UConn Enters Notre Dame Showdown With Healthy Fear of Hannah Hidalgo

As if she hadn't already cemented herself as a household name in women's college basketball, star guard Hannah Hidalgo did so to a staggering degree when her No. 6-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish upset the No. 2-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on March 28.

Hidalgo finished the game with 31 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and a whopping 10 steals in the game, seven of which came in the first half. She also broke the NCAA Division I single-season steals record during the game.

doing what she does best @HannahHidalgo has set the NCAA single-season steals record#GoIrish // @MarchMadnessWBB pic.twitter.com/WXWKfrMEU8
— Notre Dame Women's Basketball (@ndwbb) March 27, 2026

As a result of Notre Dame's 67-64 win, they're now facing Geno Auriemma's undefeated UConn Huskies squad, who have won 53 consecutive games since last season.

Notre Dame and UConn played each other earlier in the season, and the Huskies produced a dominant 85-47 win. Hidalgo was held to 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals in 38 minutes played, making for the third-fewest points the 5'6" junior guard has scored in a game this season.

Yet, Hidalgo has improved since then and is playing the best basketball of her life right now. And comments Auriemma and his star player, Azzi Fudd, have conveyed how tough a matchup she'll be when the two teams meet on March 29.

Geno Auriemma and Azzi Fudd | IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Geno Auriemma, Azzi Fudd's Hannah Hidalgo Comments Speak Volumes

"Have you seen Hannah Hidalgo play? Man, I don't think I've seen a performance like what she had yesterday in a long, long time. She's like the Lawrence Taylor of basketball," Auriemma said during his March 28 press conference, per an X post from Tyler Horka.

"If [Lawrence Taylor] was in the next room, and you threw the ball to one of you guys, he would intercept it. She’s just a unique player that comes along once in a lifetime, and she has the ability to disrupt and cause chaos like nobody I’ve ever seen. And I think her team obviously feeds off of that," he added.

How good is Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo?

UConn coach Geno Auriemma compared her Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Lawrence Taylor.

“She’s just a unique player that comes along once in a lifetime, and she has the ability to disrupt and cause chaos like nobody I’ve ever seen.” pic.twitter.com/0erb77XXCy
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) March 28, 2026

When Azzi Fudd was asked about Hidalgo on Saturday morning, she said, “You can see her drive, you can see her intensity. She wants to win every single game. The way that she gets that many steals, that many assists, all of the above. That takes a different kind of person, a different kind of heart. So, she’s a super challenging player to play against," per an X post from Horka.

UConn’s Azzi Fudd called Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo “relentless.”

“You can see her drive, you can see her intensity. She wants to win every single game.”

Fudd says it “takes a different kind of person” to play like Hidalgo.

“She’s a super challenging player to play against.” pic.twitter.com/Wd8i0ntDMs
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) March 28, 2026

Could Hannah Hidalgo Be UConn's Kryptonite?

Slowing Hidalgo down will be a tough ask, for the reasons Auriemma and Fudd alluded to. However, the team defense and discipline that UConn shows possession by possession is unparalleled, and will at least cause Hidalgo to work for her buckets. Plus, their discipline on the offensive end should limit her steals and easy transition buckets.

Plus, one player is not going to beat UConn, even if Hidalgo scores 40 points. So while she might continue making her National Player of the Year case against the country's best team, it's hard to imagine that Hidalgo can cause UConn's winning streak to end on Sunday.