And howdy yet again, folks!

We've been treated to a couple of those days in college basketball - both on the men's and women's sides - that remind us what makes the tournament so special. Between Michigan's absolutely ferocious press defense, Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo having the game of a lifetime, and TCU's backcourt producing a stat-line that I wouldn't have believed if I hadn't watched it happen, this Sweet Sixteen has been truly special. But hey, you know us, right? The tournament rolls on and so do we, so here's a look at what's coming for the next couple days on the women's side.

Women's Elite 8 - Sunday, 10:00 Pacific / 1:00 Eastern: UConn (1) vs. Notre Dame (6)

Hannah Hidalgo just put up 31 points, 11 rebounds and 10 steals against Vanderbilt — a performance so absurd that UConn's Geno Auriemma compared her to Lawrence Taylor. She broke the NCAA single-season steals record in the process and was three assists shy of a quadruple-double. UConn is 37-0, riding a 53-game winning streak, and Notre Dame lost to them by 38 points in January. But Hidalgo has said plainly that Notre Dame was playing scared that day, and this is a different team now. The Irish are the only program with a winning record against UConn in the NCAA Tournament. Whether that history means anything against this UConn team is the whole question Sunday in Fort Worth.

UCLA superstar Lauren Betts has been somewhere between spectacular and unstoppable in this tournament, and this senior-heavy Bruins team is playing with the urgency of a group that knows this is their last chance to make history. In their way is Duke, who have been on a revenge tour for the ages, knocking off two teams — Baylor and LSU — that they'd previously lost to this season. And now they face UCLA, who also beat them earlier this year in a game that Betts didn't even play in. The Blue Devils have a chance to do something amazing on Sunday, but there's a good chance their luck finally runs out.

Texas has been on a different planet in this tournament, winning three games by an average of 35 points and barely losing a quarter all month. Madison Booker has been the engine, and the Longhorns are playing what might as well be a home game in Fort Worth. Michigan's dominance is built on their suffocating press defense, which has forced 60 turnovers in four games and turned every opponent into a team that can't get out of its own way. The Wolverines are in just their second Elite Eight in program history and are every bit as dangerous as Texas. Monday night in Fort Worth, something has to give.

South Carolina has scored 100 points or more in three straight tournament games, which is the kind of thing that makes opponents lose sleep. The Gamecocks are making their sixth straight Final Four run and show absolutely no signs of slowing down. But TCU has something to say about that. Olivia Miles and Marta Suarez are so thoroughly the engine of this team that they either scored or assisted on every single one of the Horned Frogs' 79 points against Virginia in the Sweet 16 — which is the kind of number that makes you do a double take. This is a rematch of last year's Elite Eight, which South Carolina won easily, but this TCU squad looks like a completely different team. Ta'Niya Latson was the difference in South Carolina's win over Oklahoma and will be the player to watch Monday night in Sacramento.

All right, 'nuff said. We've got six more great games on tap over the next two days, and Squares to cover them all. I'll be back sometime next week to break down both Final Fours, but until then, enjoy the games folks, and have yourselves a lovely rest of your weekend.

Best,

Chris