Despite losing star guard Juju Watkins early in the Round of 32, the USC Trojans have still found their way into the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb has kept her team focused on their main goal, winning a championship, and has the Trojans playing a slightly different style of basketball without Watkins in the lineup.
Veteran forward Kiki Iriafen struggled in the Sweet 16 after a dominant performance against Mississippi State in the Round of 32, but her teammates picked up the slack. This USC team still has so many weapons like Rayah Marshall and a trio of freshman in Avery Howell, Kennedy Smith and Kayleigh Heckel.
While USC just scraped by a tough Kansas State team last round, they'll face off against an even tougher opponent in the Regional Final.
USC will face UConn in the Elite 8 of March Madness
The Trojans were given the No. 1 seed in Spokane Region 4, which meant that they were on a collision course with the best No. 2 seed in the Tournament. That came to fruition as Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies now stand in the way of USC's first Final Four appearance since 1986.
UConn is led by star guard Paige Bueckers, who broke a program record for points scored in a single NCAA Tournament game last round with 40. She had 29 points in the second half against No. 3 seed Oklahoma, and the Sooners only had 23 as a team, and just 15 when Bueckers subbed out because the game was out of reach.
The Huskies are playing their best basketball right now as their closest game in March Madness was a 23-point victory against Oklahoma. Freshman Sarah Strong has been a dominant post player all year and could give Iriafen problems if she does not bring her best effort.
Azzi Fudd is also a problem for opposing teams and KK Arnold may play with more energy than any other player in the country. While USC is seeded ahead of UConn, without Watkins, the Huskies are heavily favored in the matchup, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
It will be an uphill battle for Coach Gottlieb and the Trojans, but in the month of March, all preconceived notions are thrown out the window.