ACC basketball is well under way and it has not disappointed. While there have been plenty of upsets and nail-biting finishes, here are some of the best in-conference games so far:
No. 20 North Carolina (11-4, 3-0) defeats No. 18 Notre Dame (10-3, 1-2), 61-57
The Tar Heels picked up their biggest win of the season with a road victory against the Fighting Irish on Sunday. Carolina did a great job limiting Notre Dame’s freshman star Hannah Hidalgo’s shot attempts. There were stretches in the first half when the Tar Heels prevented Hidalgo from making a field goal for almost five minutes.
Indya Nivar was huge off the bench for UNC, leading the team in scoring with 16 points. For a few possessions, Nivar took advantage of Hidalgo’s aggressive defensive approach to back cut her for layups, opening up easy creation opportunities for her teammates. At the half, the Tar Heels led Notre Dame 31-28.
In the third quarter, the Irish broke out their infamous zone defense and it created confusion for the Tar Heel offense. Hidalgo got a few layups in transition after the team forced turnovers. However, one thing remained constant for the Tar Heels: Nivar continued to punish the Irish defense with timely angle and face cuts that prevented Notre Dame from securing the momentum….
