The Panels Got It Wrong: Hannah Hidalgo Deserves Better

 

Photo: Notre Dame Fighting Irish Social Media

by Tara Adams
Irish News Nation

There are snubs, and then there are mistakes so glaring they demand to be called out.

This week, Hannah Hidalgo added yet more lines to a résumé that is already bordering on historic, breaking NCAA records in steals in Friday's Sweet Sixteen win against Vanderbilt. 

Hidalgo set the NCAA single season record for steals with 199. That broke Lamar Chastadee Barrs’ record of 192, which has been in place since 2019. Hidalgo also set an NCAA Tournament record for steals in a single tournament with 26.

She finished the game against Vanderbilt, a No. 2 seed, with 31 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals and seven assists, nearly a quadruple-double. 

It was another punctuation mark in a season that leaves no room for debate.

Instead, it became a reminder that debate still exists where it shouldn’t.

The Associated Press recently voted Hidalgo to its Second Team All-American. 

Second. 

As if there were five players in the country who had clearly been better, more impactful, or more indispensable to their teams this season.

There weren’t.

Going into the game against Vanderbilt, Hidalgo was averaging 25.2 points per game, first in the ACC and 3rd nationally; and 5.6 steals per game, first in both the ACC and nation.

She was named the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year again this season, becoming the first player in ACC history to win both awards in back-to-back seasons. 

And then there’s the 2026 Naismith College Player of the Year list, which somehow doesn’t include Hidalgo as one of the four finalists at all. That omission isn’t just questionable, it’s indefensible.

Let’s be clear about what’s being overlooked.

Hidalgo didn’t just have a good year. She had a season that will be cited, studied, and argued about long after it’s over. She shattered records, including NCAA marks, while carrying the weight of expectation that comes with wearing a Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball uniform. She wasn’t protected by anonymity or a mid-major schedule. Every night, she was the focal point of opposing scouting reports. And still, no one could slow her down.

She scored. She defended. She dictated pace. She took over games when they hung in the balance. And she did it consistently, not in flashes.

That consistency is what makes the AP vote so hard to swallow. First Team All-American honors are supposed to reflect dominance, not reputation management. They’re meant to identify the players who defined the season, not politely spread recognition around the country.

Hidalgo defined this season.

The Naismith omission is even more puzzling. The award is meant to honor the most outstanding player in college basketball. Not the best story, not the safest pick, not the most familiar name. 

Outstanding should mean transformative. It should mean irreplaceable.

Remove Hidalgo from Notre Dame, and the entire identity of that team changes. That’s the standard. That’s the test. And it’s one she passes without hesitation.

There is also the larger context that can’t be ignored. Notre Dame has produced legends. National champions. WNBA stars. Players whose banners hang heavy in South Bend. And yet, there’s a growing argument, one that no longer sounds exaggerated, that Hannah Hidalgo belongs at the very top of that list. Maybe not someday. Maybe already.

That’s not hyperbole. That’s what happens when records fall, expectations are met, and pressure moments become routine.

Awards committees like to say these decisions are difficult. Sometimes they are. This one wasn’t.

The AP got it wrong. The Naismith committee got it wrong. And history will eventually correct both.

But it shouldn’t have to.

Because when the season is examined honestly, without bias and without politics, Hannah Hidalgo isn't a second-team player.

She is the standard.