NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2015: Latest Projected Odds and Predictions

After meeting in the 2014 women's college basketball national championship game, Connecticut and Notre Dame will go at it once again Tuesday with another title on the line.

UConn came out on top last year, and it is favored to repeat, although the Fighting Irish are certainly talented in their own right. The Huskies beat Notre Dame fairly easily earlier in the season, but a lot has changed since then, and the pressure of playing on the big stage promises to play a role as well.

As UConn looks to win its third consecutive national title and Notre Dame vies for its first since 2001, here is a rundown of the most important factors to keep an eye on for the 2015 NCAA women's basketball tournament finale.

Where: Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida

When: Tuesday, April 7, at 8:30 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN

Projected Line: UConn (-17)

National Championship Game Predictions

UConn Player to Watch: Breanna Stewart

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Head coach Geno Auriemma's UConn squad is stacked with talent as always, but there is no question that forward Breanna Stewart is his go-to player.

Stewart is a junior in search of her third national title, and she already has two Associated Press Player of the Year awards under her belt. After dropping 25 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the Final Four against Maryland, it is clear that she is raising her level of play at the right time.

That has been the case with Stewart since coming to UConn, as she is already among the best NCAA tournament performers of all time, according to Jim Fuller of the New Haven Register:

As impressive as Stewart is statistically, that is trumped by her penchant for winning, as evidenced by this stat courtesy of ESPN's Kevin Negandhi:

Stewart had 15 points and nine rebounds in the Huskies' win over Notre Dame back in December, and the Irish may find it difficult to hold her to anything less than that.

Notre Dame is very much a guard-driven team, which means Stewart figures to have her way in what could be another title-winning performance.

Notre Dame Player to Watch: Jewell Loyd

Mike Carlson/Getty Images

The Fighting Irish may not have a player of Stewart's caliber, but guard Jewell Loyd isn't far behind. Loyd is the catalyst that makes Notre Dame's offensive attack go, and she will need to play the game of her life in order to take down the Huskies.

There is no doubt that Loyd has the potential to do it, as she finished behind Stewart in the Player of the Year voting, according to Notre Dame Senior Associate Athletics Director John Heisler:

Although the Irish lost by 18 to the Huskies earlier in the season, Loyd wasn't to blame. She scored 31 points in that game, but she didn't get much help from her teammates, with only one of them reaching double figures.

Despite UConn recently having Notre Dame's number, Loyd enjoys the challenge of going up against the best team in the nation, per NCAA Women's Basketball on Twitter:

Loyd certainly has the right attitude when it comes to facing the Huskies, but it remains to be seen if that will translate to on-court results.

She certainly has the talent and offensive acumen to take games over, and if she is able to do that Tuesday, then perhaps the Irish have what it takes to pull off the upset.

Championship Pick

It has been proven that UConn isn't unbeatable, as the Huskies fell to Stanford early in the season, but they have been as close to perfect as possible ever since.

Notre Dame is the type of special team that has a fighting chance to take down the No. 1 squad; however, it may not possess the horses it needs to get the job done.

Aside from Loyd, the Irish can lean on guard Lindsay Allen, but their depth is somewhat suspect beyond that. The same can't be said for UConn, as the likes of Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Morgan Tuck and Kia Nurse can all take on a leading role when needed.

Because of UConn's talent pool, winning experience and top-level coaching, it is difficult to envision the Huskies falling short when they are so close to accomplishing their ultimate goal.

Notre Dame will put up a fight, and it may very well cover the spread, but the Huskies will be celebrating once again Tuesday night when they complete the three-peat.

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