“Best player in the country right now”: College hoops fans hype up Hannah Hidalgo despite Notre Dame's loss vs Hailey Van Lith’s TCU

On Nov. 29th, the once-undefeated Notre Dame lost their first game of the season against TCU, 76-68. It was a heartbreaking loss for the Fighting Irish who were up for around 85% of the game and just could not close it all out for a win.

Despite the defeat, budding star Hannah Hidalgo stood out as she led Notre Dame by filling up the stat sheet with 27 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals. As she continues to elevate her game, her fanbase is quickly growing as several fans took came to her aid on social media after the Horned Frogs loss.

"Hannah Hidalgo is the best player in the country right now," a fan proclaimed.

"Catching up on some games & I just have to reiterate... I absolutely love watching Hannah Hidalgo hoop. There's a solid crop of guards the last few years that I've gravitated to, & she's easily one of the top," another wrote.

"Hannah Hidalgo you’re goated. Wow," another fan said.

The Fighting Irish were on their way to a sixth win of the early 2024-2025 season before being outpaced by TCU, 31-12, in the final period. The Horned Frogs got their first lead of the matchup with a three-pointer, as Hidalgo's stellar play simply could not will her team back in front.

Hidalgo's hype train is growing with her energy and entertaining play in her sophomore season. She's been one of Notre Dame's vocal leaders in their dominating 5-1 start to the 2024-2025 season.

Performances like the one on Friday displayed just how much Hidalgo is headed toward becoming one of the faces of NCAA Women's Basketball. She and the rest of Notre Dame will have another shot at a victory when they take on the Utah Utes on Nov. 30 for their Cayman Islands Classic ender.

How good is Hannah Hidalgo?

This past week, Hidalgo was named the AP Player of the Week for Women's Basketball. The 19-year-old hasn't had a game this year in which she didn't score less than 24 points, including a season-high 29 in their win against the Lafayette Leopards on Nov. 17th.

She is gradually improving from her equally-impressive rookie campaign with averages of 24.8 points, tied for fourth-most, 6.2 boards, 3.6 dimes, and a pesky 5.2 steals.

If Hidalgo can keep her stats and leadership afloat, Notre Dame might go far this season in the NCAA Tournament.