Some athletes make noise, and then some make statements. Hannah Hidalgo has done both, carving her place in college basketball with performances that are impossible to ignore. While she hasn’t always been in the spotlight for the right reasons, she has certainly forced her way into the conversation, proving that she belongs among the best.
Fans Weigh In on Hannah Hidalgo, Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins Debate
At just 5-foot-6, Hidalgo doesn’t fit the traditional mold of a dominant force in college basketball. But that hasn’t stopped her from making a massive impact. She plays with an unmatched fire, exuding the kind of confidence that few can replicate.
She wears hoops in her ears while making hoops on the court, bringing an energy reminiscent of Magic Johnson’s infectious joy. Her latest masterpiece? A stunning 29-point, 10-rebound, and eight-assist performance in No. 8 Notre Dame’s 79-68 upset win over No. 2 UConn.
Is Hannah Hidalgo better than Paige and JuJu?
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Now let’s see some comments fans made about her being the best, “Better idk? More clutch? Yes. More electric? Yes. Cold af? Yes.”
“HH has had the best season so far but the other two are better players. Not a single WNBA team is going to pick HH over the other two in a hypothetical draft. But as of total she’s the favorite for POTY. Can’t take anything away from her big game performances,” someone else said.
“Everyone mentioned brings something to the table but this girl Hannah. Whoaaaahhhh. She an animal and she’s fun to watch. ” another person commented.
“Paige is more efficient, but Hannah is better in other areas, so it’s tough. I’d take Hannah over Juju, though.” another comment stated.
“Better I don’t know, but she plays with more intensity and fire. Which I love. I’m a lifelong uconn fan. And I’m saying this with no problem. Hannah is the best player in women’s college basketball. I don’t care about juju..I don’t care about paige. Give me thevplayer with fire in them. ” another comment reads.
If there were any doubts about her greatness before, they should be long gone now. Hidalgo has officially solidified herself as the best player in the country. Despite her consistent excellence, she has often been left out of conversations that feature stars like Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins.
But after Thursday’s performance on a massive stage, there is no denying her place among the elite. She didn’t just rise to the occasion—she owned it.
“Hannah was fantastic,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. “She plays with her heart. In the first half, her threes got us going, but just the way she scores really ignites us.”
Ivey knew Hidalgo was special from the very beginning. When she started recruiting for the class of 2023, she wanted a point guard to complement Olivia Miles. From the first time she saw Hidalgo play, she knew she had found her answer.
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The way she moved, her competitive spirit, and her fearlessness made her stand out. Ivey had faith in her back then, and after watching Hidalgo dismantle UConn, she reaffirmed that belief.
“She always plays with a chip on her shoulder,” Ivey said. “She always wears her heart on her sleeve. She has that passion, that energy and the love and joy for the game. She’s a big-time, big-stage player. She’s just different.”
Hidalgo’s impact has been undeniable. UConn had never lost three consecutive games to Notre Dame in program history—until now. Two of those losses came with Hidalgo leading the charge, a testament to how game-changing her presence has been.
“She attacks everything she does,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “The way she attacks your defense and then when she’s on defense, she attacks your offense, the way that she leads her team in so many different ways, I think you put all of those three things together, and it’s just a really, really, really difficult matchup.”
Hidalgo’s Star Power Extends Beyond Her Statistics
Hidalgo thrives in high-pressure moments. Against Texas last week, she led Notre Dame to an 80-70 overtime win with 30 points. While others looked serious before overtime, she wore a wide grin, as if she already knew the outcome.
That same confidence fueled her against UConn. After missing her first four shots, she quickly adjusted, making two baskets in under 20 seconds to find her rhythm. Once she got going, there was no stopping her.
Each shot came with an animated celebration—finger goggles, flexing, stomping. When UConn cut the lead to one at the end of the third quarter, Hidalgo responded with a deep, buzzer-beating three-pointer. She turned to Arike Ogunbowale, the former Notre Dame star courtside as if passing the torch.
“I remember she hit a big shot against UConn, so when I made that three I looked over like, ‘Yo, we in it too,'” Hidalgo said.
She embraces the moment, the competition, and the challenge. And she always believes she belongs at the top.
The confidence was on full display in the postgame press conference when teammate Kylee Watson jokingly asked Ivey who would win in a one-on-one matchup—her or Hidalgo.
“Of course, I’m going to say me. I’m confident, just like you.” Hidalgo grinned and fired back, “I would be all over Coach Ivey. She would not get no buckets,” Ivey said without hesitation.
That’s what makes Hidalgo special—her ability to back up her words with elite performances. Auriemma put it best: “Her talent is obvious. Even if you’re not a basketball person, you can tell that the talent level that she has is pretty unique.”
She isn’t the biggest player on the court, but her presence is enormous. She’s one of the rare players who excels on both ends of the floor, ranking third in the NCAA in scoring at 24.6 points per game and second in steals at 4.11 per game.
With Fighting Irish legends Skylar Diggins-Smith, Ogunbowale, Marina Mabrey, and Jewell Loyd cheering her on, Hidalgo delivered a performance that felt like a passing of the torch.
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Before the game, she was honored as the fastest player in Notre Dame history to reach 1,000 points, accomplishing the feat in just 44 games. She capped it off by joining an elite club, earning both ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors.
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