Mikayla Blakes Draws Caitlin Clark Comparison from Hannah Hidalgo Ahead of March Madness Matchup

Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo compared Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes to WNBA star and former Iowa standout Caitlin Clark ahead of a March Madness clash between the Fighting Irish and Commodores.

"The way she's able to put the ball in the hoop, it's like Caitlin-type of level," Hidalgo said Thursday, per ESPN's Andrea Adelson. "She can score on all three levels, whether that's getting all the way to the basket, her midrange, or her three. Of course, that's always tough to guard."

Blakes leads the country in scoring, averaging 27.0 points per game on 46.4/36.6/85.8 shooting splits. She's also recording 4.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.9 steals on a nightly basis.

Blakes being compared to Clark is high praise, as the former Hawkeye is the all-time leading scorer in Division I history and recorded 28.4 points per game during her four-year tenure at Iowa.

It'll be intriguing to see how Blakes fares against Hidalgo, who earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors this season.

Hidalgo has averaged 25.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field during her 2025-26 campaign. She ranks No. 1 in the nation with her impressive average of 5.6 steals per game.

Blakes was complimentary of her upcoming opponent as well.

"She's really good, and I feel like one thing about the both of us is we never get denied the ball," Blakes said, via Adelson. "We're always finding a way to the ball."

Notre Dame and Vanderbilt will face off in the Sweet 16 on Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET.