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Two of the biggest names in women's college basketball are set to face off tonight in prime time.
The No. 8 UConn Huskies (17-3) meet the No. 15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-4) on their home floor at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. Junior guard Paige Bueckers continues to shine for the Huskies. Freshman Hannah Hidalgo will lead the Fighting Irish in an attempt to spoil the Huskies' undefeated record at home this season.
Here, let's look at the stats, H2H records and the NIL deals of Bueckers and Hidalgo.
Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo: Head-to-head
Bueckers and Hidalgo will be going head-to-head for the first time. Bueckers was injured the last time UConn played Notre Dame in a 74-60 loss in 2022. She did play against the Fighting Irish in 2021, where she led the game, scoring 22 points in a 73-54 victory.
This will be Hannah Hidalgo's first matchup against the Huskies. She looks to lead the Fighting Irish as they attempt to win two in a row against UConn for the first time since 2013.
Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo: Statistics
Hannah Hidalgo bests Bueckers in the scoring department this season. At fourth in the nation, she is averaging 23.9 ppg compared to Bueckers' 20.1 ppg. Hidalgo also averages more rebounds (6.4) and assists (5.6). A more impressive stat line compared to Bueckers' 4.6 rpg and 3.9 apg. Hidalgo averages 5.4 spg, the most in the nation.
The big advantage from Bueckers comes from her lights-out shooting. She is shooting 56.8% from the field and is third in the nation in three-point percentage, shooting an impressive 49.4% from behind the arc.
Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo: Awards
With 66 total collegiate games played, Bueckers certainly has an advantage in the experience department. In that time, Bueckers won two-time NCAA All-Tournament, Big East Rookie of the Year, Wooden Award, and Naismith award, among others.
Hannah Hidalgo has played 18 games so far in her college career. But she has already attracted attention for some of the league's most prestigious awards and was named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List.
Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo: NIL deals
Paige Bueckers has the fifth-highest NIL value in women's college basketball with a $652K annual value per On3. Bueckers was the first college athlete to sign a partnership with Gatorade.
She has a total of 15 current NIL deals. Those deals include partners such as StockX, Crocs, Bose, Nerf, Nike, GoArmy and Dunkin'.
In addition to those deals, she also filed a trademark for her nickname "Paige Buckets." This trademark would be used to profit off of that trademark being used on different kinds of memorabilia and apparel. She also has 1.6 million followers on social media, where she can earn additional profit through various sponsored posts.
Hannah Hidalgo signed a representation deal in 2022 with Seven1 Sports Agency. This deal will help her find future partnerships to collaborate with and profit from. As a freshman, there is little information on what deals she currently holds or how much she makes.
This may be the beginning of a long rivalry between these two very talented players. With the level Paige Bueckers and Hannah Hidalgo are playing at in college, we may see them both in the WNBA very soon.
