Hannah Hidalgo vs. Mikayla Blakes Is a March Madness Treat Worth Savoring

Though neither No. 6 Notre Dame nor No. 2 Vanderbilt seems like it’ll be a national champion this year, this type of matchup shows women’s basketball just keeps getting better.

Mikayla Blakes (right) was the top scorer in the nation this season while Hannah Hidalgo (left) was third in the country. | Brett Davis/Imagn Images (Hidalgo); Alan Poizner/The Tennessean/USA TODAY NETWORK/Imagn Images (Blakes)

FORT WORTH — Mikayla Blakes and Hannah Hidalgo are short enough that you would be happy to have them sitting in the row in front of you, but Friday brings something even better: Vanderbilt’s 5'8" Blakes against Notre Dame’s 5'6" Hidalgo on the same Sweet 16 floor.

Blakes, a sophomore, averages 27 points per game, best in the country.

Hidalgo, a junior, averages 25.2 points, third in the country.

Both of their teams are extremely unlikely to win the national championship. The winner is staring at a UConn-South Carolina-UCLA path to the title; getting through that would require a series of timely measles outbreaks, and nobody wants that.

But if you are a basketball fan, the beauty of the game is that it produces all sorts of matchup delights: old-school center against old-school center; or big against small; or fast against slow; or Blakes against Hidalgo.

“She can score the ball in so many different ways,” Hidalgo says. “The way she’s able to put the ball in the hoop, it’s unlike I’ve ever seen—Katelynn level. She can score [at] all three levels.”

Yes, I spelled Caitlin wrong on purpose just to mess with you. But also: Think about how fast this game is rising. We are only three years removed from Caitlin Clark leading Iowa to its first national title game, a run that made the whole country say, “We’ve never seen anything like this before,” and here is Hidalgo saying she sees someone on that level and it’s not a totally unhinged statement. We won’t get sidetracked by comparing Blakes to Clark. The point is that women’s basketball just keeps getting better at an incredible rate.

No other team sport meshes individual matchups with teamwork quite like basketball. Hidalgo is correct when she says, “This whole game is about playing together. It’s not about me against Mikayla.” But we get to watch them match talents within the construct of Notre Dame vs. Vanderbilt. They don’t have to force a one-on-one showdown. It will happen organically.

If Hidalgo has a sense of déjà vu, there is a good reason: She just played a high-scoring sophomore star a few days ago. Ohio State’s 5'7" Jaloni Cambridge scored 41 points on 25 shots. Hidalgo countered with 26 points, eight steals and, incredibly, 11 rebounds. Notre Dame advanced.

For Hidalgo, this March march is something between redemption and relief. Last season, with Hidalgo and Sonia Citron and Olivia Miles, the Fighting Irish looked like a possible national title contender until they really did not. Miles was injured in the tournament, but Notre Dame seemed to have issues that were not just physical.

Hidalgo faced another star sophomore guard in Jaloni Cambridge during the second round of the NCAA tournament. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK/magn Images

Miles left after the season for TCU, where she has thrived. Citron had a fantastic rookie year with the Washington Mystics. Hidalgo had another great year for Notre Dame. They might all be in a better psychological place today than they were one year ago. Hidalgo sure is.

“The past couple of years I might have taken it for granted to be in this position,” Hidalgo said. “I felt like we should have been in the Sweet 16, and we should have been winning. This year, I’m appreciating it a lot more. I’m more present where my feet are.”

Notre Dame is not a place for lowering expectations. Hidalgo acknowledged as much: “We all know that the biggest goal is to get to the championship and win it.” But there was something endearing about Hidalgo saying she is “not stressing about the next game.” She is still a college student playing a sport, and she competes too hard for anyone to question her commitment.

“I have a lot more joy being here,” she said. “I guess I’m just more happy. When I step on the court, I play with a lot more joy. It just means so much more. It’s a lot deeper than basketball.”

Notre Dame’s run will end, probably on Friday. Vandy’s run will end, probably on Sunday. But Notre Dame–Vandy and Hidalgo-Blakes are still worth savoring.  

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