FORT WORTH
The Sweet 16 has officially arrived in Fort Worth.
The regional’s first two games Friday at Dickies Arena featured storylines ranging from potential No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fudd looking to earn back-to-back titles to Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo looking to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in her college career.
Fudd and No. 1 overall seed UConn pulled away in the second half to beat No. 4 North Carolina 63-42, while Hidalgo and the No. 6 Fighting Irish knocked off No. 2 Vanderbilt 67-64.
Games continue Saturday with two sisters from Keller in action, followed by Elite Eight games Sunday and Monday.
Here are three takeaways from the first day of action in Fort Worth:
Hannah Hidalgo flirts with quadruple-double
Hidalgo is no stranger to the Sweet 16, playing in the round for the third straight year, and was looking to rebound from her last performance, 15 points on 3-for-19 shooting in a 71-62 loss to TCU.
The New Jersey native eclipsed her previous point total in the first half, leading all players with 16 points and seven steals, which saw her make history by breaking the Division I single-season record for steals, passing Lamar’s Chastadie Barrs’ mark of 192. Hidalgo finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and 10 steals.
Hidalgo said she hadn’t even realized she set the record and talked about the pressure she puts on teams with here defense.
“I’m a point guard, so I know how difficult it is to run a team and set the plays while also being pressured. So once I got them to turn the ball over the first time, I was, like, okay, I can get in their head and keep pressuring them and continue to make them turn the ball over. So that’s what I did. I wanted to come out, and I told the team they’re going to bring defensive intensity. I came out and tried to be a pest on the ball,” said Hidalgo.
The game was tied at 64 with 26 seconds remaining when Hidalgo jumped to grab an almost errant pass from a teammate, then found Cassandre Prosper for the go-ahead basket.
Hidalgo shared an embrace with Notre Dame legend Skylar Diggins after the win and talked about sharing that moment with her.
“I think first and foremost to get over the hump with these group of women is so special. It means so much. I spoke earlier about how I used to take just being in the Sweet 16 for granted and how I embrace it so much more now and I’m so much more grateful to be here. Then to finally get over the hump, especially when nobody thought we would even make it to the Sweet 16 or get past the second round…I want to give all glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” said Hidalgo, “To embrace Skylar, players like that, they built it up. Jackie was over there too. They made the foundation. We’re just able to kind of live, play through them from what they’ve built. So it’s great to have the alum come back and watch us and watch us succeed.”
Hidalgo was the best player on the floor and the engine that made the Irish offense go, accounting for half of her team’s baskets.
Azzi Fudd looks to make case to be No. 1 pick
Fudd came into Friday’s game as one of the best players in the country and one of the top prospects in the upcoming WNBA draft. The Virginia native seems to be competing with Awa Fam to be the No. 1 pick, and with the Spanish big woman struggling at times in recent FIBA play, another strong tournament perfomance could help push Fudd to the top spot and reunite her with her former college teammate Paige Bueckers with the Dallas Wings.
Fudd struggled in the first half against North Carolina, scoring two points on 1-for-7 shooting, but she ended up with 10 points, four rebounds and five assists by game’s end as UConn turned the game into a rout after leading only 29-20 at halftime.
Fudd talked about playing rival Notre Dame after beating them 85-47 when they met in January and acknowdleged that despite the 63-42 win the Huskies could’ve been sharper.
“I mean, we’ve had a lot of time to work on our offense, our defense, our chemistry. I feel like we’re in a much better place, what am I trying to say — just as a whole. Today the way that we played, I feel like our half-court defense, our half-court offense, there are some things we can fine-tune and clean up, but I thought that we did a great job today, and that’s something that we’ve been working on since that last game with Notre Dame. So we’re definitely a different team, and so are they. We’re looking forward to it,” said Fudd.
Niele Ivey breaks through
Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey was in her fifth straight Sweet 16 and had lost the last four, but finally got over the hump.
“I never take this moment for granted,” she said. “I’ve been here five straight. This group is an incredible group that I get a chance to work with and just really proud of what we’ve accomplished this season.”
Ivey also praised returners Hidalgo, Prosper and Kate Koval for staying amid a wave of transfers and departures last season, including star guard Olivia Miles leaving for TCU.
“It speaks volumes of this team,” Ivey said. “Had three returners, Cass, Hannah and KK, and an entire new roster. This roster that — the team that we have, they just really are connected. They’ve brought so much just joy for me. We have a ton of experience on this group, you know, bringing four grad transfers in, and the last several weeks we’ve done a great job of really peaking at the right time and our chemistry is clicking at the right time. This group is amazing, and I’m grateful to work with them.”
Ivey has been one of the top college coaches during her tenure with the Fighting Irish with a record of 141-48 and now will take Notre Dame the furthest they’ve gone since making the national championship game in 2018.
Notre Dame will play UConn at noon Sunday at Dickies Arena for a trip to the Final Four.
This story was originally published March 27, 2026 at 6:20 PM.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Lawrence Dow is a digital sports reporter from Philadelphia. He graduated with a master’s degree in journalism from USC. He’s passionate about movies and is always looking for a great book. He covers the Texas Rangers and other sports.