Madness continues Monday night with two women’s Elite Eight games that will determine who is joining South Carolina and UCLA in the Final Four. In the first game, Madison Booker and top-seeded Texas held off TCU for a 58-47 win in the Birmingham Region final.
And in the late game, No. 1 USC is as an underdog against No. 2 UConn, led by star guard Paige Bueckers. The Trojans, despite losing star JuJu Watkins to a season-ending injury earlier in the tournament, managed to survive their Sweet 16 matchup against Kansas State. But UConn will provide a much stiffer test.
The last spot in the Final Four will be determined in a rematch of one of last season’s Elite Eight matchups when the Regional 4 Spokane 1 seed the USC Trojans go against the 2 seed UConn Huskies at Spokane Arena in Spokane, Wash.
Bueckers has scored a total of 50 points across those two games, including 28 when UConn defeated USC in the Elite Eight last year to advance to the Final Four. Bueckers has also recorded a total of 13 rebounds and eight assists and has shot 44.4 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from 3-point range against the Trojans.
The USC Trojans' loss of JuJu Watkins will really be felt in the Elite Eight matchup on Monday against Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies. UConn is a 13.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook for the Regional 4 final in Spokane.
Madness Elite Eight bracket is set. TCU and Hailey Van Lith are the tournament's best story. USC stumbles without JuJu Watkins on the court.
This matchup marks a rematch of last year's Sweet 16, when LSU defeated UCLA 78-69. The Bruins are in search of their first Final Four appearance, while LSU looks to return to the Final Four for the first time since their title run in 2023.
With back-to-back games of at least 30-plus points and 10 or more rebounds, UCLA center Lauren Betts certainly appears unstoppable.
Let us know by emailing: [email protected]. TCU versus Texas is available to watch on ESPN. Today's TCU-Texas Elite Eight matchup tips off at 7 p.m. ET. That's 4 p.m. PT.