Jimmy V Basic set to ship top-notch matchups

Olivia Miles elevates at a event earlier this season. Notre Dame Athletics picture.

Two huge national-tv showcase video games will happen this Sunday for 2 of one of the best groups within the ACC.

In the course of the Jimmy V Basic, the No. 9 Virginia Tech Hokies will journey to Knoxville to play the Tennesssee Girl Volunteers, and the No. 7 Notre Dame Preventing Irish will host the No. 3 UConn Huskies in South Bend, Indiana.

Each of those video games will probably be broadcast to an enormous viewers, as the previous will probably be on ESPN2 at 1 p.m. EST and the latter will probably be on ABC at 3 p.m. EST. Each of those video games will imply lots to those particular groups for various causes.

For Virginia Tech, it is going to be a terrific alternative for reigning ACC Participant of the Yr, middle Elizabeth Kitley, to go up towards one other one of many nation’s prime facilities within the Volunteers’ Tamari Key. As two of the top-ranked prospects within the 2023 WNBA Draft, this will probably be a enjoyable matchup to look at.

Each ladies are 6-foot-6, so that they match up completely with one another. Kitley is averaging 20.3 factors, 11.6 rebounds, one steal and a couple of.3 blocks per sport, vastly superior to Key in each class, who’s averaging 8.1 factors, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per sport. 

How Kitley performs on this sport will probably be a serious indicator of the place this group stands. She has actually been the important thing to the Hokies’ success this season, and this will probably be a serious take a look at on the street for her to go up towards one other gifted huge girl. 

On the flip facet, we are going to get a matchup of two of the highest offenses in school basketball. The Preventing Irish are averaging 87.4 factors per sport on 48.4 % capturing and 36.5 % 3-point capturing. 

That is due to the gifted forged of Olivia Miles (15.7 factors, seven rebounds, 6.7 assists and a couple of.7 steals per sport), Sonia Citron (16.6 factors, eight rebounds and 1.3 steals per sport), Lauren Ebo (10.3 factors and 6.3 rebounds per sport), Kylee Watson (9.1 factors, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per sport) and Maddy Westbeld (7.3 factors, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per sport).

The Huskies are greater than able to using alongside them, averaging 89 factors per sport, capturing 53.8 % from the sector and 42.7 % from 3-point vary. Azzi Fudd has greater than stuffed in for the injured Paige Bueckers, who’s out for the season, averaging 24 factors, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals per sport.

Different nice offensive gamers for UConn are Lou Lopez Sénéchal (16.8 factors per sport), Aaliyah Edwards (16 factors, 11 rebounds, 2.3 assists, one steal and 1.2 blocks per sport) and Aubrey Griffin (13.2 factors, 6.2 rebounds and a couple of.3 steals per sport).

Notre Dame is coming off of a devastating loss a number of nights in the past to No. 20 Maryland, 74-72 on a buzzer-beater, and will probably be trying to bounce again. This time, their skill to get stops and make pictures when it issues will probably be examined.

These have been two groups that I used to be very excited by originally of the season, having them each ranked within the prime 5 in my ACC preseason energy rankings. The rationale for that’s as a result of each of those groups are so top-heavy with expertise that it’s unimaginable to see a state of affairs the place neither is a severe contender.

I significantly had excessive expectations for Kitley, Miles and Westbeld. All have stress on them to carry out at a excessive stage in these video games towards the highest competitors, and I imagine that they are going to be on the highest stage potential. They’ll showcase ACC basketball at its finest for your complete nation to see.