STARS, STARS, STARS AND STARS. Saturday is about the stars. I’m not sure if the NCAA or ESPN tried their best to make this happen. Honestly, I don’t think either of them are smart enough when it comes to women’s basketball to think ahead on something like this.

Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Juju Watkins. In one day. Saturday may be the biggest day in women’s basketball history. Bold, yes I know but this has the feel of NBA on Christmas day. All the stars, one channel back to back to back to back.

The basketball fan in me is hoping for epic individual performances from these four but my basketball brain…. It’s March and their opponents will be primed and prepared to slow each one down.

Let’s dive right into our Keys and ?’s for Saturday. As you might expect, the stars play a big part in both.

#2 UCLA #3 LSU 1:00PM EST

• Battle of the Bigs Reese vs Betts
• How will LSU defend Kiki Rice in ball screens?
• Does UCLA have a defensive matchup for Flau’jae?
• All 10 starters for the game average 10+points. Which bench steps up?
• Can UCLA separate themselves from the 3 point line?

#5 COLORADO #1 IOWA 3:30PM EST

• How will Caitlin Clark get her supporting cast going?
• Can Colorado rely on their depth in a fast paced game?
• Colorado will have to force turnovers in order to score with Iowa. Only way for them to create more possessions. Weak OFF Reb, Iowa Def Reb
• How will Colorado guard ball screens with Clark?
• Does Caitlin Clark score 40+?

#5 BAYLOR #1 USC 5:30PM EST

• Will Baylor pressure give USC trouble? Padilla will have to have a good game.
• Will USC share the ball offensively and have good shot selection. Only 56% of FGs are assisted.
• Can Baylor slow down Watkins/Forbes who combine for 53% of scoring?
• Bench Production? Baylor 24ppg USC 10.2ppg (335th in country)

#7 DUKE #3 UCONN 8:00PM EST

• How will Duke slow down Bueckers? Who is arguably the hottest player in the tournament
• Offensive Efficiency vs Strong Defense. Duke is known for their defense but UCONN ranks higher in Def FG % and PPG.
• Can Duke continue to be efficient offensively? 15-0 when shooting 44%+
• How will UCONN exploit Duke’s switching defense?
• Can Edwards bounce back offensively for UCONN?

Saturday has the potential to be the biggest day for women’s basketball in a really long time. Will the stars shine? Are the upsets on the horizon. Four more teams will punch their ticket to the Elite 8 and I think it will be teams that we have seen before. Here are my predictions.

IOWA UCONN UCLA BAYLOR

Iowa is able to get it done as Clark carries them. I think there has been good evidence on ways to slow her down but I think she’s able to get it done.

UCONN’s lack of depth worries me and I think Ohio State would have knocked them out if they were the matchup here. Duke just wont be able to score with Paige and the Huskies.

UCLA made it this far last season but I love Cori Close and I’m siding with her in this one. LSU has been underwhelming to say the least and this prediction may be more about going against the Tigers than anything.

Baylor’s toughness and their bench really impress me. They are going to be physical and they have the guards for this one. Yes I do think there is a scenario where Juju goes crazy and wins the game herself but I watched their matchup with Kansas and wasn’t overly impressed with them as a team. Individual talent may be the best behind South Carolina but I think their lack of experience hurts them in this one.