It’s an all-Texas matchup with a ticket to the Women’s Final Four on the line. Hailey Van Lith against Texas’s defense is must-see-TV, and with that being said, I’m expecting points to come more often than Vegas believes, especially with the way TCU’s offense is rolling in March.
In the other Elite 8 matchup, USC’s Kiki Iriafen and Talia von Oelhoffen should keep their game close against UConn minus superstar Juju Watkins but in the end, miss out on the Final Four experience this season.
Hailey Van Lith, Sedona Prince, Rori Harmon, Madison Booker. This battle of the Texans will not end in a low-scoring game with all of this firepower. TCU will need to run up the score to stay within arm's length of this one heading down the stretch and I think they can do just that.
Van Lith and the Horned Frogs dropped 71 points against a great Notre Dame defense behind 26 points and 9 boards from HVL. TCU’s Round of 32 and Sweet 16 games have gone for 155 and 133 total points, and with their offense churning through the re-emerged star in Van Lith, I can’t see this game ending in a low-scoring affair.
The Longhorns have one of the better defenses left in the tournament, but against ranked teams this season have allowed some high-scoring games (including vs Tennessee, Vandy, and Oklahoma).
Yes, if USC had Juju Watkins, this spread would have been within the five-point range and USC would have had a real shot at booking a ticket to the Final Four this year. However, a 14.5 point spread against the Trojans even with a potential top five pick Kiki Iriafen still playing at a high level.
This seems like too big a number to me, especially after watching a Trojan team defeat Mississippi State 96-59 with 5 Watkins minutes and then winning against Kansas State behind a big second half from the supporting cast.
Remember, guard Talia von Oelhoffen was a key part of Oregon State’s Elite 8 run last season, where she averaged 9.5 PPG and 7.0 APG in the tournament. While I’m not banking on a USC victory, they have the talent and playmaking in the backcourt to at least keep up with UConn’s scoring. As for defending the red-hot Bueckers, there is no answer for that.