Editor's note: Charlie Creme, Graham Hays and Mechelle Voepel each vote to determine espnW's national player of the week, which is awarded every week of the women's college basketball season.
Everything else takes a backseat when a matchup between the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 teams arrives.
That includes one individual 50-point performance and another 44-point showing.
Yes, Connecticut vs. Notre Dame earned top billing this past Wednesday, and when one player puts on a performance like UConn's Gabby Williams did, in a game of that magnitude, in South Bend, she deserves top honors. Williams is the espnW national player of the week.
Williams was the catalyst when the Huskies beat the Fighting Irish 72-61 for their 83rd straight win. Williams totaled 19 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and five steals. The junior forward impacted the biggest game of the year in every way possible, from spearheading UConn's pressure, to setting up teammates, to controlling the lane largely from the high post.
Her performance Wednesday even elicited the rare December complement from coach Geno Auriemma, who referred to Williams' game as "magnificent."
At 5-foot-11, Williams would be an undersized post player on any other team, but at UConn, she is a mismatch for bigger players because of her quickness, versatility and athleticism.
That doesn't always translate to points. Williams had just six in Sunday's win at Kansas State, but she led the Huskies with 10 rebounds and handed out five assists, all while battling with the Wildcats' biggest and best player, 6-foot-5 Breanna Lewis.
Williams' jump in production (10.8 PPG and 7.7 RPG this season, from 8.8 PPG and 5.6 RPG in 2015-16) and pronounced increase in confidence in the Huskies' system is a big reason why Connecticut has quickly gone from one of the contenders for the national title to the favorite to win a fifth straight.
And ... we see you, Pac-12. Kristine Anigwe scored 50 against Sacramento State on Thursday, and Washington's Kelsey Plum became the Pac-12's all-time leading scorer while scoring 30 and 44 points in her last two games.
Also considered: Kristine Anigwe, California; Mehryn Kraker, Green Bay; Kelsey Plum, Washington; Katie Lou Samuelson, Connecticut
Previous winners: Notre Dame's Ogunbowale (Nov. 21) | Virginia Tech's Hicks (Nov. 28) | Duke's Greenwell (Dec. 5)