Hannah Hidalgo might be on her way to take up Caitlin Clark mantle ahead of Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins, sports broadcaster reasons
Hannah Hidalgo is gaining many fans thanks to her stellar play this 2024-25 NCAA season putting up impressive numbers for the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This led sports broadcaster Robin Lundberg to declare on his YouTube channel on Monday that Hidalgo is the most exciting player in women's college basketball since Caitlin Clark.
That's a bold statement, considering Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins are still the top stars for the No. 4 UConn Huskies and the No. 7 USC Trojans.
Lundberg argued his case as to why the sophomore guard is more likely to take the Clark mantle instead of Bueckers and Watkins.
"You can’t just choose who’s going to resonate with the fans because Clark wasn’t preordained to be the next big thing. She became the next big thing. And since she became the next big thing, a lot of people have been searching for the next, next big thing, which has included Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins, etc.," Lundberg said.
It's Hidalgo, however, who has caught Lundberg's eye.
"But so far this college basketball season, it’s been Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame who’s emerged, simply because she’s the best and the most exciting player to watch in women’s college basketball," Lundberg said.
Hidalgo and Bueckers faced each other on Thursday night in a marquee clash at Purcell Pavilion. Hidalgo starred in Notre Dame's 79-68 win over the No. 2 UConn, nearly recording a triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Bueckers led the scoring for the Huskies, who were handed their first loss of the season. She amassed 25 points on 11 of 20 shooting but struggled to find her stroke from the outside, missing all four of her 3-point attempts against the Fighting Irish.
Hannah Hidalgo dazzles with her outstanding two-way play for Notre Dame
Hannah Hidalgo's excellent control on both ends of the floor makes her one of the most fun hoopers to watch. She is the nation's second-leading scorer, averaging 25.2 points per contest.
Hidalgo has been efficient with her offense, shooting 48.0% from the field and 43.1% from beyond the arc.
Hidalgo also has been a menace on the defensive end. She leads the nation in steals, averaging 4.2 per game this season. She displayed her outstanding two-way play in Notre Dame's 118-49 win over the Eastern Michigan Eagles on Sunday, recording 27 points and six steals in 24 minutes of action.