SOUTH BEND, IN—Hannah Hidalgo counted the dots on her fingers. notre dame cathedralThe diminutive sophomore supernova had just made a corner 3 off an Olivia Miles feed to give the Irish a 10-point lead. university university The Huskies midway through the second quarter of the nationally televised “Clash of Power” show. Hidalgo stared at her fiery right hand, raised three fingers slowly and dramatically, and ran back to the defense. It was as if she was savoring the opportunity to step into the spotlight created for her by the Irish legend sitting on the other side of the court.
Over the past 15 years, it's hard to find a rivalry in women's basketball that has meant more to the sport than the Notre Dame vs. UW game. Much of the talent that defines the modern game has been forged in the heat of competition, with four Final Four matchups and two national championship showdowns serving as the foundation since 2012. Notre Dame Cathedral is famous WNBA Alumni took their seats on the floor, with Arike Ogunbowale, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Jewell Lloyd and Marina Mabry testifying not only to the long shadow of their accomplishments, but also to the induction of perhaps the next stars of the program.
In this game, legends are born in March, not mid-December, a fact that Notre Dame's charming alum knows better than anyone. It was Ogunbowale's overtime dagger in the 2018 national championship between the two teams that revitalized the sport around the same time as Caitlin Clark's first logo three in West Des Moines. Hidalgo will have to wait until the NCAA Tournament to truly shape his legacy, but its contours are already easily visible.
Notre Dame defeated Collegiate Con 79-68 in a preview of a possible 2025 national championship. It was the Huskies' first loss of the year, and a somber reminder that Paige Bueckers can't really stand with the world on her back, that's just how she feels. For Notre Dame, this was more than just a palate cleanser after back-to-back losses ended in the Cayman Islands Classic in November. TCU and to Utah) — was proof that the Irish, at their best, might have the most extensive roster in America.
Hidalgo was excited and played the entire game until garbage time near the end. She possesses a level of showmanship that only belongs to the greats, and she put it on full display under the bright lights of ESPN against the ultimate measuring stick.
“She always takes care of her heart,” Notre Dame head coach Neale Ivey said after the game.
“I know I'm a force of energy for the team,” Hidalgo said. “So I think I’ll take it with me.”
UConn's obvious game plan was to pack the paint to prevent Hidalgo from getting to the rim. She responded by hitting the net from deep and making 6-of-11 shots from behind the arc. Each of Hidalgo's 29 points felt like a spike through UConn's soul, and there was no adjustment Geno Auriemma could make to stop her.
With Notre Dame leading by two points late in the third quarter, Hidalgo committed the cardinal sin of passing under a screen by a defender, extending the lead to five points. The period ended with Hidalgo probing the defense, retreating behind the arc and dropping the dagger to halt the Collegiate Con's momentum for a late counterattack.
“She's doing what she's supposed to do, but I don't know that there's a lot of strategies that she can use,” Auriemma said.
Bueckers was phenomenal in her own right in this game, but scoring 25 points wasn't easy as Notre Dame's Swiss Army knife, Sonia Cintron, stalked her all night. It's tempting to single out Hidalgo as the best player in America after defeating Bueckers and JuJu Watkins in recent weeks, but if anything, Notre Dame's win is a testament to how balanced and well-adjusted Notre Dame's roster is. This proved that Everyone does their part and Hidalgo just happens to make a back-breaking jumper.
Miles and Cintron will be first-round WNBA draft picks after this year. Miles is the college game's resident point god, a quick-thinking floor general who overcame a torn ACL without losing mastery of the floor game. Cintron is the type of player every team covets. He's a wing who can impact the game without the ball, a floor spacer who can take down ranged spot-ups on one end and lock up talent like Bueckers on the other.
“He's our unsung hero,” Ivey said of Cintron after the game. “She was very active on defense.”
Ivey complemented this core well in the transfer portal, with former Pitt wing Liatu King (16 points, 12 rebounds) and Marquette forward Riza Karlen rounding out the short rotation.
Who wouldn't want to play for the Ivy? In just his fifth year on the job, Notre Dame's head coach has already made his presence felt. She exudes a coolness and charm that attracts top-five recruits like Hidalgo to South Bend, and will certainly bring in more McDonald's All-Americans in the future.
The parts of Notre Dame Cathedral look great. Hidalgo is a speed demon who can shoot from anywhere while also using his scoring gravity to set up his teammates. Miles never panics with the ball in his hands and has the type of passing vision that can't be taught. Cintron is a basketball player's fever dream, a nuanced star whose skill set amplifies everyone else around him. Notre Dame is a little weak inside as true freshman Kate Koval gets some practice in the middle, but they can afford to take time to get up to speed because they are so strong on the perimeter.
Buccaneers looked disappointed as he spoke to a small group of reporters after the game. Before Clark won that title, as a rookie, she was supposed to be the sport's next big star. She left her Midwestern roots to extend her lineage of college champions, but now in her fifth year, the Huskies have yet to win it all since Brianna Stewart was on campus. Perhaps with Azzi Fuad in the lineup, the University can win a rematch with Notre Dame in March. Perhaps Sarah Strong, a tremendously talented true freshman forward who feels destined to be a future No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft, will be in the spotlight the same way many Huskies do. It will grow rapidly.
There were too many Irish on this night. This Notre Dame team isn't going anywhere with Hidalgo as their leader and Ivey as their figurehead, so get used to that. The Irish have three wins over top five teams before Christmas, but our most memorable matchups always happen in tournaments. Notre Dame instilled the belief that they would be back, and Hidalgo and the others were counting down the weeks until this Irish team could prove it was among the program's best.
