Everyone wants to see USC vs UConn, but Trojans must first focus on Baylor
The USC women’s basketball team is in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans are in Portland for a regional which also includes the Connecticut Huskies. UConn is the ultimate powerhouse in women’s college basketball — not this season, but certainly over the past 30 years. The Huskies will be appearing in their 30th straight Sweet 16. They have won 11 national titles in those 30 years and have made 21 Final Four appearances. Geno Auriemma basically owned the sport of women’s college basketball from 2002 through 2016. In that 15-year span, UConn won nine national titles. The Huskies won the national title for a majority of a time period lasting a decade and a half.
This year’s UConn team has been ravaged by a flood of injuries. The Huskies are seeded third and aren’t at full strength. Yet, it’s still UConn. It’s still Geno. Paige Bueckers, an elite player, is still on the roster, giving this team a chance to go to the Final Four. You know that ESPN and a lot of women’s basketball fans want to see USC and JuJu Watkins get their shot at UConn next Monday with the Final Four on the line. That is going to be a talking point in Portland heading into the Sweet 16.
USC has to block out that talk and the distractions which come along with it. The Trojans have to have tunnel vision and focus relentlessly on their next opponent, the Baylor Bears. Baylor comes from a Big 12 Conference which is putting up a fight in this NCAA Tournament. Texas looks strong heading into its own Sweet 16 battle in Portland against Gonzaga on Friday. Iowa State nearly upset Stanford on the road, losing an epic game in overtime this past Sunday in Maples Pavilion. The Big 12 has quality teams. Baylor is one of them. The Bears just beat Virginia Tech on the road to make their way to Portland.
USC-UConn? Nope. Don’t go down that road just yet. People will talk about it, but USC has other things to do before then. The Trojans need to play with great clarity to handle Baylor on Saturday afternoon. The game starts at 2:30 p.m. Pacific time on ESPN.
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