University of Connecticut Athletics
No. 3 UConn Takes on No. 1 USC in NCAA Elite Eight
3/31/2024 8:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PORTLAND – The third-seeded UConn women's basketball team (32-5) continues its NCAA Women's Basketball Championship run in the Elite Eight vs. No. 1-seed USC (29-5) on Monday at 9:20 p.m. ET in the Moda Center. The game will air on ESPN and the UConn Sports Network from Learfield (FOX Sports 97-9).
This is UConn's 35th overall and straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies have played in each NCAA Tournament beginning with the 1988-89 season. UConn is the winningest program in NCAA Tournament games with a 135-23 overall record. This is the third time in program history that UConn is a three seed.
This is UConn's 28th appearance in the Elite Eight. The Huskies are 22-5 all-time in the Elite Eight.
UConn held on to beat Duke, 53-45, in the NCAA Sweet 16 on Saturday. Â Redshirt junior Paige Bueckers led UConn with 24 points. The Huskies' defense was on display as UConn posted 14 steals and the Blue Devils had 23 turnovers. UConn had 23 points off turnovers.
UConn is 2-0 all-time vs. USC. This will be the first meeting between the teams since 2003 and first in the NCAA Tournament. UConn faced USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb four times when she was the head coach for Cal with the last meeting coming in 2019.
Top-seeded USC beat No. 5- seed Baylor, 74-70, to advance to the regional final. The Trojans are led by freshman JuJu Watkins, who ranks second nationally with 27.0 points per game. Watkins leads the nation in free throws made and attempted. Gottlieb is in her third season at USC.
