“Rori Harmon is similar in the Hannah Hidalgo effect”: NCAAB analyst compares Texas and Notre Dame stars ahead of enticing matchup

Hannah Hidalgo's Notre Dame is set to face Texas on Thursday. With the start of the new week, college basketball analysts Meghan McKeown and Zora Stephenson gave predictions about each team on NBA Sports' Got Next with Megan and Zora.

McKeown shared her list of top 5 teams and it included UCLA, UConn, South Carolina, Texas and Notre Dame. When talking about the Longhorns, she highlighted Rori Harmon and said:

"Watching Texas play, like I love watching them defensively. Rory Harmon is similar in the Hannah Hidalgo effect where you don't want her anywhere near you. She's just a really smart defender and then a really smart playmaker as well. I loved watching her game." (8:31)

Rori Harmon played just 12 games last season before tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee on Dec. 27, 2023. She is now back on the court and is averaging 9.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 2.7 steals per game for No. 4 Texas.

Hannah Hidalgo comments on expanding beyond scoring

As Megan McKeown pointed out, Hannah Hidalgo's defense is her biggest strength when leading Notre Dame. The guard spoke about her versatility, despite being a short guard at 5-foot-6.

"Being a smaller guard, I had to stand out and be different," Hidalgo said to Megan and Zora on the podcast's Nov. 19 episode. "It's something I needed to have for other coaches [my mindset] going into college because I'm smaller, so I couldn't just have my scoring ability." (0:58 mark)

"I really take pride in my defense, and everybody always told me that defense wins championships, so I've always taken pride in that."

Hannah Hidalgo was named Week 3's AP Player of the Week despite the loss to the TCU Horned Frogs and Utah Utes. This was largely due to her presence on court and leading the Fighting Irish on the important win over the USC Trojans.

"I’ve been with the team for a minute, even though it really is a whole new team now, but we’re adjusting to each other," Hidalgo said (via WNDU). "I’m more comfortable, a lot more vocal, so it’s been a lot easier."

Texas vs Notre Dame tip-off will begin at 7:00 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN.