Texas vs. Michigan, South Carolina vs. TCU: Women’s Elite Eight Preview, Updates

Follow along with Sports Illustrated for live updates, scores and analysis during Monday’s matchups from the women’s NCAA tournament.

Madison Booker and the Longhorns will take on Michigan in the first matchup on Monday. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The 2026 women’s NCAA tournament continues Monday with the final two games of the Elite Eight. Yesterday, the first two spots of the Final Four were booked, after UConn took care of Hannah Hidalgo and Notre Dame. Then UCLA overcame a first-half deficit against Duke to return to the Final Four.

Tonight, Madison Booker and No. 1 Texas will face off against the young stars of No. 2 Michigan at 7 p.m. ET. Then No. 1 South Carolina will take on Olivia Miles and No. 3 TCU at 9 p.m. ET. Sports Illustrated will have live updates throughout the games with analysis, highlights and more from around the bracket.

Monday’s women’s Elite Eight matchups

No. 1 Texas vs. No. 2 Michigan , 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Texas clearly has the upper hand in this matchup in terms of size and experience. This is Vic Schaefer’s fifth Elite Eight in his six seasons with the Longhorns, and the roster has a lot of the key figures involved in last year’s Final Four run. As Michael Rosenberg writes, Booker will be tough for Michigan to handle as she bullies her way to the basket.

But Rosenberg also notes that this Michigan team is much better than people might think. Sure, it’s powered by a bunch of sophomores, but these are future WNBA prospects who have throttled opponents in the first few rounds of the tournament. Expect the Wolverines to have another shaky start (like they have each round) but to make it a game after the first quarter. Michigan has already pushed several of the country’s top teams to the brink this season, and this will by far be the toughest team Texas has encountered in the tournament.

No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 3 TCU, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Speaking of slow starts, TCU has had a few as well in this tournament. The Horned Frogs’ 19 first-half points against Washington in the second round was a season low. And No. 10 Virginia had a one-point first-half lead against them in the Sweet 16. But a slow start likely won’t work fly against a Dawn Staley–coached team in March. Olivia Miles will need to be on her game from the beginning instead of taking control later in the game.

South Carolina has been doing what South Carolina does this time of year. The Gamecocks have won by no fewer than 26 points and have shown of their depth quite a bit. Joyce Edwards and Madina Okot have been taking care of the post, something we’ve become accustomed to with this program, but the guard play has been the real factor here. Ta‘Niya Latson took over in the Gamecocks’s Sweet 16 win over Oklahoma, with best friend Raven Johnson second in scoring behind her that game.

---