Star guards are stepping into the March Madness spotlight, as Hannah Hidalgo and her No. 6 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish open the Sweet 16 against Mikayla Blakes and the No. 2 Vanderbilt Commodores on Friday afternoon.
Naismith Player of the Year finalist and Division I leading scorer Blakes anchors the Commodores, as they attempt to hold off Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner and DI steals leader Hidalgo.
Blakes is averaging 27.5 points per game in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, while Hidalgo powered Notre Dame past No. 3 Ohio State with a 26-point, 13-rebound, and eight-steal performance on Monday.
Both teams are pushing for program turnarounds: Vanderbilt is pursuing their first trip to the Elite Eight since 2002 while Notre Dame is hoping to make it past the Sweet 16 for the first time since winning it all under legendary coach Muffet McGraw in 2019.
"You prepare in November, December, January, so you don't have to get ready," said Commodores head coach Shea Ralph. "You don't have to rise to the level of the occasion, because you're gonna fall to the level of your standard."
The sportsbooks are currently giving Vanderbilt a slight edge, tapping the Commodores as a 5.5-point favorite over the Irish.
How to watch Notre Dame vs. Vanderbilt in the Sweet 16
The Sweet 16 tips off with the No. 6 Irish taking on the No. 2 Commodores at 2:30 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage airing on ESPN.
