One of the most anticipated matchups thus far in the 2025 Women's NCAA Tournament takes place on Monday when the No. 2 seed UConn Huskies take on the No. 1 seed USC Trojans in the Elite Eight. The winner will advance to the Final Four in Tampa, Fla. The Huskies are riding a 13-game winning streak following wins over Arkansas State, South Dakota State and Oklahoma in the Women's NCAA bracket play. The Trojans, meanwhile, are averaging 78 points per game in the NCAA Women's Tournament but will be without superstar JuJu Watkins, who suffered a torn ACL in USC's win over Mississippi State in the second round.
Tipoff is 9 p.m. ET at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington. The latest UConn vs. USC odds list the Huskies as 15.5-point favorites, while the over/under is 137. Before making any USC vs. UConn picks, be sure to see the 2025 Women's NCAA Tournament picks from SportsLine experts Aaron Barzilai and Calvin Wetzel.
Barzilai is a Ph.D. from Stanford who served as the Director of Basketball Analytics for the Philadelphia 76ers. Wetzel incorporates his mathematical background and strong knowledge of women's hoops to turn the site's prediction model into picks. They went 543-383 overall (+122.89 units) during the 2023-24 women's college basketball campaign and posted a 125-71-1 record (+44.33 units) so far in 24-25.
Now, here are their best bets for UConn vs. USC on Monday:
UConn -14.5 (originally given at -12.5)
The Huskies have been dominant thus far in the NCAA Women's Tournament, securing wins by 69, 46, and 23 points through their first three games. On Monday, UConn will face a depleted USC squad that struggled offensively against Kansas State with Watkins out of the lineup. Watkins is an offensive superstar who averages 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, which is extremely difficult to duplicate. Meanwhile, the Huskies are loaded with offensive weapons, including Paige Bueckers, who dropped 40 points in UConn's win over Oklahoma in the third round.
"UConn is looking to move to 4-0 against the spread in the NCAA Tournament and 8-0 in March," Wetzel said. "It sounds cliche, but this truly is becoming a 'can't hang the line high enough' type of team. Until someone covers against them, it doesn't make sense to overthink it. Grab UConn spread out to -15."
Under 137 points (originally given at Under 140.5)
The Trojans had a tough time generating offense in their 67-61 victory over Kansas State in the third round. With Watkins sidelined, USC had only three players reach double figures in the win over the Wildcats. Meanwhile, UConn has been terrific defensively thus far in the NCAA Women's Tournament, holding opponents to 50 points per game on average through their first three contests. In addition, these two teams combined for just 142 points in USC's 72-20 win over UConn in December, which saw Watkins finish with 25 points. An injury to USC's superstar, coupled with UConn's tenacity on the defensive end of the floor, points to this game staying under the total.
Want more Women's NCAA Tournament picks?
You've seen Wetzel and Barzilai's best bets for UConn vs. USC in the Elite 8 of the Women's NCAA Tournament. Now, get picks for every game from the experts who are up 44 units on their women's college basketball picks this season.