LOS ANGELES — The nation’s best backcourt is getting its midseason flowers.
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced that Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles are on the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List. Selected by a poll of national college basketball experts, the list is composed of 25 student-athletes who are frontrunners for the nation’s most prestigious college basketball honors: the Wooden Award All-American Team and the Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player.
Hidalgo was a finalist for the Wooden Award last season and has picked up right where she left off. The sophomore guard ranks second nationally in both points per game (25.9) and steals per game (4.0). She is shooting 49.4 percent from the floor (11th in the ACC) and 45.7 percent from downtown (leads the ACC). She has made 37 treys this year.
When the lights shine the brightest, Hidalgo has shown out this season. Against five top-20 opponents on Notre Dame’s schedule this year, Hidalgo has averaged 26.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.4 steals per game.
After missing last season rehabbing a torn ACL, Miles is back and better than ever. A graduate student with junior eligibility, Miles is the only player in the nation averaging at least 16 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists per game (16.9/6.8/7.1). She leads the ACC with 7.1 assists per game.
The biggest improvement in Miles’ game since her return has come from beyond the arc. Entering this year, she shot 24.6 percent from deep in her career. She is shooting 47.8 from deep this year, which leads the ACC and ranks seventh nationally. Miles entered the season with one game with four triples under her belt. She has already done it four times this year, including sinking five triples at UNC on Sunday.
Miles was on the Wooden Award National Ballot for the 2022-23 season.
The next phase of the honor will be that National Ballot, which features 15 top players who have met or exceeded the qualifications for the award.
The winners and the All-Americans of the 2025 John R. Wooden Award will be honored at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Friday, April 11.