As the UConn Huskies look to make it back to the Final Four, which would be their 24th trip there under head coach Geno Auriemma, the USC Trojans stand in their way.
With a record of 31-3 on the season, the Trojans are undoubtedly a tremendous team, and they already have a win against UConn on their resume from earlier this season, a 72-70 victory in Hartford, Conn.
In that game, USC star JuJu Watkins led all scorers with 25 points while also adding six rebounds and five assists.
This time around, though, Watkins will be watching from the bench, as the superstar suffered a torn ACL in her right knee in USC’s Second Round win over Mississippi State.
But even without Watkins in the lineup, the Huskies know they have a great challenge in front of them on Monday night.
“At this time of the year, as you saw last night, someone has to step up and do all the heavy lifting, and normally that would be someone like JuJu,” Auriemma said on Sunday afternoon. “But if you have enough good people around her, which they do, they will get a chance to stand out even more than they do, ordinarily.
“So yeah, they’re a different team in a positive way and a different team in a negative way because of what happened.”
The Trojans trailed their Sweet 16 matchup with Kansas State on Sunday at the break, but freshman Kennedy Smith stepped up and led the way with 19 points, while fellow freshman guard Avery Howell added 18 points in a 67-61 win over the Wildcats.
On the UConn side, it was Paige Bueckers who did the heavy lifting for the Huskies, scoring 40 points in a dominant 82-59 win, as UConn outscored Oklahoma 50-23 in the second half.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, Bueckers knows that USC still presents a tough task, even without Watkins in the lineup.
“They run a lot of sets. They go through Kiki [Iriafen] a lot now to get bucket,” Bueckers said. “She’s a great player, they’re still a great team, and they have great pieces. They made it to the Elite Eight for a reason. Obviously, losing a great player like JuJu hurts, but they’re still a great team, they still have great pieces. They run the same sets, but for different people… They’ve got players who have filled the void, who have stepped up huge.”
The Huskies and Trojans will tip off on Monday night at 9:00 PM, with a trip to the Final Four in Tampa on the line.