Women's Fastbreak On SI

Hannah Hidalgo Stole the Show from JuJu Watkins in Notre Dame-USC Showdown

Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo showed she deserves some of the attention JuJu Watkins is getting in win over USC.

Robin Lundberg

Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo calls out to her teammates during an exhibition game against Davenport on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend. Notre Dame won 101-41.
Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo calls out to her teammates during an exhibition game against Davenport on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend. Notre Dame won 101-41. / Michael Clubb / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nearly all the talk around NCAA women's basketball thus far has surrounded UConn's Paige Bueckers and USC's JuJu Watkins. Bueckers is of course the presumptive number one pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft and Watkins has been hyped as the closest thing to Caitlin Clark.

However, in the latter's first marquee showdown of season, it was Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo who stole the show. Much to the chagrin of Snoop Dogg, who showed up wearing a fit honoring Watkins.

Hidalgo was easily the best player on the court displaying blazing quickness and an infectious energy on both ends. She finished the 74-61 blowout victory with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 5 steals. Watkins did manage 24 points of her own, but many of those came in garbage time and she struggled shooting early.

Of course it isn't like the Irish star just arrived on the scene, as she was an All-American last year as a freshman. Which is why the head-to-head matchup with Watkins was the biggest contest of the college campaign to date. But after showing out against USC, Hidalgo proved she is deserving of some of the attention her counterpart has received.

Perhaps her smaller stature will keep Hidalgo from being evaluated as the same level pro prospect as JuJu, but both she and LSU star Flau'jae Johnson have made the focus on two players seem shortsighted so far this NCAA season through their stellar play.

And after getting the best of Watkins, Hidalgo made sure her name won't be an afterthought going forward.

Because along with backcourt mate and expected lottery pick Olivia Miles, she has Notre Dame looking like a contender to win it all come March.

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Robin Lundberg
ROBIN LUNDBERG

Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!

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