3 must-watch Sweet Sixteen games:
No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Oklahoma - Spokane 4 - March 29, 5:30 p.m. ET: Some are calling this the Raegan Beers Bowl, as Beers and her Oklahoma Sooners will be facing the school she almost transferred to this season instead in UConn. It's an intriguing match-up — Beers anchors the Sooners in the frontcourt while UConn's strength comes in the backcourt duo of Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd. Of course, UConn has the freshman phenom Sarah Strong at forward and Jana Al Elfy has been steady this season too. Add on the fact that this is the last shot for Bueckers to win a National Championship, and the stakes are very high. Regardless, it's going to be a great game.
No. 2 TCU vs. No. 3 Notre Dame - Birmingham 3 - March 29, 1:00 p.m. ET: It was shocking when Notre Dame fell to a three-seed, but they've been able to make it to Birmingham regardless. The guard trio of Hannah Hidalgo, Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron will be up against a lethal Hailey Van Lith in her last ride. That match up alone is daunting, but Miles also suffered a rolled ankle in the first rounds that may end up being a factor here. It was apparently "black and blue" when Miles spoke to media after Notre Dame's second-round win over Michigan. Hopefully, the week off has allowed her to recover.
No. 2 NC State vs. No. 3 LSU - Spokane 1 - March 28, 7:30 p.m. ET: There were questions about LSU's ability to go far in the tournament this year, again because of injury. Flau'Jae Johnson sat out of the SEC Tournament to rest a leg injury, while Aneesah Morrow has been dealing with an ankle injury. You could not tell that was the case in the second half of their game against Florida State. Their offense was suffocating, and that will need to be the case again when the face NC State in the Sweet Sixteen. The pair of Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers has stepped up in big moments as the Wolfpack tries to make a return to the Final Four this year. This will be a fast-paced and physical game.
2 great Elite Eight games we could get:
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 2 Duke - Birmingham 2: This is quite the intriguing match up, as you think about how these two teams compare to each other. South Carolina is deep — their bench lineup has the strength of another starting lineup. Yet, Duke plays a brand of defense that could bring down even the best of offensive players. Plus, Duke will have Toby Fournier back for the Sweet Sixteen, after their leading scorer missed their last game with an illness. Ultimately, South Carolina has the upper hand here, but if Duke can lock in on defense they could make it interesting.
No. 1 USC vs. No. 2 UConn - Spokane 4: A rematch of last year's Elite Eight game between the two schools, but it won't look the same this year. One of the most highly anticipated games of the tournament still, but USC will be without Juju Watkins. The National Player of the Year went down on a drive in the first quarter of USC's second round game, holding her knee, and had to be carried off the court. Later that night, the team announced she had torn her ACL. Unbelievably sad no matter how you look at it. Still. USC is an incredibly deep team with a ton of talent, so this game is not lost for USC. Another instance of Bueckers trying to reach the mountain top as well will provide a great game atmosphere for all involved.
1 player poised to step up: Kiki Iriafen
When Juju Watkins left USC's second round game the other day, it was hard to watch her team have to immediately go on and rally without her. Yet, Kiki Iriafen stepped up, anchored her team, and got them the win in a tough situation. It was an emotional game, yet anytime the Trojans needed Iriafen, she was there. To help calm down a teammate when they wanted to show frustration to a referee, to make up for the offense they lost in Watkins, and to just lead and make sure the team knew they'd be okay. She showed her teammates that it was okay to still play with joy, as surely Watkins would want them to do while she recovers.
She ended up scoring 36 points on 16-22 field goals, with 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks and USC will head to the Sweet Sixteen to face Kansas State. The Trojans will need that on-court and emotional leadership from Iriafen as they face the rest of the tournament without Watkins. Iriafen is more than capable of stepping up to the plate, and can be the leader this team needs to continue their pursuit for a championship. When Iriafen played at Stanford, she was the person that would step up when players like Cameron Brink were out - she knows how to lead a team.
Obviously, losing Juju Watkins is huge, but one star doesn't make a basketball team, and this USC team has so many talented pieces. As Iriafen prepares to head into the WNBA as a likely lottery pick, her show of poise in a heartbreaking situation will only prove to WNBA teams that she is someone who can anchor a team through the good and the bad. This stretch will be Iriafen's last impact on college basketball and maybe one of her most memorable moments.