Four’s a crowd

The GIST: Elite Eight…more like Elite Great. So far two No. 1 seeds have punched tickets to the women’s Final Four — will the other two join them tonight?

🐶 No. 1 UConn ends No. 6 Notre Dame’s magical run: The top overall seed advanced to their record 25th Final Four yesterday, defeating junior Hannah Hidalgo’s Fighting Irish 70–52. UConn started slowly (again), but survived thanks to freshman Blanca Quiñonez, who had 20 points off the bench.

💙 Senior Lauren Betts sparks No. 1 UCLA comeback: Uncharacteristically shaky, the Bruins trailed No. 3 Duke by eight at halftime. But a revitalized Betts exploded after the break, finishing yesterday’s 70–58 W with 23 points and 10 rebounds, her lucky number 13th double-double of the season.

🤘 No. 1 Texas vs. 🐺 No. 2 Michigan — Tonight at 7 p.m. ET: The experienced Longhorns have dominated their tourney opponents, winning their three games by over 35 points on average. Seeking their second straight Final Four, they’ll need to quiet the young Wolverines — specifically when it comes to three-pointers.

❤️ No. 1 South Carolina vs. 🐸 No. 3 TCU — Tonight at 9 p.m. ET: Expect a high-scoring offensive showdown: all five of South Carolina’s starters average double-digit scoring, while TCU grad student Olivia Miles is a walking highlight reel. Shots on shots.

The GIST: Meanwhile in Ken’s Mojo Dojo Case House the men’s tourney, brackets everywhere are busted and Saturday’s Final Four games are set. Fresh off yesterday’s massive upset, No. 2 seed UConn will play No. 3 Illinois, while No. 1 Arizona and No. 1 Michigan will square off in a heavyweight bout. Here’s how we got here.

🐶 No. 2 UConn stuns No. 1 overall seed Duke: Men’s March Madness No. 1 seeds were historically 134-0 when leading by 15+ points at halftime, that is until the Huskies stormed back yesterday, using a last-second three-pointer from freshman Braylon Mullins to beat the Blue Devils 73–72. It simply had to come down to the wire.

💪 No. 3 Illinois bounces scrappy No. 9 Iowa: Even persistent horn issues couldn’t deny Illinois the dub as freshman Keaton Wagler (25 points) and the Illini took down the underdog Hawkeyes 71–59 to reach their first Final Four since 2005.

😦 No. 1 Arizona dismantles No. 2 Purdue: Arizona is also back in the semis for the first time in over 20 years. Led by Koa Peat and the rest of their talented freshmen class, the Wildcats took down veteran Purdue 79–64 as the senior-heavy squad struggled to find an offensive rhythm.

🚗 No. 1 Michigan cruises past No. 6 Tennessee: Michigan’s win was the lone runaway of the Elite Eight. The Wolverines never faltered against Tennessee, going on a 21-0 first half run en route to a 95–62 win, highlighted by freshman Yaxel Lendeborg’s 27 points. The kid is certainly alright.

☀️ From the beer leagues to the pros, the future of women’s hockey has never looked brighter. That future was on full display at the TD Power Play youth hockey clinic hosted by TD Bank. The smashing success saw girls aged 10 to 14 hone their skills on and off the ice, learning from former Vancouver Canucks pros and local coaches.

• It’s all part of TD’s commitment to reimagining what banking can be by fostering meaningful connections between neighbors in communities across Canada. Talk about a power play.