UConn HC Breaks Down Threat from Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo

The UConn Huskies enter their next game, undefeated at 18–0. Their last match ended in a win over Villanova. Sarah Strong led the way with 24 points, nine rebounds and five blocks, while Azzi Fudd added 14, and KK Arnold and Blanca Quiñonez made 13 each. All 11 players who touched the floor scored; the bench outpaced Villanova 39–16.

In fact, Auriemma went so far as to call the game one of the most "complete" ones this season. Next up, the Huskies will face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Auriemma spoke to the press ahead of the game and had something interesting to say about the team and, specifically, star guard Hannah Hidalgo.

“It’s very rarely when [Hidalgo's] not on the court. They’re kind of in a situation that we’ve been in the last couple of years. Their rotation is limited. They’ve lost a lot of scorers from the last couple of years, so it’s taken them a little while to figure everything out. They’ve had streaks where they’ve been really, really good, where they’ve shot the ball great and their other players have really contributed a lot. Then they’ve had games where the supporting cast has struggled a little bit,” started Auriemma.

Hidalgo has been relentless this season. She is averaging 25.0 points, 5.7 assists, and 5.7 steals per game while leading the nation in total steals. Her career numbers sit at 23.5 points per game across 84 starts. This season, Hidalgo had a 44-point, 16-steal game against Akron and a 31-point, eight rebounds and six assists game against UNC. Guarding her is no easy task.

"Offensively, they make you figure out a lot of different ways to guard Hannah. How you decide to guard her either gives the other guys a ton of opportunities or limits everybody else’s opportunities. They put you in a tough spot to make a choice because they can shoot the ball pretty well from the perimeter when they’re shooting it well," Auriemma said.

"It’ll be kind of a jigsaw puzzle tomorrow to try to put it all together on both ends. I don’t know that they’ve played anybody like us this year, maybe they have, maybe they haven’t, and we’ve not played against a dynamic guard like that, quite as dynamic as that, this year," he continued.

Hannah extends the Irish lead

📺 ACCN#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/9YiQHiL1lv
— Notre Dame Women's Basketball (@ndwbb) January 15, 2026

Auriemma is not wrong. With Hidalgo, the Fighting Irish are far more dangerous than their record might suggest. Despite coming off a 79–66 home loss to Louisville, the Irish are 12–5 and rank in the top 20 nationally in steals per game, scoring offense, shooting efficiency, free throws and turnover margin.

To make things more interesting, while UConn leads the all-time series 39–16, the Irish have won the last three meetings. The last time the two teams faced each other was in December 2024, and it ended in a 79–68 loss in South Bend. Hidalgo had 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Notre Dame forced UConn into 3-of-16 shooting from deep while hitting 10 triples of its own.

What’s Next for Geno Auriemma and the Huskies?

Next up is a road trip to face the Georgetown Hoyas at the Capital One Arena on January 22. This is a matchup where history heavily favors the Huskies. UConn holds a 52–2 all-time record against Georgetown and is on a 40-game winning streak in the series, including a 73–55 win in Washington earlier this month.

Soon after that match, the Huskies have trips to Seton Hall and DePaul mixed with home dates against Xavier, Butler, Creighton and Providence. A marquee non-conference clash with Tennessee, followed by challenging road tests at Marquette and Villanova.

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