Georgia Tech at Notre Dame preview: Hannah Hidalgo continues Wooden Award push

Notre Dame seeks a 6-0 conference start on Thursday night, playing host to a Georgia Tech team that’s ranked for the first time in almost three years.

How to watch No. 17 Georgia Tech at No. 3 Notre Dame

Venue: Purcell Pavilion — South Bend, Ind.

Time: 6 p.m. ET Thursday

TV: ACC Network

Streaming: Fubo (try for free)

Watching in-person? Get tickets on StubHub.

The Yellow Jackets opened at 15-0 before dropping consecutive ACC matchups with Virginia Tech and Louisville. Junior guard Kara Dunn averaged 10.8 points per game in November but has put up 18.8 in the 11 games since. Dunn was 8-for-10 in the Louisville loss and seems to have seriously bolstered her outside game. Her quick jumper and confidence in space lends itself to a lot of catch-and-shoot corner 3s.

Georgia Tech is second in the ACC in both field goal percentage and assists. But first-year bench spark Dani Carnegie suffered a hamstring injury in the overtime Virginia Tech loss. It’s an unfortunate blow to a massive road underdog. In her absence, junior guard and leading facilitator Tonie Morgan has put up 34 shots in the last two games.

The Irish are playing sharp basketball. They haven’t lost since Nov. 30 and have a trio of deeply impressive top-five wins over USC, Texas and UConn. Niele Ivey’s squad has the best 3-point mark in the nation at a blistering 42.8 percent. Four different regulars sink at least 1.6 treys on better than 40 percent shooting.

The headliner here is Hannah Hidalgo, of course. She’s churning out video game averages — nearly 26 points per game in a potential 50/40/90 season, plus six rebounds, 3.7 assists and a conference-best four steals. Hidalgo is the smallest player in the lineup at 5-foot-6, but her shadow over the game is inescapably enormous. She has as many 30-point games as sub-20-point games.

And fifth-year playmaker Olivia Miles is a star in her own right, leading the conference in both assists and effective shooting percentage. She’s putting up nine dimes to 2.4 giveaways in five ACC tilts while showing deep range and downhill fearlessness.

Despite a litany of injuries this season, Notre Dame sits firmly in the national championship outlook. The Irish have the fourth-best title odds on BetMGM at +550, trailing only top-ranked UCLA (+500), defending champion South Carolina (+325) and perennial juggernaut UConn (+300).

Sabreena Merchant on Hannah Hidalgo’s Player of the Year candidacy: “Any concerns I had about her assimilating with Olivia Miles have completely gone away. Hidalgo is second in the country in scoring (25.9 points per game), bolstered by making 45.7 percent of her 3s this season — many of them on passes from Miles. The sophomore has also continued to be ridiculously disruptive on defense with four steals per game. Plus, Hidalgo had some marquee performances against USC, UConn and Texas. As Notre Dame has dealt with injuries up and down its roster, Hidalgo has been the constant, leading the Irish to a No. 3 national ranking. Statistically, her résumé also screams Player of the Year.”

Series history: Notre Dame has won five straight meetings and 18 of 19 all-time.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Women's College Basketball, Sports Betting

2025 The Athletic Media Company