She may be shooting less efficiently from 3 this year compared to last (down to 37.3 percent), but she has shown that she can couple a higher volume of long-range bombs with averages in assists and rebounds that approach her career highs. She\u2019s posting 6.6 helpers per contest (up 0.8 from last year) and 6.8 boards (up 1.2). She\u2019s also upped her career-best in 2-point field goals per game by 0.7 to 5.3, contributing to her career-leading 7.3 field goals per game (up 1.9). She\u2019s having her most efficient season from the floor save for the six games she played in 2020-21, shooting 50.7 percent, up 2.4 percent from her next-best full season. She\u2019s making 0.6 more free throws per game than she\u2019s ever made (3.9) at a stellar 85.7 percent clip that is 6.7 percent better than her previous best.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s taken on a higher volume of attempts in free throws, 2s and 3s. That, along with her increased efficiency in the first two categories and her ability to maintain a very good clip from distance, have contributed to a 5.1-point rise in her best scoring average to 20.5.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s nearing the 50-40-90 ballpark, and scoring 20.5 points per game. All the while, she is the triple-double threat she\u2019s always been, whose \u201cwow\u201d factor when it comes to passes puts her in rare air with the Point Gawd, Chelsea Gray.<\/p>\n
Before this season, there was a narrative of \u201cWhy is she coming back to college when she is the projected No. 2 pick in the WNBA Draft?\u201d<\/p>\n
True, there is no difference between the No. 1 and No. 2 picks\u2019 starting salary, so even if Miles were to move up to the top spot, it wouldn\u2019t change anything. And in ESPN\u2019s Friday 2026 mock draft<\/a>, as well as our Eric Nemchock\u2019s mock from January<\/a>, Miles is projected to go third. That would earn her the same amount of money as No. 1 and No. 2, so not a downgrade, but also not an improvement.<\/p>\n But with her NIL deals, plus the brand-new revenue sharing system for NCAA athletes, she\u2019s doing just fine moneywise. The real reason people thought she should have gone pro in 2025 is because they thought she had nothing new left to show WNBA scouts. Why risk injury if that\u2019s the case?<\/p>\n But Miles has taken her game to yet another level this season.<\/p>\n In all likelihood, demonstrating this improvement in college, rather than as a WNBA rookie, will end up benefitting her. She\u2019s gotten to test herself as a dominant scorer in a space where that is possible, as she likely wouldn\u2019t have had the opportunity to occupy such a high-impact role right away in the W. When the time comes in the W, she can reach back to what she\u2019s learned this season and apply it in order to become a bigger star.<\/p>\n Olivia Miles left a lasting legacy at Notre Dame. (Photo by Jeffrey Brown) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n Whether it was the right decision or not, Miles has clearly shown just how good of a prospect she is, even before her apex effort on Thursday.<\/p>\n WNBA fans are now EVEN MORE excited to see her at the next level. With the Seattle Storm holding the No. 3 pick, a team-up with do-it-all 6-foot-6 center Dominique Malonga, the No. 2 pick in last year\u2019s draft, would be intriguing to say the least, and it could last for years to come.<\/p>\n For now, Miles\u2019 goal is getting to her first Elite Eight, and hopefully beyond.<\/p>\n 2023 may have been Miles\u2019 best shot thus far at advancing beyond the Sweet 16. Her Irish earned the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament, but, due to her season-ending ACL tear suffered in the regular-season finale, they were blown out by Louisville 64-38 in the semifinals, thus lowering their seeding to a No. 3 for the Big Dance. They met No. 2 seed Maryland in the Sweet 16; having lost to the Terps on a buzzer-beater in the regular season, Notre Dame was no match for them without Miles, falling 76-59. Miles\u2019 sharpshooting teammate Dara Mabrey also suffered a season-ending ACL tear that regular season.<\/p>\n Hannah Hidalgo came in as a freshman the following season, which Miles missed the entirety of as she recovered from her injury. Hidalgo led Notre Dame to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but the Irish again fell in the Sweet 16. Miles was active for the two other Sweet 16 games during her Irish tenure, going for 21 points, six boards and six helpers in a 2022 loss to NC State and managing just 10 points, two boards and three helpers in last year\u2019s loss to the team she now represents.<\/p>\n![\"Olivia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gettyimages-1238812644.jpg\"\/)
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