When No. 6 Notre Dame took on No. 3 USC on Nov. 23, the Fighting Irish were underdogs on the road against the Trojans.

A who’s who of celebrities and basketball royalty was in attendance for this game, including Los Angeles Sparks star Cameron Brink, ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike, USC legend Cheryl Miller and movie star Michael B. Jordan. They came to watch high-level basketball and were likely there to root for the home team, but instead of marveling at USC sophomore JuJu Watkins, they had first-class seats to the Hannah Hidalgo extravaganza.

The Notre Dame sophomore scored the first six points for her team, assisted her backcourt mate Olivia Miles on a 3-pointer and then added her own triple to have the Irish ahead 14-6 midway through the first quarter. It was the beginning of a long afternoon inside the Galen Center for the Trojans as Hidalgo terrorized USC on their home court. Hidalgo did everything but distribute popcorn to fans. She scored 24 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out eight assists and stole the ball five times.

With the upset in the bag, Hidalgo was the one to dribble out the clock. When time expired and the buzzer sounded, she raised her arms as if to announce herself to the crowd, ensuring there wasn’t a person in the building who didn’t know who she was.

How Hidalgo is getting better

After the win, Hidalgo discussed bringing that level of intensity to every game and how it impacts winning during her postgame presser.

I think for my team, I’m that energy. I bring that energy and I know my team feeds off of that. I know they feed off of when I’m diving on the floor, I’m getting stops, when I’m running in transition. I know my team feeds off that; I know they need that, and then everyone else raises their level of intensity.

Hidalgo is averaging 24.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.2 steals per game. Building on her stellar freshman season, she has become a more efficient scorer, a better 3-point shooter and a defensive menace on the wing.

These improvements are no surprise to her head coach, Niele Ivey, who talked about how she’s grown from her freshman year after a preseason victory versus Davenport earlier this season.

She’s never been a complacent player, so she’s always trying to find ways to get better. That’s the type of work ethic and drive that she has and passion. We kind of talked a little bit about her left-handed finishes and I think she’s worked on her left hand a lot this offseason and just being consistent from the three somethings that she’s worked on, but again she’s the type of player that wants to always get better and so she stayed in the gym and you can see the result of that.

What’s next for Hidalgo?

With her growth and ability to step up and perform in big moments, Hidalgo has strengthened her case as one of the best players in the country. Along with Miles, she undoubtedly is a part of the best background in the nation.

Led by the duo, the undefeated Fighting Irish are already reaping the early benefits of their success, having jumped up to No. 3 in the AP poll. Next month, they will have a matchup against No. 2 UConn that could bring them a step closer to the No. 1 spot.

Just a handful of games into Year 2, it’s amazing how good Hidalgo already is, and what should worry her opponents is not only that there is still room for growth, but that she’s also willing to put in the sweat equity to reach her full potential. So, while Watkins may have hogged the sophomore spotlight, it very well may be Hidalgo who shines brightest when tournament time arrives in March.

It’s one of the busiest college basketball weeks of the season! With (American) Thanksgiving upon us (this writer’s Canadian Thanksgiving was two months ago), programs from across the country are competing in invitational tournaments. The Gulf Coast Showcase in Southwest Florida welcomes eight teams, highlighted by No. 5 Texas (4-0). The action starts Friday, Nov. 29th with the first round.

With Texas being the highest ranked team in this tournament, they have the edge as favorites already. Yet, No. 12 West Virginia (6-0) is not too far behind, and just because the only ranked teams in this tournament, but that doesn’t mean they are clear-cut finalists. The other contestants are Boise State (6-0), Illinois State (2-2), High Point (3-3), Butler (5-1), Santa Clara (3-2) and New Mexico (4-3). Because the tournament has a winner’s bracket and loser’s bracket, every team, regardless of record, will play three games total over the course of the weekend.

As we’ve seen throughout the last week, it’s upset season in women’s college basketball. Lower-ranked teams are putting in work to be able to give higher-ranked teams a hard time on the court. With demanding schedules and travel, among other factors, winning isn’t always simple for top teams.

Yet, Texas and West Virginia have the most talented players on their rosters.

Texas guard Rori Harmon is now in her senior year, and the Longhorns were able to get guard Laila Phelia out of the transfer portal as well. They also have a strong sophomore in forward Madison Booker, who in just her second year as a college player was named to the pre-season All-American list along with UConn’s Paige Bueckers, USC’s JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen, and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo. That’s impressive company to keep.

