BIRMINGHAM — Five weeks ago, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were No. 1 in the nation, and now here was Hannah Hidalgo, watching her last shot of the season bounce off the rim and out of bounds. The end was sudden and slow—the Fighting Irish led by nine midway through the third quarter, but they started faltering in February. Hidalgo looked over at teammate Liatu King, her face asking questions her voice dared not utter: How did I miss that, how did we lose this, how is it over …
A 71–62 loss to the TCU Horned Frogs was a painful way to end a really joyful run. Starting with a win over Texas on Dec. 5, Notre Dame won 19 straight games. The Irish spent 11 weeks in the top three of the Associated Press poll. They lost four of their last eight games and were eliminated in the Sweet 16. You can look at those facts and say they collapsed. But it’s not that simple.
