“Can’t discount those wins”: Analyst backs Hannah Hidalgo’s Notre Dame based on wins vs USC, UConn, Texas despite recent bad form

Hannah Hidalgo and the No. 2-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish suffered a 61-56 defeat to third-seeded Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals at Greensboro Complex on Saturday. It was somewhat of a continuation of Notre Dame's poor run that stretched back toward the final few games of the regular season.

The Fighting Irish lost two of their last three regular-season games heading into the ACC Tournament before the defeat to Duke. However, college basketball analyst Charlie Creme has backed Notre Dame to get a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament while supporting the team to make a deep run in March Madness.

"We got to remember they [Fighting Irish] still beat USC, who is gonna be a one-seed," Creme said during an appearance on ESPN's 'Countdown to GameDay' on Sunday. "They did beat UConn, who is probably the best two-seed. And they beat Texas, who might be No. 1 overall.

"The wins were earlier this season, but you still can't discount those wins. Because when the committee sits down to look at this stuff, they're looking at the full body of work. They will take into consideration how Notre Dame is playing now for sure, but they're not going to just throw away those huge wins that the Irish had earlier in the year."

Notre Dame beat seventh-seeded California in its opening game of the ACC Tournament before the loss against the Blue Devils.

Hidalgo scored a game-high 23 points against Duke, but it wasn't enough to propel the Fighting Irish to the ACC Tournament final. Now, Notre Dame will turn its attention toward the NCAA Tournament.

Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo named as finalist for 2025 John R. Wooden Award

Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo - Source: Imagn

Earlier this week, Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo was named a finalist for the 2025 John R. Wooden Award. She was joined by fellow Fighting Irish teammate Olivia Miles.

Hidalgo has enjoyed a fabulous sophomore season with Notre Dame and is averaging 24.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. She was also recently named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, earning the honor for the second season in a row.