USC Women's Basketball vs UConn: How to Watch, Odds, Predictions, and More

Eva Geitheim | Apr 1, 2024

Mar 25, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) and McKenzie Forbes (25) / Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

USC women's basketball will take on UConn in the NCAA Elite Eight on Monday. The No. 1 Trojans will take on No. 3 UConn in a battle for a chance to advance to the Final Four.

The Trojans have defeated Texas A&M-CC, Kansas and Baylor on their way to making their first Elite Eight appearance in thirty years. This Trojan team has continued to cruise past all expectations, and is now one of the eight teams left standing in the 2024 March Madness tournament.

Now, USC will go up against one of the greatest programs in women's college basketball in UConn. The Huskies have won the most national championships of any women's college basketball program, and recently finished as the tournament's runner-up in 2022.

How to watch:

USC-UConn will be broadcast on ESPN, starting at 6:15 p.m. PT. The game will also be available to stream on Fubo or Youtube TV.

Odds:

UConn is favored (-3.5) over USC (+3.5) with the over/under set at 135.5.

While UConn is favored, USC has thrived off the underdog mentality all season, highlighted by their slogan "Don't Pick Us."

Predictions:

This game is not just a battle between two great teams, but two great players in JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers. Watkins and Bueckers have been two of the top players in the country all season, with each earning first-team All-American honors this season. Watkins has been the freshman in the country, and Bueckers is a former AP Player of the Year. Watkins ranks second in the NCAA in points per game, averaging 27 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Bueckers averages 21.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.

Both players also come into this game hot. The two have scored over 20 points in each of their three NCAA Tournament games leading into this matchup, and each have one 30 point game in the tournament. The two also have a strong supporting cast, with Rayah Marshall and McKenzie Forbes supporting Watkins while Aaliyah Edwards and Ashlynn Shade teaming up with Bueckers.

This should be a hard-fought battle between two great teams, but look for USC to pull through and return to the Final Four for the first time in nearly forty years.

USC 78, UConn 73

More:

JuJu Watkins can make history Monday by scoring just eight points. Watkins is currently just seven points shy of San Diego State's Tina Hutchinson all-time record for most points scored by a D1 women's college basketball player in their freshman season. Watkins currently has 891 points, seven points short of Hutchinson's record of 898 points.

Given that Watkins has never scored below nine points in a game and has scored at least 15 points in all but one game this season.