Hannah Hidalgo’s March Madness Meltdown as Hailey Van Lith Drops a Redemption Game Masterclas

Last March, Hailey Van Lith was getting cooked on defense like a rookie guarding prime Michael Jordan.

After Caitlin Clark put her in a blender during Iowa’s Elite Eight rout of LSU, Van Lith became the internet’s favorite punching bag. But this season, she switched teams like a blockbuster trade, landing at TCU—and the move paid off. Van Lith dropped dimes and buckets all year, earning Big 12 honors and a conference title.

Then, in the Sweet 16, she went full “Mamba Mentality” against Hannah Hidalgo’s Notre Dame, torching them for 26 points, 9 boards, and 4 assists while breaking TCU’s single-season scoring and assists records.

Her former LSU teammate Angel Reese shouted her out on X, giving Van Lith her well-deserved flowers. But while Van Lith was balling out, Hidalgo was stuck in her own personal basketball nightmare.

Just days earlier, Hidalgo was feasting—dropping 21 points in a dominant win to push Notre Dame into the Sweet 16. But against TCU? She shot like she had cement in her shoes, finishing with just 15 points on a brutal 15.8% from the field. Her signature lockdown defense—averaging 3.7 steals per game—was nowhere to be found.

Instead, TCU locked her up like a top-tier defender, forcing her into contested jumpers and swatting her drives like she was a 6th grader at the rim.

Fans weren’t gentle. One called her a defensive liability and suggested Notre Dame should “trade her for a true floor general.

Another joked, Hannah Hidalgo must be studying brick-laying—worst big-game performance I’ve ever seen. Even in crunch time, she choked, missing a critical free throw that could’ve cut the deficit to six.

Meanwhile, Van Lith proved the doubters wrong, flipping last year’s L meme into a redemption arc worthy of a 30-for-30.

For Hidalgo? This was a harsh reality check—a reminder that in March Madness, one off-night can send you home early.

The final buzzer told the story: Van Lith was the hero, Hidalgo the villain—at least for one night. But in basketball, just like in the NBA, legacies aren’t made in a single game. The question is: Can Hidalgo bounce back next season, or will this loss haunt her like a bad playoff exit?