USC’s already bumpy road to the Final Four will hits a significant roadblock Monday night when the top-seeded Trojans take on Paige Bueckers and UConn.
The No. 4 Trojans play the No. 3 Huskies in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament. USC defeated UConn 72-70 in a matchup earlier this season, but they’ll be without injured star Juju Watkins in Monday’s high-stakes meeting with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
The Trojans are looking for their first national title since they won back-to-back championships in 1983 and 1984.
Here’s what to know.
When is the USC Elite 8 game against UConn?
USC 31-3, 18-2 Big Ten) and UConn (34-3, 21-0 Big East) meet at 6 p.m. Monday in Spokane, Washington. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and streamed on Hulu + Live TV, ESPN+, DirecTV, Sling and more.
About the USC-UConn matchup
The Trojans are 18-2 against Big Ten opponents and 13-1 in non-conference play. USC has a 3-0 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Huskies are 21-0 in Big East play. UConn averages 21.1 assists per game to lead the Big East, paced by Paige Bueckers with 4.7.
USC’s average of 6.8 made 3-pointers per game this season is only 0.2 more made shots on average than the 6.6 per game UConn gives up. UConn scores 22.9 more points per game (81.7) than USC allows (58.8).
The teams square off for the second time this season. USC won the last meeting 72-70 on Dec. 22. JuJu Watkins scored 25 to help lead USC to the victory, and Sarah Strong scored 22 points for UConn.
USC lost to UConn in the Elite Eight last year when Watkins was a freshman.
Players to watch
When the tournament started, the stars seemed to align for a meeting between superstars Bueckers and Watkins, but the USC sophomore suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second round.
USC got a boost from freshmen Kennedy Smith and Avery Howell in their 67-61 victory over Kansas State on Saturday. Howell is averaging 2.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
For UConn, Bueckers is averaging 23.2 points over the last 10 games. The guard had 40 points in the Sweet 16 against Oklahoma. Sarah Strong is averaging 15.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.7 blocks.
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