2 Best Bets and Player Props for USC vs. UConn Women's Basketball

Hartford, Connecticut is the place to be on Saturday night when No. 7 USC takes on No. 4 UConn.

Leading into tonight's 8pm ET tip, USC (+600) and UConn (+380) are among the four teams with the shortest odds to win the National Championship. There's plenty of star power on both sides of this matchup, and it could very well be a Final Four preview when March rolls around.

Heading into the weekend, the home Huskies are favored by 7.5 and the over/under is set at 140.5 total points.

Let's check out the USC-UConn odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds to sift through the best USC-UConn bets and player props.

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

USC vs. UConn Betting Picks

UConn -7.5 (-105)

Though this game features two of the top teams in college basketball, it's not expected to be an especially close contest. The home Huskies are favored by 7.5 points against a Trojans side that's lost just one game all season.

But that one loss told us a lot about where this USC team stands, so I do see value backing UConn -7.5.

USC's lone loss came by 13 against Notre Dame -- the same team that beat UConn by 11 just last week. While the final scores there don't look very different, UConn gave Notre Dame a real game, trailing by just four entering the fourth quarter and by six with three minutes remaining.

The Trojans, meanwhile, never led against the Irish after falling behind 20-10 in the first quarter. They got it within three in the third but later trailed by as many as 21 points in the final period.

UConn also faced Notre Dame without third-leading scorer Azzi Fudd, but she has a chance to return for tonight's game.

Even beyond their result against a similar opponent, UConn is on a different level at this point in the season.

In spite of USC's star power and stellar record, they haven't shown the same level of dominance against top teams that UConn has. The Trojans (7th on Bart Torvik) have faced just three teams in the top 50 of Bart Torvik's NCAAW Power Ratings. They lost to Notre Dame (5th) while picking up a 2-point win over Ole Miss (25th) and a 13-point win over Oregon (23rd).

On the other hand, UConn has faced five teams inside Torvik's top 50 teams. Though they lost to ND, the Huskies beat North Carolina (14th), Ole Miss (25th), Louisville (45th), and Iowa State (39th) by double-digits. Their wins over Louisville and Iowa State came by a combined 66 points.

That kind of consistency against top competition bodes well for their chances of handling USC tonight. Torvik has UConn projected to win by 9.2 points, and I'm inclined to back the numbers here. At home -- and possibly with Azzi Fudd back -- UConn is in a nice spot to cover as 7.5-point favorites.

Paige Bueckers Over 3.5 Assists (-113)

With two of the top three Wooden Award odds leaders facing off in this game, there's no shortage of interesting player props to consider. But, while USC's Juju Watkins is having an incredible season, UConn's Paige Bueckers is who I'm looking to back in the prop market.

UConn forward Sarah Strong has come on strong over the last few games, but that hasn't stopped Bueckers from cracking 24 points in three straight games. Even so, I'm more interested in the over on her assists prop with Strong rolling and Fudd potentially returning.

Bueckers is averaging 4.0 assists per game this season -- down from the 4.4 she's averaged during her four-year stint at UConn. But she's dished out at least four assists in 7 of 11 games overall, including all 5 with Fudd active.

She's been forced into a heavier scoring role the last few games but has notably finished with at least 4 assists in four of five true home games.

USC is a solid matchup for dimes, too. The Trojans are just 292nd nationally in assist rate allowed, and we saw both Notre Dame guards finish with at least 7 assists when they faced off. It doesn't hurt that USC is 32nd in Torvik's adjusted tempo, making this a pace-up spot for Bueckers and UConn (252nd in adjusted tempo).

More possessions for UConn means more time with the ball for Bueckers and her team-leading 26.5% usage rate. As such, she's in a nice spot to dish out at least four assists in one of UConn's biggest games of the year.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.