We are at the business end of the NCAA tournament. Only eight teams remain. Geno Auriemma’s UConn is set to take on Neile Ivey’s Notre Dame in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
Auriemma’s team has been unbeaten all season. Not only that, but the margins with which they have won their games have been astounding. They have won the majority of their games with a 20+ point difference. Earlier in the season, UConn and Notre Dame met, and the Huskies were too good, running away with an 85-47 win. Sarah Strong was the top scorer on the day with 18 points.
However, Hannah Hidalgo believes that won’t be the case when the two sides meet in the Elite Eight. She believes that UConn hasn’t seen the best of Notre Dame, and she is glad that she knows this about her team.
“When they saw us the first time, it was not Notre Dame basketball. I feel like now we are playing basketball to the best of our abilities,” she said. Geno Auriemma talked about Hannah Hidalgo and Notre Dame after a somewhat warning from a star guard. He gave a lot of respect to Hidalgo as he made an unusual comparison.
Geno Auriemma said:
“Have you seen Hannah Hidalgo play? [laughter] Uh man, I don’t think I’ve seen a performance like what she had yesterday [vs Vanderbilt] in a long, long time. She’s like the Lawrence Taylor of basketball. People probably too young to remember Lawrence Taylor, but Lawrence Taylor played linebacker for the Giants.”
“And if he 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.
Fans React to Geno Auriemma Heaping Praise on Hannah Hidalgo
It was a huge compliment from Geno when he compared Hannah Hidalgo to a sporting legend. Lawrence Taylor played in the NFL for 13 years. He played with the New York Giants. He had a dynamic game style and always played with a lot of energy. He won two Super Bowls, NFL MVP, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
While some fans appreciated Geno’s words, some felt there was a hint of mind games.
“Small talk. Geno will put a 5-11 guard on Hidalgo, rough her up and shut her down. The 5-11 guard fouls out in early Q3 and Geno bring switches in better 5-11 guard to finish the job. Hidalgo doesn’t have the supporting cast this year to handle Geno’s women,” one fan claimed.
“I’ve never seen a single player terrorize UConn more than hh, I hope she can make a game out of it,” one fan said.
“Geno is softening Hannah before he destroys her tomorrow this why your the Goat of Women’s College Basketball ever since Pat Summitt R.I.P has been gone,” another commented.
“Absolutely true coach. Right thing to say. But this game wont be close,” another fan stated.
“Hidalgo is special. But Auriemma is taking a page from the Lou Holtz press playbook here,” another fan suspected mind games.
Read more:
UConn Star Azzi Fudd Makes Feelings Clear On Hannah Hidalgo Matchup Ahead Of Elite Eight Showdown
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