NCAAW: Will Notre Dame, Hidalgo stay hot at Cayman Islands Classic?

For just the second time, the Cayman Islands Classic features a women’s tournament. No. 3 Notre Dame (5-0), No. 17 TCU (6-0), Utah (5-1), Mississippi State (6-0), and South Florida (4-3) will duke it out in a round-robin tournament, with each team playing two games.

Four Power 5 teams—two of which are still nationally ranked—will provide fans with some much needed competition after a mostly-slow start to non-conference play. Notre Dame may be the overwhelming favorite to run the table, but each team will learn a lot about themselves in the heat of the Caribbean fall. Before the tournament tips off, let’s review where each team stands so far:

Notre Dame

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UCLA and UConn have formidable resumes, but Notre Dame has a legitimate argument to be the best team in the country. Rising to No. 3 in the latest AP Poll, the Fighting Irish have aced every test thus far this season. When ranked No. 6 last week, they didn’t just upset former No. 3-ranked USC—they dominated them. A 13-point win, which suggests a closer game than what really occurred, stamped Notre Dame as a real title favorite.

It also stamped sophomore Hannah Hidalgo and her claim to the “best sophomore in the country” title. Matched up with fellow second-year superstar JuJu Watkins for the first time since the 2023 McDonalds All-American game, Hidalgo boasted a healthy diet of 24 points, eight assists, six rebounds and five steals. Watkins mirrored with 24 of her own, but shot 10-for-25 against a suffocating Notre Dame defense, and did most of her damage when the game was already out of reach.

The Fighting Irish will get to test themselves against TCU on Friday, which projects as the best game of the whole tournament. Hidalgo and Olivia Miles, two of the best two-way guards in the country, will have their hands full with a rejuvenated Hailey Van Lith. Sedona Prince will test the interior defense that held USC’s Kiki Iriafen to 33 percent shooting last week. Notre Dame is the team to beat on Grand Cayman.

TCU

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TCU is hot right now, but they’re clearly human. They took home a three-point win against NC State in their only competitive game so far this year. Set to face Notre Dame and South Florida, the Horned Frogs’ true colors will show soon enough.

LSU transfer Hailey Van Lith has owned headlines in Texas. She’s in the top-10 for assists in the country, and has seemed like a necessary addition to head coach Mark Campbell’s roster. Sedona Prince’s commanding paint presence is helping TCU shoot nearly 60 percent from two, fourth best in the country. Anything could happen on Friday, but it’s important to recognize that TCU should be judged by their ability to compete with Notre Dame, not necessarily whether they can beat them. Teams still have a lot of time to iron out wrinkles before conference play, and the Big 12 doesn’t feature any squads as dominant as Niele Ivey’s Irish. Nonetheless, fans should be in for some phenomenal television.

Utah

Sparing a two-point upset at the hands of Northwestern, Utah has been off to a solid start this season. However, the team was quickly engulfed in attention early last week after head coach Lynne Roberts was poached by the Los Angeles Sparks, leaving the Utes immediately.

Plays have already been taught, schemes are already understood and Utah has an identity. It’s not like a mid-season coaching change will burn down the entire culture of a team overnight. However, Roberts was hired because she is one of the best coaches in the game, and her absence will undoubtedly lead to bumpy roads in Utah. They should provide some good competition for Mississippi State and Notre Dame, but the Utes are likely still focused inwards. The tournament will give new head coach Gavin Petersen an opportunity to get comfortable in the driver’s seat against some of the country’s top talent.

Mississippi State

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Mississippi State, much like the AP Poll-charting demigods projected to win the tournament, still stands undefeated. That’s not saying much. While 6-0, the Bulldogs have been mostly beating on unremarkable competition. They’ve won all six games by 25 points or more.

While they don’t tote the fanbase of Notre Dame or TCU, Mississippi State may be one of the most interesting watches in the tournament. Public opinion probably discounts the Bulldogs’ success to their schedule, but who’s to say that they don’t walk onto the island and run the table? Two good games against Utah and South Florida, and Mississippi State could be campaigning for a spot in the top 25 next Monday. That’s a lot to play for.

South Florida

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South Florida, with all due respect to long-time head coach Jose Fernandez, will likely be content just to play against generational competition and take in some Caribbean sunshine. They’re the only mid-major program in the tournament, and their reputation in recent years surpasses the reality of their roster. Two years removed from a 27-7 season where they scraped the AP Poll, the Bulls now feature seven newcomers and admirable optimism. They’re also staring in the face of a ridiculously difficult non-conference schedule, already having faced UConn with South Carolina and Duke matchups looming in December.

Game schedule

All games held at John Gray High School Gymnasium in George Town, Grand Cayman and available through FloCollege.

Thursday, Nov. 28

Utah vs. Mississippi State (7:30 p.m. ET)

Friday, Nov. 29

Notre Dame vs. TCU (5 p.m. ET)

Mississippi State vs. South Florida (7:30 p.m. ET)

Saturday, Nov. 30

Notre Dame vs. Utah (5 p.m. ET)

TCU vs. South Florida (7:30 p.m. ET)