Women's March Madness 2024: Odds, Picks for Clark, Iowa vs. Reese, LSU and Elite 8

The most anticipated game of the 2024 NCAA women's basketball tournament takes place on Monday night in Albany.

Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes face off with Angel Reese and the reigning national champion LSU Tigers in a national championship rematch.

Both teams come into the Elite Eight showdown off three consecutive double-digit victories, but the expectation for Monday is that the game could come down to the final shot.

LSU beat Iowa by 17 points a year ago and the only way it will have a chance to repeat its title is to either slow down Clark, or outscore her like it did a year ago in Dallas.

Monday's second Elite Eight battle between the Connecticut Huskies and USC Trojans should be a fantastic contest as well.

USC is the top seed in the Portland 3 region, but UConn enters the regional final as the betting favorite.

No. 3 LSU vs. No. 1 Iowa (-2)

Greg Fiume/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

ALBANY, NEW YORK - MARCH 30: Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes gestures to a teammate during a game against the Colorado Buffaloes during the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held at MVP Arena on March 30, 2024 in Albany, New York. (Photo by Greg Fiume/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Monday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

LSU-Iowa is the most anticipated game of the women's college basketball season.

Everyone wanted the national championship rematch to take place once the brackets were revealed on Selection Sunday.

Clark and the Hawkeyes played one of their best games of the season in the Sweet 16, as they blew out the Colorado Buffaloes by 21 points.

Clark posted 27, 32 and 29 points in the first three rounds. She had 30 points in the title game loss to LSU last year and hit the 40-point mark in the Elite Eight and Final Four last season.

Iowa's superstar will score an abundance of points, so LSU needs to slow down the supporting cast, like it did a year ago, No other Iowa player had more than 13 points.

LSU outpaced Iowa by shooting 54.2 percent from the field and 64.7 percent from three-point range.

Those numbers may not be achievable again. The Tigers only shoot 32.1 percent from three this season.

LSU's offense should run through Angel Reese, who has 46 points and 43 rebounds in three rounds. Reese had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the title game a year ago.

LSU has five players who average over 10 points per game, but one, Hailey Van Lith, has not scored in double figures in the NCAA tournament.

Iowa's entire starting lineup reached double figures against Colorado, and that may be the key to outpacing LSU, instead of solely relying on Clark.

Monday's contest should come down to the final few possessions, but if Iowa's well-rounded offense shows up again, it would have the slight edge over LSU.

Pick: Iowa -2

No. 3 UConn (-3.5) vs. No. 1 USC

Tyler Schank/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

PORTLAND, OREGON - MARCH 30: Paige Bueckers #5 of the UConn Huskies shoots the ball during the first half of the game against the Duke Blue Devils during the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held at the Moda Center on March 30, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Tyler Schank/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Monday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN

Monday's second game will be as good, or even better, than the opener, but it does not have the same spotlight on it because UConn and USC did not meet in the championship game last season.

The Portland 3 regional final pits the perennial power in UConn against a resurgent USC team, led by freshman star JuJu Watkins.

Shots may be more difficult to come by in this matchup since just one opponent hit the 70-point mark against the Huskies and Trojans in the NCAA tournament.

Watkins and Paige Bueckers could trade buckets throughout the contest. That could lead to the game being decided by the supporting casts.

Aaliyah Edwards could be the difference-maker alongside Bueckers in the UConn offense. She is third-best scorer in the matchup and is averaging 14.3 points per game in the NCAA tournament.

UConn needs the best out of Bueckers and Edwards to combat USC's scoring threat from Watkins and McKenzie Forbes, who eclipsed the 20-point mark twice so far in the Big Dance.

However, Edwards could be the better X-factor than Forbes because she reached the 20-point mark in five of UConn's nine regular-season meetings with ranked foes.

Pick: UConn -3.5

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