Notre Dame sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo wins ACC Player of the Week
For the third time in as many weeks to begin the 2024-25 season, the ACC Player of the Week hails from Notre Dame. And for the second consecutive week, it’s Fighting Irish sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo.
Hidalgo led Notre Dame with 24 points in the only game the Irish played last week — a mighty big one at that. The Irish went to Los Angeles and came away with a wire-to-wire 74-61 victory over No. 3 Southern Cal. Hidalgo added 8 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals on 9-of-21 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 shooting from the free throw line in the win.
In the first five games of her collegiate season, Hidalgo is averaging 24.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.2 steals and 3.6 assists per game on 48.9 percent shooting from the field and 77.8 percent shooting from the free throw line, both of which are better percentages she posted as an All-American in her freshman season.
It’s helped Hidalgo to have senior guard Olivia Miles by her side in the Notre Dame backcourt, a luxury not afforded to her when Miles was out for the entire 2023-24 season rehabbing a knee injury. Miles was the first ACC Player of the Week winner of this season.
Miles had 20 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists against the Trojans and is averaging 18.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game in the first five games of her return to action. Among Notre Dame players with more than one three-point attempt this season, Miles leads them all with a three-point shooting percentage of 54.2. Hidalgo is second at 41.7.
Hidalgo did not score any of her 24 points vs. USC in the fourth quarter. Miles had 10 of her 20 in the final frame, though.
Hidalgo, Miles and the rest of the Fighting Irish take part in the Cayman Islands Classic this week with games against TCU and Utah on Nov. 29 and 30, respectively. The first of those matchups is another doozy for Notre Dame; the Horned Frogs, led by Oregon transfer Sedona Prince and former NC State and LSU standout Hailey Van Lith, are the No. 17 team in the latest Associated Press Poll after their 6-0 start, which includes a 76-73 win over then-No. 13 NC State.
Notre Dame moved from no. 6 to No. 3 in the AP Top 25 with its win over USC. UCLA supplanted South Carolina as the new No. 1 after the Bruins beat the Gamecocks on Sunday.
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Here is a look at the entire set of rankings.
Week 4 Women’s Basketball AP Top 25: Notre Dame No. 3
1. UCLA (5-0)
2. UConn (4-0)
3. Notre Dame (5-0)
4. South Carolina (5-1)
5. Texas (4-0)
6. USC (4-1)
7. LSU (6-0)
8. Oklahoma (5-0)
9. Kansas State (5-0)
10. Maryland (6-0)
11. Ohio State (5-0)
12. West Virginia (6-0)
13. Duke (5-1)
14. Kentucky (5-0)
15. Iowa State (5-1)
16. North Carolina (5-1)
17. TCU (6-0)
18. Ole Miss (3-1)
19. Illinois (5-0)
20. NC State (3-2)
21. Oregon (6-0)
22. Iowa (6-0)
23. Alabama (6-0)
24. Louisville (4-2)
25. Nebraska (5-1)
