday's will help the Huskies assess how much further they have to go on their path toward No. 12. -- Philippou

Notre Dame vs. its potential

The Notre Dame teams that won the NCAA title in 2018 and finished runner-up in 2019 had three outstanding guards: Arike Ogunbowale, Jackie Young and Marina Mabrey. They were drafted in 2019 and have gone on to WNBA success.

Hidalgo, Miles and Sonia Citron -- the current guard trio -- also have WNBA futures ahead of them. Perimeter play is crucial in the NCAA tournament, so a team with guards this talented has a very high ceiling: another Final Four, and maybe even a third Irish NCAA title. It's a tantalizing prospect, but can Notre Dame get there?

The biggest issue is post depth. Injured forwards Maddy Westbeld and Liza Karlen have yet to play this season; they can make a big difference. But Koval and King -- the freshman and the fifth-year senior -- are holding their own in the meantime. King, who spent four seasons at Pittsburgh, is the Irish's leading rebounder (11.0 RPG) and averages 12.1 points. The ACC's most improved player last season, King has been a great addition for Notre Dame. -- Voepel

No. 1 seed vs. No. 1 seed

This game will impact seeding for the 2025 women's NCAA tournament and could be a key résumé piece for UConn and Notre Dame come March. Both teams have played good nonconference schedules to this point, and each will be the best opponent either has faced to this point. The Irish have especially been tested, playing four Quad 1 games already, and the wins over USC and Texas are the reason they ascended into the final No. 1 seed this week.

Beating the Huskies will be a requirement to keep that seed. A win over UConn would also give Notre Dame the best résumé in the country and would ease the impact of the two losses in the Cayman Islands (to TCU and Utah).

But Thursday's game might be bigger for the Huskies. Even with games against Iowa State and USC coming up later this month, plus South Carolina in February, there aren't many Quad 1 games available to the Huskies. In fact, using Tuesday's NET rankings, UConn has zero Quad 1 opportunities in the Big East (for comparison, Notre Dame has six in the ACC). The Huskies need to take advantage of every high-profile nonleague game they have left.

UConn's hold on a No. 1 seed can withstand a loss in South Bend, but it would considerably reduce the margin for error. -- Charlie Creme