In this story:
Sixth-seeded Notre Dame pulled off the upset against third-seeded Ohio State on Monday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament after beating the Buckeyes, 83-73. And, maybe m
ost impressively, ND did it in Columbus on Ohio State's home court.
But the Fighting Irish's road to the Elite 8 won't be easy. Notre Dame faces second-seeded Vanderbilt on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas.
Notre Dame is officially back in the Sweet 16 for the fifth straight season after beating Ohio State. Head coach Niele Ivey has only been the head coach in South Bend for six years, and she's exceeded expectations during her time.
Make it five straight Sweet Sixteen appearances for @ndwbb #GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/HeTRpTJiQe
Outside of her first year at the helm, Ivey has recorded at least 23 wins, including 12 or more victories in conference play. But this might be her best work yet, considering ND entered the tournament as a six seed and a heavy underdog against Ohio State.
ND enters Friday's matchup 24-10 and playing its best basketball. The Fighting Irish have won nine of their last 10 games, eight of which have been by double digits.
Notre Dame also happens to arguably have the best player in women's college basketball in junior guard Hannah Hidalgo.
SWEET ✨#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/dUvUstAwDi
We'll get to Hidalgo later, but let's focus on ND as a team first. The Fighting Irish do two things really well. Force turnovers and make free throws. And I've been saying that for a while now.
ND ranks ninth nationally in steals per game (13.3) and 11th in free throw percentage (78.5%).
survive, advance, DANCE!
headed to Texas!#GoIrish ☘️ pic.twitter.com/mdd1HhSBfk
As for Hidalgo. Well, she's in a tier of her own. She nearly recorded the first quadruple-double in NCAA Tournament history after finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds, eight steals, and six assists in ND's first-round win over Fairfield, and she nearly recorded a triple-double against OSU.
What a game from Hannah Hidalgo 🍀 @ndwbb
◽️ 23 points
◽️ 9 rebounds
◽️ 6 assists
◽️ 8 steals pic.twitter.com/M2oEby096o
Hidlago finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and eight steals on Monday and continues to show the world she's one of the best on-ball defenders in the history of women's college basketball.
let the numbers talk for themselves 🤫#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/7cfEi4lF4g
She currently leads the nation in steals per game (5.5) and is third in points per game (25.2). Hidalgo was also named the ACC Player of the Year for the second straight season and became the first player in ACC history to win Defensive Player of the Year three consecutive seasons.
And on Tuesday, she set a couple more records. Not only did she grab a career-high with 13 boards, but she also broke Notre Dame's single-season scoring record.
a career-high 13 boards from @HannahHidalgo! #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/nLjPDGryEW
It's been a while since Vanderbilt played in the Sweet 16 — 17 years to be exact — but the Commodores are back, and they're really good. Vanderbilt is 29-4 after beating Illinois, 75-57, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday. Before beating Illinois, Vandy crushed High Point, 102-61, in the first round.
Fortunately for ND's sake, they won't have to play the Commodores at home. Vandy was a perfect 18-0 at home this season and has won five of its last six, four of which have been by double digits.
with her 21st point of the day, Hannah Hidalgo sets ANOTHER record!
she passes Arike Agunbowale for the Notre Dame single-season scoring record!#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/G3ztBvqFAJ
Similar to Notre Dame, the Commodores have their own star player — Mikayla Blakes — and as a team can really score and are tenacious defensively.
Blakes leads the nation in scoring (27.1 PPG) and has been on a tear as of late. Blakes finished with 25 points on Monday and was one assist away from a triple-double.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 17 YEARS, VANDERBILT IS HEADED TO THE SWEET 16 🤯 💃 pic.twitter.com/PnF1Cdje8L
As a team, Vanderbilt is eighth in the nation (85.2 PPG) in scoring and has scored 74+ points in 14 straight games. And the Commodores are just as dangerous on defense. Vandy forces more than 20 turnovers a game and really took it to an Illinois team that entered Monday's game one of the best at taking care of the ball.
.@mikaylablakes in GREAT company 🤩#MarchMadness x @VandyWBB pic.twitter.com/RSdxrbK9Uz
Tip-off on Friday from Dickies Arena is at 1:30 p.m. (ET). Friday's Sweet 16 matchup is scheduled to be televised on ESPN, and if Notre Dame wins, they'll play the winner of UConn vs. North Carolina.
Loading recommendations… Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations
Jared Shlensky is a contributing writer for On SI and a freelance play-by-play broadcaster. Jared was previously a sports betting writer for Yardbarker, an On-Air YouTube Personality for the Sports Geek and a minor league play-by-play broadcaster
© 2026 ABG-SI LLC – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. – All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates, licensees and related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.
