Hannah Hidalgo reacts after Dwyane Wade lauds her game vs Paige Bueckers, UConn

Notre Dame sensation Hannah Hidalgo led the Irish to a 79-68 win over Paige Bueckers and UConn on Dec. 12 at Purcell Pavilion. Dwyane Wade, a three-time NBA champion, was impressed by Hidalgo's performance and shared his high praise for the sophomore guard.

Hidalgo recorded a double-double with a game-high 29 points and 10 rebounds to secure the win for the No. 3 Fighting Irish. She shot 8-of-17 from the field, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range, and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line.

Wade admired Hidalgo's play on his podcast on Dec. 20. On Tuesday, Wy Network's Twitter account shared a clip of Wade speaking about Hidalgo’s game against Bueckers.

"Hidalgo. Everybody we better learn. I've heard about her, and you know, you hear some, you see some. I watched the game yesterday. It was UConn and I love UConn. Paige Bueckers — I’m a Paige Bueckers fan."

"[Hannah] is like 5'6" and she is a dog. Averages like seven rebounds a game. And when we talk about when we say dog and hoop, that means something. This is hoop terms we’re talking about."

Hildago responded to Wade's compliment on Twitter reposting the tweet and adding two emojis — a folded hands and raising hands emoji — showing her gratitude.

Hannah Hidalgo earns Wooden Award midseason Top 25 nod

Hannah Hidalgo, a 5-foot-6 native of Merchantville, New Jersey, is a key driving force behind Notre Dame's hot start this season — the Fighting Irish are 12-2 overall and 3-0 in the ACC.

The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced the women's midseason top 25 for the John R. Wooden Award on Tuesday. Hidalgo, alongside her teammate Olivia Miles, made the prestigious list of the nation's top players.

Hidalgo, who averaged 22.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg and 4.6 spg, was a finalist for the award in 2023-24 but lost to ex-Iowa star Caitlin Clark. This campaign, she has been even more dominant, being top-2 nationally in both points and steals.

Hannah Hidalgo has scored 30 or more points in two of Notre Dame's games including a 33-point outburst against Loyola on Dec. 22. She only failed to touch a 20-point mark twice — the season opener against Mercyhurst and in a defeat against Utah on Nov. 30.