Fort Worth, Texas —The Sweet 16 game between No. 2 Vanderbilt and No. 6 Notre Dame on Friday afternoon is one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the round, and not just because a spot in the Elite Eight is on the line. This game marks the first time that Mikayla Blakes, the sophomore guard from Vanderbilt who leads the nation in scoring with 27 points per game, and Hannah Hidalgo, the junior guard from Notre Dame who is third in the nation in scoring and leads the nation in assists, are facing off in college.

It is not, however, the first time the First Team All-Americans have faced off. The two generational talents, who are 10 months apart and grew up just over an hour away from each other in New Jersey, faced off in both high school and AAU games on their way to collegiate stardom.

“I feel like my earliest memory playing with Mikayla was my senior year. It was a really big game for us. I went to (Rutgers Prep), and we played them and ended up beating them,” Hidalgo told CBS Sports. “It was a show. Two dynamic guards. I had to guard her the whole game.”

“It was just a really fun matchup,” Blakes added later. “Like, it was literally going back and forth bucket after bucket, just trading them.” 

On Friday, Hidalgo — the two-time ACC Player of the Year and three-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year — will try to lead Notre Dame to its first Elite Eight of the Niele Ivey era. In each of the last four years, the Fighting Irish have fallen in the Sweet 16. This year’s No. 6 seed is the lowest one Notre Dame has had in the NCAA Tournament since 2009. And yet, the Irish fairly handily upset No. 3 Ohio State in the second round and are very much a contender in this game. Blakes — the SEC Player of the Year — is trying to lead Vanderbilt back to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2002. This is one of the biggest games of both of their young careers. And the fact that they are meeting again on this big stage, with so much on the line? Well, they both described the meeting in the same way.

“I think it’ll be exciting because we played against each other in high school, so now to do it at the collegiate level, you know, it all comes full circle,” Hidalgo said.

“I would just say it’s really full circle,” Blakes said.

If the two games they played in high school are any indication, we are in for an absolute treat on Friday.

On Feb. 11, 2023, Blakes and Hidalgo were the star guards for two of the best three teams in New Jersey. Blakes, a junior at the time, played for Rutgers Prep, while Hidalgo, a year older, was a star for Paul VI. Jay Cook with Jerzy Sports Zone shared highlights on YouTube, in which he described Blakes as being “unconscious from the floor” and Hidalgo as “the heart and soul of the team.” 

With 30 seconds to go, Rutgers Prep trailed by three and Blakes had the ball in her hand, but Hidalgo stripped her of the ball, got fouled and hit two free throws that basically iced the game, 72-67. Hidalgo finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and five steals, while Blakes had 34 points, five 3-pointers, two rebounds and four assists. Together, they combined for almost half of the game’s points.

“In front of a packed crowd, Hidalgo and Blakes stole the show,” Cook proclaimed in the highlight package.

There aren’t as many publicly available details about their AAU game between Blake’s Jersy Gemz and Hidalgo’s Philly Rise at the Boo Williams Invitational on April 23, 2022, but Hidalgo confirmed to CBS Sports that the Rise came out on top.

“I’m 2 for 2, right?” Hidalgo gleamed.”They were always tough games, especially with her running the team.”

Highlights of the game posted online look like it was every bit as exciting as the high school face-off.

The mutual admiration and respect was clear from both players when reminiscing about the old days during media availability on Thursday.

“She can score the ball in so many different ways,” Hidalgo said. “Obviously, we all know she’s the No. 1 scorer in the country, but just the way she’s able to put the ball in the hoop, it’s unlike (anything) I feel like I’ve ever seen. Like Caitlin (Clark)-type of level. 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.”

When informed of Hidalgo’s words of praise, Blakes echoed them.

“I would say the same thing. She’s really good,” the sophomore said. “And I feel like one thing about the both of us is we never get denied the ball. We’re always finding a way to the ball. And I feel like we make good reads for our teammates as well. So it’s like we cannot just solely focus on her. We have to focus on our team as well, because they’re good.”

Ultimately, both players were eager to keep the focus on their teams and insisted that Friday was about much more than a one-on-one matchup.

“I think this whole game is just about playing together. You know, it’s not about me vs. Mikayla. It’s about Notre Dame vs. Vanderbilt,” Hidalgo said. “It’s really just the way that we’re going to win the game tomorrow is by playing together like we’ve been doing the past couple of months. Just playing team defense, sharing the ball like we’ve been doing on offense is what’s going to win us the game.”

But Blakes did have to admit that there just might be something in the water in New Jersey.

“I think we just play with such a competitiveness and relentlessness that we just want to win,” she said. “And I feel like we just prove ourselves every time we step on the court. It might be something in New Jersey, I have no clue. But, I mean, I just see it through every New Jersey hooper.”