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The Hannah Hidalgo Show rolls into Detroit on Saturday afternoon (4 p.m. ET, NBC), when the stat-stuffing phenom and No. 18 Notre Dame meet No. 14 Michigan.
The top-20 matchup profiles as the first early-season stress test for both teams that, thus far, have stacked up easy wins against overmatched opponents.
Interest, in particular, will be directed towards the Irish and the sustainably of their Hidalgo-centric approach. The 5-foot-6 junior guard is a basketball maniac in the best way possible, defying should-be limitations due to her size and stature with an insatiable desire to win—or, better yet, a determination to NOT lose.
As Josh Felton recently documented, Hidalgo’s historic production, highlighted by her absurd 44-point and 16-steal effort, positions her as the frontrunner in the race to be National Player of the Year. Having played three games and a total of 87 minutes, Hidalgo is second in the nation in total points (103), second in field goals made (39), second in total points produced (98), first in total steals (23) and third in win shares (1.6), achieving these high rankings even as other players have played more games and minutes. Unsurprisingly, she leads the nation in usage percentage (43.5). Per game, her stats mete out to 34.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 7.7 steals.
But basketball remains a team game, and against a team of the quality of Michigan, an offensive approach that most often begins and ends with Hidalgo seems unlikely to succeed. If the Wolverines are intent upon trying to deny Hidalgo before doubling her when she does have the ball, can the Irish offense still find a way to function?
Are senior guards Vanessa de Jesus and KK Bransford prepared to steward the Irish offense if the Wolverines adopt an anybody-but-Hannah strategy? Can senior forward Cass Prosper maintain her increased production against a Power Four frontcourt? Notre Dame is not untalented outside of Hidalgo, but does that talent have the trust and confidence to step up and become more significant contributors?
Or, will Hidalgo show that she, in fact, cannot be stopped, willing her way to bucket after bucket as she proves that she is not only unbothered by her heavy burden, but also is not troubled by the schemes and strategies designed to slow her down?
Still, even if Hidalgo gets all of hers, Michigan has to feel good about their chances of getting the win, as they have three stars, not just one, capable of carrying them to victory.
The Wolverines are led by sophomore guards Mila Holloway, Olivia Olson and Syla Swords. Before the season, Josh cited Swords as a potential breakout star; so far, her offensive usage and production have dropped compared to her freshman campaign, although her defensive playmaking has increased in the early going. Olson, last season’s leading scorer, has upped her output, shooting a stellar-yet-unsustainable 60 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from 3 as she has scored 18 points per game. It’s Holloway, however, who has really blossomed for the Wolverines, going from nine to 19 points per game as she, like Olson, has enjoyed a hot start to the season, successfully converting her array of crafty drives. She also leads Michigan with 5.5 assists per contest.
Even as Michigan enters with more options, a higher ranking and homestate support, ESPN Analytics favors Notre Dame, giving the Irish a 58 percent chance of winning compared to the Wolverines’ 42 percent.
It won’t be surprising if things go down to the wire in Detroit. If that happens, will Hidalgo trump all and take the Irish to the win? Or, will the Maize and Blue’s advantages result in victory?
