SOUTH BEND, Ind. — No. 10 Notre Dame (5-2) already has a top-five win on its resume this year, and the Irish will look for a second win as Notre Dame on Thursday hosts No. 4 Texas (7-0) at Purcell Pavilion for its first ranked home game of the season. The competition is part of the second annual SEC-ACC Challenge. Notre Dame defeated Tennessee in the inaugural event last year in Knoxville.

The Irish are coming off two straight losses to TCU and Utah, the first time they have lost consecutive games since 2021. Sonia Citron was the bright spot against the Utes with 22 points and 4 steals, both leading the team in daily and season highs for the wing. Hidalgo was the top scorer against TCU with 27 points. She now has at least 20 points in 31 of her 42 college games.

The Longhorns will arrive in South Bend undefeated. The group picked up its first and only ranked win of the year on Sunday, defeating then-No. 12 West Virginia to win the Gulf Coast Showcase.

Madison Booker, SEC Preseason Player of the Year and Preseason AP All-American, leads the Longhorns with 16 points per game. Texas point guard Rori Harmon has returned from a torn ACL last season and is running one of the most efficient offenses in the country. Texas is averaging 92.9 points per game this year, ranking fourth nationally.

But it starts on defense for Texas, as the Longhorns are forcing 27 turnovers per game this year and are outscoring their opponents 236-84 due to those mishaps.

Notre Dame is familiar with Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer, as he was the head coach at Mississippi State in the 2018 national title game against the Irish. He is in his fifth year at Texas and 20th overall as a head coach.

Notre Dame is 1-1 all-time against Texas and last met the Longhorns in the 1997 NCAA Tournament, where Muffet McGraw’s Irish team reached its first Final Four.

Texas-Notre Dame tips on ESPN at 7 p.m. Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo will be on the phone.