We’ve reached one of the best times of the sports calendar, folks. We’re going dancing with Sweet 16 basketball today, with four games and another four throughout most of Saturday. Names have been made and careers leap-started off of stellar, clutch play when it matters most at this stage of the tournament. Here are three pressing questions that will shape an interesting weekend of hoops.
If you asked anyone a few months ago if Notre Dame would make the tournament (much less the Sweet 16), the answer would probably be a resounding no. However, with the leadership of head coach Niele Ivey on the sidelines and superstar point guard Hannah Hidalgo on the court, the team did a 180 at the right time, especially in conference play.
Hannah Hidalgo vs Ohio State
26 Points
13 REBOUNDS
2 Assist
8 STEALS#6 Notre Dame takes down the #3 seed Ohio State and now advance to the sweet 16. ☘️
she passes Arike Agunbowale for the Notre Dame single-season scoring record!
NEW RECORD SET.
pic.twitter.com/EHVD7DcFUj— H3 (@HannahHReport) March 23, 2026
After taking down No. 3 Ohio State, the Irish face Final Four favorite Vanderbilt lead by NPOY candidate Mikayla Blakes and the Commodores. If there was any player who could turn a game on its head like no other, Hidalgo is the one. In another matchup where Notre Dame is featured as the underdog, they will need every ounce of her magic.
SWEET SIXTEEN 💃🏽😈
🆚 #2 LSU
📍Golden 1 Center
⏰ 10 PM ET
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/KO9fXkUzD8— Duke Women’s Basketball (@DukeWBB) March 27, 2026
As it was during the regular season, defense has been the calling card for the Duke Blue Devils in the tournament. The No. 3 Sacramento seed held No. 6 Baylor to a season-low 46 points, shooting a mere 30 percent from the field. The defensive might that’s carried this team will need to show up in a rather large way against No. 2 LSU, which has proved to be leagues better than the previous teams the Blue Devils faced to arrive at this point.
The same can’t be said for LSU. The team scored 100-plus points in each of its first tourney games, annihilating No. 15 Jacksonville and No. 7 Texas Tech. Facing a fiery offensive trio in Flau’Jae Johnson, MiLaysia Fulwiley, and Mikaylah Williams. For Duke, Ashlon Jackson, Arianna Roberstson, and Taian Mair are arguably three of the team’s most versatile defenders. They will be tested early and often.
Duke over LSU – Back in the fall, I foolishly predicted that Duke would’t make the tournament. Clearly, I was wrong. This team entered conference play and never looked back. Kara Lawson led her team through the valleys and up the peaks to be in this moment. Going up against an LSU team that lacks composure in tight spots against elite talent, Duke has the edge.
Notre Dame over Vanderbilt – We’ve never seen a force like Hannah Hidalgo. It will take more than her talents to beat a team like Vanderbilt, but the Commodores can’t afford a slow, ineffective start against the Irish, and neither can Mikayla Blakes. Despite her placement as one of the most potent scorers in the country, Blakes tends to experience slow starts when defenses are fixed to limit her abilities in opening frames.
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