WNBA legend Sue Bird boards the Hannah Hidalgo hype train with bold prediction 

WNBA legend Sue Bird shared her impressions on a Notre Dame star after they took down her alma mater, the University of Connecticut, last week. Bird, who won multiple championships under Geno Auriemma, was impressed by Hannah Hidalgo, the player who led the Fighting Irish to the 79-68 win on Thursday.

During Wednesday's episode of the "A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe" show, the four-time WNBA champion heaped praise on Hidalgo and Olivia Miles, two of the most important players on Notre Dame.

"[Notre Dame] showed a lot about who they are, a team that has two young guards, but the reason I bring up the guards specifically is I believe that a lot of time they're the ones that have more of an impact on a team's identity... When you have players like Hannah Hidalgo, like Olivia Miles, their fingerprints are going to be all over that team.

Moreover, she singled out Hidalgo's impact on the team, even saying she was her early vote for Player of the Year.

"You can't really talk about this game without talking about Hannah. She balled out, 29 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists in front of some Notre Dame greats. You can't say enough about Hannah. If I had to put in an early vote for Player of the Year, it's probably Hannah. How could it not be? The numbers she's putting up, the ways in which she's helping her team win games, the big buckets she's getting, can't say enough about her play," Bird said. (2:54 mark)

The Fighting Irish beat one of the strongest women's college basketball opponents, led by Paige Bueckers. That didn't matter for Hidalgo and Co., who sent a clear message to the rest of the competition.

Does Sue Bird have a point on Hannah Hidalgo's season?

Hannah Hidalgo is having a terrific sophomore season with the Fighting Irish. After going off with 29 points against the UConn Huskies, she continued with 27 points against the Eastern Michigan Eagles in a dominant 118-49 win.

She's getting better by the season, going from 22.6 points last season to 25.2 this campaign and 6.2 rebounds last season to 6.8 this one. She's also averaging 3.8 assists and 4.2 steals per outing while shooting 48% from the field, 43.1% from deep and 83.3% from the free-throw line.

It's easy to see why Sue Bird is so high on this girl.