Notre Dame’s magical run in the 2026 NCAA Tournament ended Saturday afternoon in Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena. The Irish were thoroughly beaten in every aspect of the game by a dominant UConn squad that hasn’t lost in its last 54 outings. But if you were told back on Feb. 1, following a rough month of January that saw the Irish win just three of nine games, that Notre Dame’s season would end in the Elite Eight after a competitive game with the almighty Huskies, you would have been pleasantly surprised.
Sixth-year head coach Niele Ivey and junior guard Hannah Hidalgo faced immense criticism after last year’s late-season collapse, which was followed by a mass exodus of stardom from the program. Hidalgo’s broken relationship with backcourt mate and All-American Olivia Miles brought questions about her leadership ability. Ivey drew criticism for her seeming inability to escape the Sweet 16, despite boasting the nation’s most talented roster a year ago.
All those concerns were put to rest with Ivey’s tactical work and Hidalgo’s other-worldly performance over the final two months of the season. Coinciding with senior guard KK Bransford’s return from injury on the first day of February, the Irish reeled off 12 wins over their final 15 games, propelling the program into the elusive Elite Eight for the first time since 2019.
Sure, they were outclassed by Geno Auriemma’s Huskies on Sunday. But who hasn’t been this year? This very same Notre Dame team was embarrassed by 38 against UConn in Storrs, Conn., back in that fateful January. Nationwide pundits have already consecrated this UConn team as a step ahead of its counterparts from a year ago, which comfortably won the national championship. Despite deploying a rotation of just seven healthy scholarship players, Notre Dame challenged the Huskies for 40 minutes, something no other team besides Michigan has done this season.
Ivey and Hidalgo, as well as Bransford and senior guard Cassandre Prosper, all of whom are expected to return to next year’s team, certainly aren’t content with 70-52 loss in the Elite Eight. This is Notre Dame. Final Fours and National Championships remain the standard, one that Ivey vowed to uphold when she took over for the legendary Muffet McGraw in 2020. After all, Ivey was a star player on the 2001 team that captured the program’s first national championship.
Although the magic of March for this edition of Notre Dame women’s basketball was a fun ride, No. 6 seed making a run to the Elite Eight won’t immortalize Ivey, Hidalgo or the supporting cast. That reverence will come in 2027. Ivey has learned that talent can be sacrificed for the betterment of the collective. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts; that wasn’t true in 2025. More importantly, Hidalgo has learned how to lead. She knows when to take over games and when to defer, something we didn’t see in 2025. The only problem with 2026 was the lack of depth. There will be no such issue in 2027.
“I’ve watched Hannah become one of the best leaders I’ve ever had,” Ivey said at the press conference following the UConn loss. Hidalgo credited her personal growth to her teammates, saying, “They’ve helped me grow my patience and just my understanding, just the way I think. I think they’ve helped me in so many different levels. All credit to my teammates. I’m so grateful for each and every single one of them.”
Hidalgo, whose incredible March run was highlighted by a triple-double of 31 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals and seven assists in the Sweet 16 win over Vanderbilt, will assuredly return along with Bransford and Prosper. The core has already reached three Sweet 16s together and guided Notre Dame to its best basketball when on the court simultaneously late in the season. It will be joined by a loaded recruiting class, consisting of four top 30 prospects. Forwards Jacy Abii, Bella Ragone and Amari Byles are complemented by guard Jenica Lewis. Add in 5-star Leah Macy, who had to miss all of her freshman campaign with injuries, and Notre Dame has an explosive and experienced core entering Ivey’s seventh season.
If all goes to plan, we won’t see Hidalgo sprinting to embrace Ivey at midcourt following a close Sweet 16 victory. We will instead see it after Hidalgo’s final collegiate game, next April in Columbus, when Notre Dame cuts down the nets for its third national championship.
