Sweet 16 Matchup: No. 3 Oregon State vs. No. 2 Notre Dame

Hidalgo, who was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year, averages 4.6 steals a game, the nation’s best while she also sits at the same average number of steals per game as Oregon State’s team as a whole. For head coach Niele Ivey, it was that focus on the defensive side of the ball that gave her a sneak peek into the player that Hidalgo was going to become:

“The potential that I thought was she’s going to be really special in college because of the way she plays defensively. You don’t see a lot of players that love to play defense […]. Her offense is most of the time dictated by her defense. The passion that she played with it, I thought she’s really going to change the game with that.”

Notre Dame HC Niele Ivey

Hidalgo broke the record for steals this season with 147, a record previously held by Skylar Diggins-Smith. She is also a semifinalist for the 2024 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. Friday’s matchup will mark the sixth time both teams have faced off against one another. Notre Dame holds the edge with a 5-0 record. Their most recent matchup came in 2021 as the Irish came away with a 64-62 victory.

Oregon State and its Journey to the Sweet 16

In Oregon State, the Irish will be facing a team that has squared off against some of the toughest talent this season. This Beavers team has all of the makings of a squad that could make their first Elite Eight since 2018. The road to the Sweet 16 was paved with victories over Eastern Washington in the opening round. This was followed by a 10-point victory against Nebraska on Sunday. They were led by Talia von Oelhoffen in scoring.

From an offensive standpoint, they register three players in double-figure scoring with Raegan Beers leading the team with 17.5 ppg followed by Timea Gardiner at 11.4 and von Oelhoffen’s 10.9. In the last four games, the Beavers have also seen the emergence of freshman Dominika Paurova. Paurova has been able to make an impact on the offensive end of the floor when she has come away averaging 11.5 ppg.

Beers, An All-American third-team select, led the team offensively in their tournament opener with 19 and 9 and has been a headache for opposing defenses all season long while averaging the best field goal percentage in the country with 66%. Oregon State averages 71.4 ppg, nearly 10 points less than their Sweet 16 opponent, and averages 13.3 turnovers per game.

As a team, they shoot 35.7% from deep, with Lily Hansford and Gardiner leading the squad. Hansford shoots 45% and Gardiner 40% from beyond the arc. Defensively, they hold opponents to 59.3 ppg, limiting their past two NCAA Tournament opponents to 31% shooting from the field. Both teams face off at the MVP Arena in Albany, NY, for a spot in the Elite Eight.

Follow Beyond Women’s Sports for more from the world of sports.