Notre Dame's Niele Ivey gives critical Olivia Miles injury update for NCAA Tournament
03/21/2025 06:03 PM
Despite coming into this NCAA Tournament on a bit of a losing skid, Notre Dame women’s basketball found a groove again in Friday’s first round. The No. 3-seeded Irish dominated No. 14 seed Stephen F. Austin, running away quickly in a 106-54 win on their home floor.
Despite the strong performance and the lopsided final score, Notre Dame fans still had cause for concern after the game. Star point guard Olivia Miles appeared to injure her ankle late in the game, which would be a huge blow for the Irish’s national title chances. After the game, head coach Niele Ivey provided a crucial update on Miles’ status, via Tyler Horka of On3 Sports.
“She’s great. She said she’s fine. She’s doing fine,” Ivey said, per Horka. “She’ll be good.”
That is great news for Notre Dame fans, players and coaches. Miles is one of the best players in women’s college basketball and is projected to go very early in the upcoming WNBA Draft. With her in the lineup, Notre Dame is sure to be very difficult to beat in this tournament.
Miles has consistently stuffed the stat sheet all season long for Notre Dame. Coming into then NCAA Tournament, she was averaging 16.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. She was able to put up those averages despite coming off of a serious injury during the 2023-24 season, and was named Second Team AP All-American as a result.
Miles forms one of the best trios in college basketball alongside Hannah Hidalgo and Sonia Citron, which will make any team fear Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament. Citron is likely to join Miles at the top of this WNBA Draft, while Hidalgo will certainly be in the pros when she is eligible after a meteoric rise to the top of the sport in her first two seasons.
Despite the late-season slide, this Notre Dame women’s basketball squad is still one of the most talented teams in the country. As long as Ivey has her three stars all healthy and on the floor, the Irish will have chances to beat anybody. Now, it looks like Miles should be good to go after this fortunate update.
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