How To Watch USC Trojans vs. UConn NCAA Tournament Elite 8: Preview, Prediction, Betting Odds

The USC Trojans will face the UConn Huskies in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament on Monday at 6 p.m. PT. TV broadcast, preview, Prediction, and odds for the game at Spokane Arena. Can the Trojans stop Paige Bueckers and the Huskies?

Mar 29, 2025; Spokane, WA, USA; Kansas State Wildcats guard Serena Sundell (4) takes a charge from USC Trojans forward Kiki Iriafen (44) during the second half of a Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament basketball game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Spokane Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

The No. 1 USC Trojans women’s basketball defeated the No. 5 Kansas State Wildcats in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. The Women of Troy will face the No. 2 UConn Huskies on Monday for an Elite 8 rematch.

How to Watch:

The USC Trojans women’s basketball team will face the UConn Huskies at 6 p.m. PT on March 31 at Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Mar 29, 2025; Spokane, WA, USA; Kansas State Wildcats guard Serena Sundell (4) takes a charge from USC Trojans forward Kiki Iriafen (44) during the second half of a Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament basketball game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Spokane Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

Betting Odds:

The USC Trojans are 14.5-point underdogs against the UConn Huskies on FanDuel Sportsbook. The moneyline for USC is +710, and the total points are 137.5.

USC vs. UConn preview:

The USC Trojans pulled off a tight win against the Kansas State Wildcats, 67-61. It was a tough match, and USC even trailed at halftime. The Women of Troy played their first full game without guard JuJu Watkins, and the players who stepped up the most were the freshmen.

Against the Wildcats, guard Kennedy Smith led the Trojans with 19 points, followed by guard Avery Howell, who scored 18 points. Howell finished the game with eight rebounds and four steals. USC center Rayah Marshall led the team with nine rebounds and three assists. 

Mar 29, 2025; Spokane, WA, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb looks on against the Kansas State Wildcats during the first half of a Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament basketball game at Spokane Arena. at Spokane Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb gave immense credit to the team’s freshmen after the game.

“What can I say about our freshman class? I just, they’re winners above everything else,” Gottlieb said. “They’re just tough, they’re incredibly tough and they are winners and that’s what I told them before the game and they earned every bit of it and I’m just proud to be playing in the Elite 8.”

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“I’m really proud of our team’s fight and togetherness, and finding a way to win. It was not supposed to be easy, and it wasn’t easy,” Gottlieb said. “I thought our perimeter defense was terrific and that includes Kiki who was running around, you know, on shooters. As well as our point of attack.”

USC forward Kiki Iriafen struggled with shooting, but she was always where she had to be on defense. Iriafen finished the game with seven points, going 3-13 on field goals and 0-1 on three-point attempts. She also had eight assists, the second most on the team against the Wildcats. Iriafen will have to have a better game shooting if the Women of Troy are to compete with the UConn Huskies.

Mar 29, 2025; Spokane, WA, USA; USC Trojans guard Avery Howell (23) goes back on defense against the Kansas State Wildcats during the second half of a Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament basketball game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Spokane Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

UConn is looking like one of the most dominant teams in the tournament despite being a No. 2 seed. The Huskies are also the team that defeated the Trojans in the Elite 8 last year. 

UConn is coming off a dominant 82-59 win against the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners. The Huskies are led by guard Paige Bueckers, who scored 40 points for UConn in the Sweet 16. It is the most a player has scored in the NCAA Tournament in program history. Forward Sarah Strong led the team with 11 rebounds and five assists. 

Ahead of the matchup, UConn coach Geno Auriemma talked about how the Huskies are preparing to face USC without Watkins.

"Maybe it changes how they look in that (Iriafen) gets more more touches than maybe she would, but I thought in the first game when we played them in Hartford, I thought she was one of the big differences in the game because of how many times they went to her later in the game," Auriemma said. "So I think we're hopefully better equipped to deal with that than we were back then."

USC and UConn last faced off on Dec. 21, earlier this season. The Trojans won the game 72-70, but Watkins scored 25 points. Without Watkins and with UConn’s momentum, it will be a tough task for the Trojans in Monday’s Elite 8 matchup. 

USC vs. UConn prediction:

The USC Trojans will not be able to stop the UConn Huskies and lose the game, 74-70.

The winner of the Elite 8 matchup will face the UCLA Bruins on April 4 in the Final Four.

• Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. 
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