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All systems go for a titanic showdown on Saturday night. We have JuJu Watkins vs. Paige BueckerNo. 4 vs. No. 7, East vs. West action. This will be one of the most watched games of the season.
How to watch No. 7 USC at No. 4 UConn
Event: XL Center – Hartford, Connecticut.
Time: 8 pm ET on Saturday
TV: FOX
Transmission: Fubo (free trial)
The nation watched these two duel in April. The Huskies defeated the Trojans in the Elite Eight, with Bueckers being intergalactic (28 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks and 0 seconds on the bench).
This iteration of University of Connecticut is 10-1 despite the losses of Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Muhl from last year’s starting lineup. In a bid to claim its first national title since 2016, Geno Auriemma’s team is scoring 81 per game and leads the nation in field goal percentage. Bueckers shines again, with four outbursts of 25 or more points and the best effective shooting rate in the Big East. But the rising star is a freshman. sara strongwho averages 17.3 points and 8.3 rebounds.
Azzi FuddSaturday’s status remains uncertain. He sprained his knee earlier this month after recovering from a torn ACL suffered last year. Even without her, this is a totally formidable Huskies team. His 10 victories were by double digits, and his only stumble was to the number 3 spot. Notre Dame.
USC is also 10-1, and its only loss was also to Notre Dame (note to us: buy all of Hannah Hidalgo’s stock). The Trojans’ average margin of victory over their six-game winning streak is an absurd 38.2 points. Lindsay Gottlieb’s group has the third-best defensive rating in the country. And Watkins is… well, she’s JuJu Watkins. Last month, the rising Angeleno became the fastest Trojan to reach 1,000 career points since Cheryl Miller. As a sophomore, he increased his offensive and defensive win percentage per 40 by 50 percent, per His hoops stats.
Flanking her is an elite defender in Raya Marshalland a top-level internal scorer like Kiki Iriafen. Iriafen averages almost 19 points per game despite having the lowest usage rate of his four NCAA seasons and averages 9.2 rebounds per game.
These two teams are fourth and fifth, respectively, in The latest batch of power rankings..
Sabreena Merchant on Rayah Marshall: While Kiki Iriafen As she adjusts to her offensive role at USC, her strike partner Rayah Marshall has been expanding her skills. Marshall has always been a dominant defensive presence and that hasn’t changed as a senior. His block percentage is in the 99th percentile nationally and he deters even more shots. Opponents are shooting an absurd 23.9 percent with Marshall as the primary defender, as she can defend the post and cover ground on the perimeter. USC’s defense is 16.7 points per 100 possessions better with Marshall on the court.
Memorable confrontation: December 9, 2003 — Top-ranked UConn maintained its 72-game winning streak (!) despite a 72-69 scare by the Trojans. Ebony Hoffman scored 15 points for USC. Diana Taurasi hit two decisive three-pointers to seal a close one.
USC at UConn odds
More women’s basketball coverage
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
USC Trojans, Connecticut Huskies, women’s college basketball, sports betting
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