As tipoff of Saturday afternoon’s highly anticipated battle between No. 3 USC and No. 6 Notre Dame approached, the vibes inside Galen Center could not have been better. DJ Mal-Ski played just about every song on Kendrick Lamar’s new album “GNX,” and sophomore guard JuJju Watkins’ sister, Mali Watkins, performed a beautiful rendition of the national anthem, proving that the Trojan superstar isn’t the only one in her family with impressive talent. 

When fans in the sold-out crowd began to find their seats, they repeatedly roared at the sight of yet another celebrity doing the same. Rapper Snoop Dogg, actor Michael B. Jordan and WNBA legend Candace Parker were just a few of the names to appear at the star-studded, nationally televised affair. 

Fans looked euphoric, anxiously awaiting the first leg of perhaps the most high-profile doubleheader in USC sports history — with the Trojan football team set to battle UCLA for the Victory Bell at the Rose Bowl a few hours later.

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But notably, star sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo and the Fighting Irish (5-0) were not smiling. They were not reveling in the stage, the crowd or the A-listers sitting courtside. Notre Dame was ready to play, win and send a message to the rest of the country. 

“I came into the game knowing that this was going to be a big hoopla game. [Notre Dame Head Coach Niele Ivey] preached it this whole week, that they were going to bring in all the celebrities and fans they needed,” Hidalgo said. “So yeah, I saw them, but I’m not so focused on that. I’m focused on winning with my team.”

Talking the talk postgame may have been the easy part, but Hidalgo certainly earned the right within the game’s 40 minutes. She played 39 of them — looking as fresh and energetic in the fourth quarter as she did in the first frame of Notre Dame’s 74-61 win over USC (4-1).

Hidalgo, whose historic freshman campaign in 2023-24 lived largely in the shadow of Watkins’, made it clear Saturday that she remembers that, clearly. 

From the opening whistle, Hidalgo’s energy was menacing and relentless. She loudly roared after hitting shots over flailing Trojan defenders, pumping her fists toward anyone within a one-mile radius not wearing blue and gold. With 3:37 left in the first half, after Hidalgo stripped the ball off Watkins’ leg out of bounds, she sprinted down the court to celebrate the turnover — leaping in the air and posing directly in front of the Trojan faithful.

While Hidalgo certainly made her mark on the offensive end, scoring 24 points and dishing out eight assists, her defensive ferocity will haunt the dreams of the Trojans in the coming weeks. It was graduate guard Sonia Citron who took on the Watkins assignment, allowing Hidalgo to roam around, trap the superstar Trojan guard and generally, just wreak havoc.

“I think they did their jobs,” said Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb. “They put length on [Watkins] with Citron and [sophomore guard Cassandre Prosper], and they sent [Hidalgo] running around like the disruptor that she is.”

Citron, primarily known for her offensive ability, did a fantastic job frustrating Watkins with her size and defensive tenacity. Up until the 4:02 mark of the second quarter, the 2024 AP First Team All-American had connected on one of eight field goal attempts and was struggling to make any impact on the game. 

“What I take away from this game is that [Citron] can guard anybody in the nation,” Hidalgo said. “She is one of the best defenders in the nation.”

Watkins was more effective in the second half, finishing with 24 points, six rebounds and five assists, but for a Trojan squad that has been lauded for the depth and talent it accumulated this summer, offensive contributions from the rest of the roster were few and far between. 

USC was without standout freshman guard Kennedy Smith, who would be sidelined indefinitely after undergoing surgery, but the way the squad was designed was not supposed to be a problem. The likes of preseason AP All-American graduate forward Kiki Iriafen, two-time All-Pacific-12 graduate guard Talia von Oelhoffen and longtime standout senior center Rayah Marshall running alongside Watkins should be enough for the Trojans to hang with anyone.

Add in energetic freshmen guards Kayleigh Heckel and Avery Howell, also top-ranked recruits, and Smith’s absence should not be an excuse. USC’s roster is full of big names with big reputations, but Saturday, they simply did not show up. 

Notre Dame’s star backcourt, Hidalgo and junior guard Olivia Miles, did the opposite — perhaps proving they are even better than advertised. The dynamic duo combined for 44 points, 15 assists, 14 rebounds and eight steals, dominating any guards Gottlieb threw on the court in every facet of the game. 

“They’re very dynamic, they’re both a threat. ‘Where do you put your perimeter defenders? What do you do with the bigs?” Gottlieb said. “You feel like you’re doing a decent job on Miles and she goes crazy in the second half. You think you’re making them take a tough shot and then [Hidalgo] gets out in transition.”

Ivey constantly sent size and double teams at Watkins, gifting Iriafen advantageous matchups with smaller opponents in the post. A game like Saturday’s is exactly why Gottlieb brought her to USC, to be a trump card when teams risk everything to stop Watkins. 

But at least for now, that vision of the team does not exist. Iriafen shot 5-15 from the field, repeatedly failing to capitalize on good opportunities near the rim and often looking fairly lethargic in the process.  

The rest of the supporting cast did not look much better. The Trojan bench scored zero points in 31 minutes of action, and the team shot a combined one of 13 from 3-point range. 

It is evident that Watkins needs to be better for the team to reach its ceiling, but with the defensive looks the sophomore is getting, the rest of USC’s big names will need to be more consistent for the Trojans to maintain a base level good enough to consistently win games with such a difficult schedule.

While it is understandable to sound the alarm bells when a team with high expectations underperforms, context is in USC’s favor. The Trojans have an almost entirely new roster, in stark contrast to a Fighting Irish group that has countless reps together. And, the purpose of scheduling difficult nonconference games is to use them as a measuring stick and figure out how to be best equipped to take on the best teams in the nation.

“You don’t schedule this game because you think [it’s] going to be a 40-point win. You schedule it because you have an opportunity to have a great crowd, play well and give yourself a signature early-season win — or you get exposed,” Gottlieb said. “I would have chosen option one if that was my decision to make, but our only choice is to be exposed, stay together and get better.”

USC will be back in action at the Women’s Acrisure Holiday Invitational in Palm Springs, California, first taking on Seton Hall University (4-1) Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Acrisure Arena.