Fans of NCAAW basketball are in for a treat Saturday when the UConn Huskies travel to play the USC Trojans — a match that might prove to be pretty exciting if USC can stop their opponents from getting ahead too early. The Trojans' Jazzy Davidson and Kennedy Smith have the size and skill to lock up Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, and if they pull that off, the Huskies could be forced to play hard for a full 40 minutes.
It would be a mistake to let numbers do the talking ahead of Saturday's game, despite the fact that USC is sitting at No. 16 and UConn at No. 1. USC's head coach Lindsay Gottlieb is known for putting together defensively excellent teams, and Smith and Davidson may well put up the strongest wing defense the Huskies will encounter during the regular season.
Of course, a lot will depend on whether or not the Huskies are able to jump out in the lead earlier in the match, something UConn is certainly fully capable of doing. The team is being led by Fudd, who could end up departing college with a 50/50/100 season if she can maintain her current shooting stats. Fudd's free throw percentage is currently sitting at 100%, her field goal percentae is 49.6%, and her three-point percentage is 53.4%.
(Also of note: Nebraska Huskers guard Britt Prince is clocking a field goal percentage of 69.3%, a three-point percentage of 58.8%, but her free throw percentage is 83.3. She's another college player to keep an eye on as the season marches on.)
UConn vs. USC isn't the only intriguing match-up this week
The ACC will also boast its own potentially dramatic showdown this week when Louisville goes up against UNC. It's not yet clear if the Cardinals will be able to keep up with the Wolfpack, but the team did manage to keep the South Carolina Gamecocks fighting for every single minute of their lives during last week's ACC/SEC match.
Louisville is still struggling to bounce back from a deficit created by Hailey Van Lith's departure a few seasons ago, but it seems the team, led by sophomore Tajianna Roberts, is starting to gel and put together substantial plays. The Gamecocks appeared unprepared for the veracity with which the Cardinals played, and how Louisville fares against UNC on Sunday will likely be a question of whether or not they can maintain that level of play.