Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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88 MARCH 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED the Wolfpack. In those defeats, Notre Dame allowed an average of 81 points per game. That's a number Ivey can't come to terms with. Her teams, no matter the personnel or preferred playing style, must dial in on defense. No questions asked. That's something Hidalgo's teammates can control; it's up to them how much effort they exert defensively. When exertion is high, so are Notre Dame's chances of winning. When it's low, all bets are off. Losing is very much in play. Senior guard Cassandre Prosper is well aware. She's been at Notre Dame long enough for Ivey's fundamental teachings to be second nature. She's been on both sides of the hard work quota, good and bad. She's won. She's lost. She knows when the Irish are ad- hering to what Ivey asks of them and when they aren't. Against North Carolina State, they were, and it resulted in an easy victory. It's not rocket science. "We got points because we were play- ing defense," Prosper said. "Knowing that it starts on defense and we're get- ting stops, we had each other's back, that was the biggest thing. And when we can trust each other, offensively, we're going to knock down those shots." Hidalgo doesn't take possessions off. When her teammates join in on that, even though they can't do what she does because she's one-of-one, it opens the door of possibilities. Nothing is possible when it's slammed shut. This year, a national championship or anything close to it isn't inside the door. But whatever is in there is a lot more enticing than the nothingness on the outside, so the Irish's late-season ob- jective is obvious; Hidalgo is the master of kicking the door open. Don't let it slam shut in her face. Help her keep it open, and good things will transpire. ✦ KK Bransford Returns Demanding nothing short of maximum effort from an entire team is a slippery slope when the entire team is essentially only six players deep. For a month and a half, that's as far as Notre Dame's regular rotation went. And it showed. Senior guard KK Bransford went down with a knee injury Dec. 11 and did not return until Feb. 1. Notre Dame lost six times in that span, and in those defeats the Irish were worn down and out of gas. They looked like they didn't have much more to give. Bransford came back to the lineup against Stan- ford on the first day of February, and suddenly it seemed like the Irish had life again. It's amazing what a seven-player rotation can do for energy and psyche compared to the daunting task of playing with six. And when that extra player is a program staple like Bransford, the boost is as much emo- tional as it is physical. "She's one of our leaders, one of our captains," head coach Niele Ivey said. Bransford didn't light it up in her first four games back by any means, but she played an average of 21 minutes per game. In all four of those appearances, she provided something Notre Dame didn't have when she was sidelined. Against the Cardinal, it was a pair of points and a pair of assists. She had 2 more takeaways to go along with 11 points and 6 rebounds in the next game against Virginia Tech. She stole the ball again and scored 4 points in a loss to Virginia, and she scored 6 points and dished out 1 assist against North Carolina State. The reintegration of Bransford into the Notre Dame lineup at the time of writing this is still in its infancy. Two weeks old. As more weeks go by, and tournament time comes around, the impact of her presence could go even further. Ivey expects that to be so. Bransford was always expected to play a big role for the Irish this season, and it could end up being that the most fulfilled realization of that manifestation occurs when it matters most. In March. "It's a big relief for us because she's a glue," Ivey said. "She was playing really well before she went down. And when she came back with us, you could just tell the difference with the team." Take senior forward Gisela Sanchez, for instance. In a span of seven appearances when Bransford was not available, she reached 6 points once. She got to at least that mark in three consecutive games after Bransford's return, including a 14-point outburst in the key victory over Virginia Tech. Certain adjustments or occurrences affect players in different ways. For Sanchez, Bransford coming back was a weight lifted off her shoulders. She's no longer the only bench player. She's one of two who can make a difference in relief of starters. There is a whole lot less pressure in that role, whether anyone would ever admit it or not. What isn't a secret is Bransford's meaning to what Notre Dame can accomplish. The answer is a lot more when she's in the mix. "Our team is more confident when she's on the floor," Ivey said. "She knows everything. She under- stands the game. She plays the right way. She's a big piece of who we are, so when she's on the floor, I think we're a better team." — Tyler Horka 2025-26 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE (16-9 OVERALL, 8-6 ACC) Date Opponent (TV) Time (ET)/Result Nov. 5 Fairleigh Dickinson W, 98-52 Nov. 9 Chicago State W, 116-58 Nov. 12 Akron W, 85-58 Nov. 15 vs. Michigan! L, 93-54 Nov. 21 Southern Cal W, 61-59 Nov. 24 Central Michigan W, 83-51 Dec. 4 at Ole Miss^ L, 69-62 Dec. 7 at Florida State* W, 93-58 Dec. 11 Morehead State W, 97-48 Dec. 14 at James Madison W, 78-65 Dec. 21 Bellarmine W, 110-38 Dec. 29 at Pittsburgh* W, 94-59 Jan. 1 at Georgia Tech* L, 95-90 (OT) Jan. 4 at Duke* L, 82-68 Jan. 8 Boston College* W, 94-60 Jan. 11 North Carolina* W, 73-50 Jan. 15 Louisville* L, 79-66 Jan. 19 at Connecticut L, 85-47 Jan. 22 Miami* W, 74-66 Jan. 25 Clemson* L, 65-58 Jan. 29 at California* L, 80-69 Feb. 1 at Stanford* W, 78-66 Feb. 5 Virginia Tech* W, 80-70 Feb. 8 at Virginia* L, 81-70 Feb. 15 NC State* W, 79-67 Feb. 19 at Wake Forest* (ACCNX) 6 p.m. Feb. 22 at SMU* (ACCN) 6 p.m. Feb. 26 Syracuse* (ACCNX) 7 p.m. March 1 at Louisville* (ESPN2) 4 p.m. ! Shamrock Classic at Detroit; ^ ACC/SEC Chal- lenge; * ACC Game Senior guard KK Bransford missed 12 games — during which the Irish went just 6-6 — due to a knee injury. After he she returned Feb. 1, the Irish proceeded to win three of four contests. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER