On Saturday afternoon, No. 3 USC is hosting No. 6 Notre Dame, and neither team will be in for an easy game.
The Trojans will be favored at home and have the slight edge, but the Fighting Irish are stacked in their own right. This non-conference matchup will start at 4 p.m. ET and can be viewed on NBC/Peacock.
How the Trojans can win
You know her name by now—it’s JuJu Watkins. The sophomore is one of the most electrifying players in college basketball, averaging 21.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. She is the main reason USC is favored to reach the Final Four this season.
No player does it alone, and Watkins is part of a “Big 3” that features senior forward Kiki Iriafen and graduate guard Talia von Oelhoffen. Iriafen has quickly adjusted after transferring to USC from Stanford, flirting with a double-double each game as she averages 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds. Von Oelhoffen has had a slow start to the season, scoring just 5.3 points per game, but she’s second on the team in assists with 4.5. She also had the game-clinching free throws in the season opener in Paris against No. 20 Ole Miss.
For USC, it’s all about getting this trio moving and grooving early. If they do that, they’ll be able to protect home court and walk away from this battle of the…
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