With the way the bracket is looking, Texas and West Virginia seem to be on a collision course to meet in the championship game on Sunday, Dec. 1. That said, these tournaments are huge for unranked teams that can make a splash and maybe get noticed by a few voters. It will definitely be an exciting weekend of hoops!

Tournament schedule

All games held at Hertz Arena in Estero, FL.

Friday, Nov. 29

Boise State vs. Illinois State (11 a.m. ET)

West Virginia vs. High Point (1:30 p.m. ET)

Butler vs. Santa Clara (5 p.m. ET)

Texas vs. New Mexico (7:30 p.m. ET)

Saturday, Nov. 30

Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 (11 a.m. ET)

Lose of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 (1:30 p.m. ET)

Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 (5 p.m. ET)

Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 (7:30 p.m. ET)

Sunday, Dec. 1

Seventh Place Game (11 a.m. ET)

Fifth Place Game (1:30 p.m. ET)

Third Place Game (5 p.m. ET)

Championship Game (7:30 p.m. ET)

There were just two spots remaining in the next round of the 2024-25 EuroLeague Women competition, and four teams were aiming at them. Perfumerias Avenida and DVTK HUN-Therm battled directly for one of them in Group A, while Polkowice and Villeneuve-d’Ascq LM played against teams that already secured their spots in Group C. In the end, Avenida and Polkowice progressed, and Groups E and F are set for the beginning of the second round on Dec. 11.

On the final game day of the first round, these players turned in some of the most noteworthy performances:

Morgan Green, the former UC Irvine standout , delivered her best performance of the short EuroLeague season so far, scoring 21 points (72 percent from the floor), grabbing three boards and dishing out five assists. She helped Tango Bourges Basket beat Žabiny Brno by 20 points, 85-65.

Bridget Carleton scored game-high 18 points for UNI Győr in their final game in this year’s competition, while, on the other side, Stephanie Mavunga got her first start for Valencia this season and contributed 12 points and nine boards in her team’s 12-point win over the Hungarians, 86-74.

Emma Cannon was again the go-to player for Polkowice, scoring 23 points in their loss to Fenerbahçe. The loss definitely hurt, but Polkowice progressed to the next round, largely thanks to Cannon, who’s third overall in points per game with 21 and leads EuroLeague Women in rebounds per game with 9.8. The vet turned out to be a great pickup for Polkowice. In and out of the W since 2017, Cannon appeared in five games for the Aces last season.

Former Arizona Wildcat and 2024 Connecticut Sun draft pick Helena Pueyo had 18 points, six boards and seven steals for Zaragoza in their win over Villeneuve d’Ascq LM, which had to win the game to progress, but instead ended up losing by nine, 68-59, to the Spanish side. The reason for the loss was in part due to the defensive pressure that Zaragoza put on the French team, resulting in 18 turnovers.

Week 3 scores

Group A

Perfumerias Avenida 67, DVTK HUN-Therm Miskolc 55

Beretta Famila Schio 59, Basket Landes 68

Group B

Çukurova Basketbol Mersin 87, Olympiacos B.C. 58

Tango Bourges Basket 85, Žabiny Brno 65

Group C

Fenerbahçe Opet 90, KGHM BC Polkowice 61

Casademont Zaragoza 68, Villeneuve-d’Ascq LM 59

Group D

Valencia Basket Club 86, UNI Győr 74

ZVVZ USK Praha 100, Umana Reyer Venezia 85

For just the second time, the Cayman Islands Classic features a women’s tournament. No. 3 Notre Dame (5-0), No. 17 TCU (6-0), Utah (5-1), Mississippi State (6-0), and South Florida (4-3) will duke it out in a round-robin tournament, with each team playing two games.

Four Power 5 teams—two of which are still nationally ranked—will provide fans with some much needed competition after a mostly-slow start to non-conference play. Notre Dame may be the overwhelming favorite to run the table, but each team will learn a lot about themselves in the heat of the Caribbean fall. Before the tournament tips off, let’s review where each team stands so far:

Notre Dame

UCLA and UConn have formidable resumes, but Notre Dame has a legitimate argument to be the best team in the country. Rising to No. 3 in the latest AP Poll, the Fighting Irish have aced every test thus far this season. When ranked No. 6 last week, they didn’t just upset former No. 3-ranked USC—they dominated them. A 13-point win, which suggests a closer game than what really occurred, stamped Notre Dame as a real title favorite.

