When the women’s NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed, this potential matchup — a rematch of an Elite Eight game played in Portland last season — instantly became the most highly anticipated Elite Eight game in the field. They had a classic showdown in last season’s tournament and met again in the highest-rated women’s game of the regular season this year. The collision course of the nation’s two top players in JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers in the Elite Eight again was just too enticing an hors d’oeuvres to the Final Four.
Without Watkins, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the second round, the Trojans rallied against tough Kansas State in the Sweet 16, relying heavily on freshmen Kennedy Smith, Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel to perform … which they did. But even with veteran Kiki Iriafen’s superb leadership, USC faces its toughest task of the season without its best player. A matchup looms against UConn, which is playing at an extremely high level behind Bueckers, and the opportunity is there to make it to the Final Four for the first time since 1986.
Could it ultimately help the Trojans to know they’re essentially playing with house money at this point? Sure. Could their lack of experience show on the brightest stage of the season? That’s…
