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No. 4 UConn hosts No. 7 USC in an ultimate showdown of 10-1 teams on Saturday at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
Both programs are coming off lopsided victories, and a win would boost their status not only in the team standings but also in the perspective of experts and fans watching the 2024-25 women's college basketball season.
The USC Huskies demolished Iowa State 101–68 in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase last Tuesday while the USC Trojans trampled Elon 88–30 two days earlier.
Here's a closer look at the odds, picks and predictions of this highly-anticipated clash between two teams expected to contend deep into March Madness.
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USC vs UConn prediction
Both teams have been good as advertised this season with UConn (10-1) showing its full arsenal with a healthy lineup led by superstar guard Paige Bueckers.
The Geno Auriemma-coached Huskies have beaten their opponents by an average margin of 27.6 points per game. In their last game against Iowa State, they manhandled the Cyclones by storming to a 36–10 advantage in the first 10 minutes and came up with a big win against a team five games above the .500 mark.
Bueckers leads the UConn offense, averaging 20.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.0 apg and 2.1 spg. She has shot an efficient 58.4%, including a sizzling 44.2% clip from 3-pointers.
The 6-foot guard has a dependable frontcourt partner in freshman Sarah Strong, who has tallied 17.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 3.6 apg, 2.2 spg and 1.5 bpg this season.
In the last game against Iowa State, Strong dropped a career-high 29 points, on 10-of-18 shooting from the field, and grabbed nine rebounds to be adjudged as the Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase MVP.
On the other hand, USC (10-1) was a few points better, beating their opponents by 31.1 ppg. The combination of JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen has been a major headache for their previous opponents.
Watkins leads the team's offense with averages of 24.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.5 spg and 1.9 bpg while Iriafen has provided a ton of support for the 6-foot-2 guard, tallying 18.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1.4 apg and 1.2 spg.
The duo has been almost unstoppable, helping the Trojans live up to their preseason hype as one of the favorites to win this year's national title.
Regarding betting against the spread, UConn is 3-2, including a two-game winning run. The Huskies' total has gone over in four of five games. On the other hand, USC is 4-1 when it goes over the spread, and the totals have been under for four of its last five games.
Expect the combined score to go over 150 with UConn winning by at least three points.
Prediction: UConn Huskies 80, USC Trojans 75.
USC vs UConn head-to-head
UConn holds a 3-0 head-to-head lead against Southern California. The teams last met in the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Tournament with No. 3 UConn ousting No. 1-seed USC, 80–73.
How to watch USC vs UConn
The tipoff for the USC-UConn clash is at 8:00 p.m. ET at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. It will be televised on FOX and live-streamed on Fubo.
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