The USC Trojans' loss of JuJu Watkins will really be felt in the Elite Eight matchup on Monday against Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies. UConn is a 13.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook for the Regional 4 final in Spokane.

All four No. 1 seeds will be present in the Elite Eight after the Tigers and Cougars survived respective scares on Friday

There has been a lot of talk about this year’s men’s NCAA Tournament being chalky. Whether it is because of NIL and the transfer portal, as some have suggested, or it’s a random occurrence, there haven’t been as many upsets and Cinderella runs this year.

Andersen seemed distracted talking to ESPN Gainesville’s Talia Baia in the locker room. Baia is a student reporter at ESPN 98.1. She is studying journalism and communications at Florida.

In the second round, Michigan State had the benefit of facing No. 10 seed New Mexico, a team which had never advanced to the Sweet 16 since the field expanded to 64 teams. The drought continued for the Lobos as Sparty picked up a 71-63 win as 6.5-point favorites.

Kennedy Smith stepped into the void left by injured star JuJu Watkins, scoring 19 points to help Southern California hold off Kansas State 67-61 in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Watkins, responsible for revitalizing the USC women's basketball program after years of dormancy, had to watch the game from Los Angeles. The national player of the year front-runner sustained a season-ending ACL tear in the Trojans' second-round NCAA tournament game against Mississippi State,

Paige Bueckers scored a career-high 40 points, rescuing UConn from its first-half doldrums and single-handedly turning a tight game against Oklahoma into an 82-59 rout that sent the Huskies to the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

It's been tough sledding for Ayoka Lee in the Sweet 16 matchup, as the 6-foot-6 center has struggled to counteract USC's two-headed center combo of Marshall and Clarice Akunwafo. Lee has 10 points with three minutes to play but has needed 13 shots to get there.