Hannah Hidalgo is not a new name for Notre Dame basketball fans. Upon her arrival in 2023, she quickly established herself as a household name and hasn’t turned back since. With the Irish struggling and March Madness hopes hanging in the balance, two huge away games on the West Coast against the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford proved to be a difficult task. After leaving Berkeley with a loss, the Irish were determined not to go home without a win. Hidalgo stepped up, putting up 37 points in a dominant performance, her second-highest points total of the season, to lead the Irish to a crucial victory over a then 15-7 Stanford.
Now, this is not an unusual performance, with Sunday being Hidalgo’s seventh 30-point game of the season, but what makes Hidalgo so special is much more than merely her ability to put points on the board. It would be easy to marvel at the 37 in the books, but it is Hidalgo’s relentless work ethic and incredible ability to be seemingly everywhere at once that truly sets her apart. If you listen to the commentary during a game, you will soon realize Hidalgo’s name is mentioned almost incessantly. Wherever the play is, so is she, whether it be stopping it on defense or making it happen on offense. Post-game, Hidalgo said, “The Lord, He gave me a lot of stamina,” and this might well be an understatement given that she is averaging 5.6 steals per game. Hidalgo credited her incredible ability to steal to “being active and being a pest on the ball consistently,” and this is certainly something that the Cardinals found out on offense. Hidalgo was all over the Stanford players, and it was her unwavering dedication to win back the ball in the latter stages that was the key to the Irish being able to pull away and secure the victory. One thing that sets Hidalgo apart is her ability to build from these steals quickly, turning on the burners and moving down the court to turn defense into offense in an instant. Hidalgo is the complete package of an offensive nightmare and a defensive headache, and her relentlessness is a testament both to her fitness and her mentality.
She scored 37 points, with her standout shot of the game being an incredible off-balance mid-range buzzer-beater to end the third quarter. Hidalgo’s ability to make plays out of nothing is excellent, and while turnovers continue to be something she works on, it’s hard to argue with someone who is consistently excellent every time they step on the court.
In the postgame press conference, Ivey compared Hidalgo to many great Notre Dame guards who she put under the category of “different.” These guards are Arike Ogunbowale, Skylar Diggins and Jewell Loyd. This is elite company, with all of the names listed being top five picks in the WNBA Draft, a path seeming more likely for Hidalgo as she puts up consistently absurd numbers, as she not only leads the nation in steals but sits second in points per game.
Expectations were always high for Hidalgo, coming in as the No. 5 recruit in the country and the top point guard, but she hit the ground running, instantly becoming a driving force for the Irish and leading the country in steals in her freshman year. She did not slow down last year, becoming only the fourth player ever to earn first-team AP All-American honors in her freshman and sophomore years, and her numbers only got better this year despite the Irish’s recent struggles.
Hidalgo has been the definitive bright spark on a Notre Dame side that is still far from releasing its full potential, but the performances that Hidalgo puts on week in, week out have set the standard for those around her, who must now rise to her level. After the loss of fellow standout senior guard Olivia Miles in the offseason to Texas Christian University, the Irish looked to Hidalgo to step up, and she has more than delivered.
With the Irish only having seven more games to prove they belong in the NCAA tournament, they feel more confident with Hidalgo wearing the blue and gold.
