Fans split as Hannah Hidalgo tops JuJu Watkins, Paige Bueckers and more in 'Player of the Year' early season power rankings

Hannah Hidalgo topped Sports Illustrated's early power rankings for the race to win the Women's College Basketball National Player of the Year award. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish star led the top five list, which also included USC's JuJu Watkins, UCLA's Lauren Betts, UConn's Paige Bueckers, and Florida State's Ta'Niya Latson.

Hidalgo has been phenomenal to start the 2024-25 NCAA season for No. 3 Notre Dame, displaying her outstanding talent on both ends of the floor. She is second in the nation in scoring, averaging 25.9 points through 14 games. She is also ranked second in the country in steals, averaging 4.0 per game this season.

College hoops fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to praise Hannah Hidalgo for claiming the No. 1 spot on the list, which was unveiled on Monday.

"Hannah the best! A woman who just loves to play and competes to the utmost every single game!," one fan wrote.

"No offense to the other players but just give Hannah the award now. She’s on a different level," one fan posted.

"It's HH for me! My husband, a die-hard USC fan, watched JuJu play in person tonight, and he's finally admitted that HH is better," one fan shared.

Other fans argued that the race is not yet over, with JuJu Watkins and Ta'Niya Latson among the players tipped to make a late surge.

"JuJu Watkins has an opportunity to become Player of the Year again if she sweeps UCLA. I think she is Player of the Year and goes far in the playoffs," one fan claimed.

"Keep an eye on JuJu. She plays UCLA twice in the Big Ten. Look forward to seeing her take the lead after those matchups," one fan pointed out.

"Throw that garbage away if Ta'Niya Latson isn't number 1 right now. Paige shouldn't even be in the top 5 at this point," one fan commented.

One Paige Bueckers fan remained steadfast in supporting the UConn star:

"Horrible list when Paige Bueckers not in the top," one fan chimed in.

Hannah Hidalgo leads Notre Dame past North Carolina to record seventh-straight win

Hannah Hidalgo dazzled in Notre Dame's 76-66 win over No. 17 North Carolina on Sunday, recording 24 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals in 36 minutes of action. She shot 8-from-20 from the field, including 5-from-9 from beyond the arc.

Hannah Hidalgo (#3) of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates during the game against the UConn Huskies at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center on December 12, 2024. Photo: Getty

Hidalgo has now scored at least 20 points in 12 of the 14 games she has played for the Fighting Irish this season. That includes a 33-point explosion in Notre Dame's 97-54 win over Loyola Maryland on Dec. 22. The Fighting Irish are one of the hottest teams in the nation, winning seven consecutive games to improve their record to 12-2.