It also stamped sophomore Hannah Hidalgo and her claim to the “best sophomore in the country” title. Matched up with fellow second-year superstar JuJu Watkins for the first time since the 2023 McDonalds All-American game, Hidalgo boasted a healthy diet of 24 points, eight assists, six rebounds and five steals. Watkins mirrored with 24 of her own, but shot 10-for-25 against a suffocating Notre Dame defense, and did most of her damage when the game was already out of reach.

The Fighting Irish will get to test themselves against TCU on Friday, which projects as the best game of the whole tournament. Hidalgo and Olivia Miles, two of the best two-way guards in the country, will have their hands full with a rejuvenated Hailey Van Lith. Sedona Prince will test the interior defense that held USC’s Kiki Iriafen to 33 percent shooting last week. Notre Dame is the team to beat on Grand Cayman.

TCU

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

TCU is hot right now, but they’re clearly human. They took home a three-point win against NC State in their only competitive game so far this year. Set to face Notre Dame and South Florida, the Horned Frogs’ true colors will show soon enough.

LSU transfer Hailey Van Lith has owned headlines in Texas. She’s in the top-10 for assists in the country, and has seemed like a necessary addition to head coach Mark Campbell’s roster. Sedona Prince’s commanding paint presence is helping TCU shoot nearly 60 percent from two, fourth best in the country. Anything could happen on Friday, but it’s important to recognize that TCU should be judged by their ability to compete with Notre Dame, not necessarily whether they can beat them. Teams still have a lot of time to iron out wrinkles before conference play, and the Big 12 doesn’t feature any squads as dominant as Niele Ivey’s Irish. Nonetheless, fans should be in for some phenomenal television.

Utah

Sparing a two-point upset at the hands of Northwestern, Utah has been off to a solid start this season. However, the team was quickly engulfed in attention early last week after head coach Lynne Roberts was poached by the Los Angeles Sparks, leaving the Utes immediately.

Plays have already been taught, schemes are already understood and Utah has an identity. It’s not like a mid-season coaching change will burn down the entire culture of a team overnight. However, Roberts was hired because she is one of the best coaches in the game, and her absence will undoubtedly lead to bumpy roads in Utah. They should provide some good competition for Mississippi State and Notre Dame, but the Utes are likely still focused inwards. The tournament will give new head coach Gavin Petersen an opportunity to get comfortable in the driver’s seat against some of the country’s top talent.

Mississippi State

Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images

Mississippi State, much like the AP Poll-charting demigods projected to win the tournament, still stands undefeated. That’s not saying much. While 6-0, the Bulldogs have been mostly beating on unremarkable competition. They’ve won all six games by 25 points or more.

While they don’t tote the fanbase of Notre Dame or TCU, Mississippi State may be one of the most interesting watches in the tournament. Public opinion probably discounts the Bulldogs’ success to their schedule, but who’s to say that they don’t walk onto the island and run the table? Two good games against Utah and South Florida, and Mississippi State could be campaigning for a spot in the top 25 next Monday. That’s a lot to play for.

South Florida

Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

South Florida, with all due respect to long-time head coach Jose Fernandez, will likely be content just to play against generational competition and take in some Caribbean sunshine. They’re the only mid-major program in the tournament, and their reputation in recent years surpasses the reality of their roster. Two years removed from a 27-7 season where they scraped the AP Poll, the Bulls now feature seven newcomers and admirable optimism. They’re also staring in the face of a ridiculously difficult non-conference schedule, already having faced UConn with South Carolina and Duke matchups looming in December.

Game schedule

All games held at John Gray High School Gymnasium in George Town, Grand Cayman and available through FloCollege.

Thursday, Nov. 28

Utah vs. Mississippi State (7:30 p.m. ET)

Friday, Nov. 29

Notre Dame vs. TCU (5 p.m. ET)

Mississippi State vs. South Florida (7:30 p.m. ET)

Saturday, Nov. 30

Notre Dame vs. Utah (5 p.m. ET)

TCU vs. South Florida (7:30 p.m. ET)