The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 67-64 Friday, a win that resulted in the team finally crossing a major hurdle and getting past the Sweet Sixteen. That Notre Dame managed to pull off that feat this season is impressive, especially since the program saw a bit of a roster reset at the end of the 2024-25 season.
No one would have faulted Notre Dream if the team had a less-than-stellar season, especially after Olivia Miles announced plans to enter the transfer portal and lef the program for TCU. But the team clung on, and Coach Niele Ivey deftly guided her squad to an end result anyone should be proud of.
The best part, of course, is that this isn't actually the end. Ivey has coached squads to five straight Sweet Sixteens before finally making it through this one, and she credited three players with helping making that reality come true: Hannah Hidalgo, Cassandra Prosper, and KK Bransford.
Hannah Hidalgo put in another huge performance against Vanderbilt
Hidalgo, who is in her junior year with Notre Dame, put in yet another powerhouse game for her team Friday. Her match-up with the Commodores' guard Mikayla Blakes received plenty of attention in the days leading up to the game, especially since the two previously played AAU basketball against one another and were also part of the 2025 USA Women's AmeriCup Team last summer.
But on Friday they were foes, and Hidalgo made sure everyone knew it. She did so while breaking the single season record for steals, and by nearly coming away with a quadruple double. The young guard has grown a lot over the years, Ivey told reporters after the game, and was ready to bring her strongest effort to the court today.
The Fighting Irish will turn their attention the UConn Huskies
The team's next match has a bit of a historic edge: the team will face the UConn Huskies in the Elite 8. Muffet McGraw, who passed the torch to Ivey in 2020, had a fierce rivalry with Geno Auriemma when they were both active coaches in the NCAA, and there's little doubt the two teams will both wage fierece battles against one another.
By all appearances, the Huskies have a strong edge over everyone else in the field this year. The defending champions are on a hot streak and have yet to lose a game this season; after a slow start in their own game against North Carolina, they shut down the game 63-42.