2025 Women's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Preview: Can USC Survive Without JuJu Watkins?

Most of you have heard the news by now. JuJu Watkins tore her ACL on a drive to the hoop early in USC's Round of 32 matchup against Mississippi State.

In her sophomore season, Watkins scored nearly 25 points per game, added seven rebounds, and had 3.5 assists per game. She was primarily viewed as the best player in the sport, but she will now miss the rest of the tournament as she recovers from her ACL injury.

Ultimately, USC has enough pieces to win. But losing Watkins could hurt them in games against top seeds.

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2025 Women's NCAA Tournament Championship Odds

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2025 Women's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Preview

Regional 4: Can USC Survive Without JuJu Watkins?

The USC Trojans are expected to take on the Kansas State Wildcats in the Sweet 16. Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb talked about the team's unity and determination as a factor in pursuing a National Championship. Meanwhile, the Trojans still have a potential top-five WNBA pick in Kiki Iriafen. She'll need to step up in the rest of the tournament.

Iriafen scored 36 points on 16-of-22 from the field in last night's game. She also hauled in nine rebounds in the win. Look for her to be an even bigger playmaker against Kansas State and beyond.

Still, it's unfortunate that Watkins got hurt. With a win against Kansas State and a UConn win over Oklahoma, we would've got Paige Bueckers against JuJu Watkins in the Elite Eight.

That said, it will be tough for USC to defeat a red-hot UConn team that is playing its best basketball right now.

Ultimately, UConn now has the best path to a Final Four and Championship out of Regional 4, taking over as the title favorite at +160 odds with the easier matchups now.

Regional 3: Hailey Van Lith, TCU Sneaky at +650 Odds to Make Final Four

In Regional 3, we've got the Texas Longhorns as the No. 1 seed and the TCU Horned Frogs as the No. 2 seed.

Ultimately, Texas prides itself on defense with an aggressive approach. They're also a fast-paced offense behind Madison Booker, who was named the SEC Player of the Year as a sophomore. I like Texas to get past Tennessee in the Sweet 16.

On the other hand, we've got an intriguing matchup between TCU and Notre Dame. TCU is the No. 2 seed, but Notre Dame is the favorite.

Hannah Hidalgo has put Notre Dame on the map over the last couple of seasons. She became the fourth Notre Dame player to earn the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

On the other hand, TCU has Hailey Van Lith, who continues to make a strong impact everywhere she goes. That said, let's not forget that TCU already defeated Notre Dame earlier this season, 76-68. I like TCU to escape Notre Dame but the path to the Final Four with a potential meeting against Texas will be hard.

TCU can do it, though, and they have +650 odds to make the Final Four.

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Regional 2: South Carolina -380 to Reach Final Four

Under Dawn Staley, the South Carolina Gamecocks have won two NCAA Tournaments and have appeared in many Final Fours.

We just talked about how good Texas is. They're a No. 1 seed in Regional 3. However, South Carolina earned a 64-45 win over Texas in the SEC Tournament. That 19-point win was the most significant win of the nine SEC Championships in South Carolina's history.

Don't expect anything less than a Final Four run for the Gamecocks, and the oddsmakers agree with a -380 price.

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Regional 1: Can Kim Mukley's LSU Tigers Make Final Four as 3-Seed?

Ultimately, women's college basketball doesn't have many teams that can make games enjoyable. But now that we're in the Sweet 16, games will be tighter, and some outcomes will surprise.

UCLA is the No. 1 seed in Regional 1. They've gone 32-2 and are the AP's No. 1 team in the nation. But I'd be worried about facing the LSU Tigers in the Elite Eight.

After all, Kim Mulkey is one of the best women's basketball coaches. She's won four NCAA National Championships, including a 102-85 victory over Caitlin Clark's Iowa in 2023.

Of course, LSU must get by No. 2 seed NC State first. But this potential UCLA-LSU Elite Eight game could be absolutely wild.

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