THE NOTRE DAME STAR HAS A GAME FOR THE AGES

Hannah Hidalgo had the game of her life.

On November 12, Notre Dame hosted the University of Akron. Notre Dame won 85-58 to improve their record to 3-0 on the season, and Hidalgo’s all-around excellence set the tone.

Hidalgo set a school record in points with 44 and an NCAA record in steals with 16 (yes, SIXTEEN!) in only 28 minutes of playing time.

In a season of transition following the transfer of Olivia Miles, Hidalgo knows she has to take her game to new heights.

“I know that’s what they need from me,” Hidalgo said postgame. “I want to be able to be consistent. I know I have to bring it defensively, and I told my teammates that I would be aggressive on the defensive end.”

For Hidalgo, this season represents her most significant challenge thus far in college. Notre Dame isn’t expected to compete for the ACC Championship this season, and the Fighting Irish aren’t as deep this year following the exits of Miles, Sonia Citron, and Maddy Westbeld.

Hannah has been one of the best players in the country for a while now, and she’s gotten even better this season. If Notre Dame goes on a big run this spring, their young superstar will be the driving force behind it.

SOUTH CAROLINA AND USC FACE OFF IN PRIMETIME

We’ve got a Top 10 showdown in primetime!

On November 15, #2 South Carolina will travel to Los Angeles to take on #8 USC. It’s the first year of a two year series between the two powers. They’ll face off again on November 15, 2026, but that time in South Carolina.

Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks are 3-0, but will be even more shorthanded going forward. Prior to the win against Clemson on November 11, the team announced that sophomore guard Maddy McDaniel has been suspended from the team. Dawn Staley didn’t share any details as to why McDaniel is suspended, so we’ll just have to see if someone eventually explains why this happened. Despite that, they’ve been powered by the excellent play of Joyce Edwards, Raven Johnson, and the newest member of the team, Ta’Niya Latson.

For USC, they’re without JuJu Watkins, but they’re led by another young star in the making. Jazzy Davidson entered college as the number one rated freshman in the country, and in a win last Sunday on the road against North Carolina State, she had her first signature moment at USC:

Davidson, along with star sophomore Kennedy Smith, will make sure USC is able to remain competitive and may even surprise a lot of people along the way. In this matchup, the Trojans will need to be a bit better on the boards. NC State outrebounded them by 14 and when you go up against elite competition, you can’t allow the opponent to get second and third chance opportunities on offense.

It’s been a tremendous start to the college season, and our very own Erica L. Ayala broke it down with Alicia Jay on the November 11 edition of We Need to Talk:

The season is off to a great start and we’ve got so many more exciting moments to come.

UNRIVALED SEASON 2 IS READY FOR LIFTOFF

Opening Night is drawing closer and closer.

On January 5, Unrivaled will tip off its second season in Florida, and the festivities will begin with one of the league’s newest teams! Hive BC, led by Kelsey Mitchell and the debuting Sonia Citron and Ezi Magbegor, will take on Mist BC, led by Breanna Stewart and Allisha Gray.

Also on the 5th, we’ll see Rhyne Howard and Dearica Hamby lead Mist BC take on the Jackie Young and Alyssa Thomas-led Laces BC.

Throughout the WNBA season, players talked about the toll the expanded schedule was taking on them. With fewer days between games and less time to rest, we saw a concerning number of injuries throughout the W season.

With the addition of two new teams and greater TV flexibility now that the NBA is no longer on Turner Sports, Unrivaled can eliminate back-to-back games for players and maintain a steady Friday-Monday schedule. The decision came with input from the players, and Unrivaled hopes that it leads to even better basketball in Year Two.

“One of the very first things we did with this new fourth night is that we were able to really take on one of the very first comments that our players had for us after season one, which was, ‘Hey, we would love to make sure, if possible, that we don’t play back-to-back games,’” Unrivaled Chief Content Officer John Learing told Roberta F. Rodrigues of Forbes.

“Going into the offseason with the fourth night, we were able to sort of address that issue and make sure that players don’t play back-to-back. I think that’s pretty simple, and it sounds stupid, but it really is a players’ league, and we just want to make sure that every single decision we make is first and foremost with them in mind.”

Teamwork matters.

When you listen to the workforce, you’re likely to achieve the best possible outcome. Unrivaled has made that a central part of their mission.

As we continue to watch WNBA CBA talks, Unrivaled could be a shining example of how to do things the right way.

At Black Rosie Media, we love to give flowers to other writers and creators in the women’s basketball community.

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