(Birmingham, Ala.) — At a Friday morning press conference before Saturday’s Sweet 16 matchup with TCU, Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles said she’s ready to play again on her rolled ankle, as she did in the second round.

” I practiced yesterday, so it’s feeling better,” said Miles. “But my performance team is so good. They’ve been helping me to rehab. You know, keeping me on track, making sure I’m wearing a brace, making sure I’m icing, stim, whatever it may be. They’ve helped me a lot.”

“She’s practiced the last couple of days and she really feels good,” assured Irish head coach Niele Ivey, “but just being cautious making
sure that she’s really getting in the rest that she needs.”

There’s no question Miles’ presence on the court makes a difference for the Irish team, which lost to TCU in the Cayman Islands back in November.

“She runs our offense,” states guard Sonia Citron. “She’s the head of the snake. So I think that, I mean, obviously just having her on the court,
it’s not only beneficial for scoring, but she does so much for everybody else, too.”

Miles says what has caused her more pain this week is watching tape of the loss to TCU.

“I was just cringing,” admits Miles. “I was, like, ‘I can’t even watch this’. It was difficult to watch. Coach Ivey showed it to us for a specific reason. She showed it to us to ignite something in us, to make us mad, to see how we were playing and how we’ve been playing recently.”

“Stakes are high,” notes Ivey of her team’s tournament turnaround. “They’re just playing at a high level and playing for each other. Defensively they’ve really taken on a different identity. I’m really proud of that.”

There is definitely a sense of urgency with the Irish team now, summed up by All-America guard Hannah Hidalgo.

“Now it’s like real game time, because it’s win or go home.”

Saturday’s game tips off at 1 p.m. on ABC.