After an exciting 2023-24 women’s college basketball season that saw the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks win their second title in three years, the 2024-25 season will certainly need some big-time games to match last year’s viewership numbers.

Fortunately, fans didn’t have to wait long before the NCAA announced the game – or should I say games – of the year.

The USC Trojans and UConn Huskies are expected to be heavyweights in women’s college basketball next season. Both teams are vying for a national title and feature some of the most talented players in the sport.

UConn, of course, brings Paige Bueckers, a 6-foot-4 defender who many considered the best player in college basketball last year behind Caitlin Clark. Meanwhile, USC will field JuJu Watkins, who took the NCAA by storm in her freshman season. The two will undoubtedly improve between last year and next, and the home-and-away games between the two schools could well provide a taste of the NCAA title game.

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Rivalry between USC and UConn?

Do these schools play each other often? Not at all, and that makes this series all the more exciting. The two schools have only faced each other three times in their history, with the Huskies holding a 3-0 advantage.

USC vs UConn Elite Eight duel:

The last time these schools faced each other was in the Elite Eight of last year’s March Madness tournament. Bueckers and the No. 3 seed Huskies were able to defeat the No. 1 seed Trojans by a final score of 80-73.

What did Watkins and Bueckers do last season?

Last season, Bueckers averaged 21.9 points per game and led UConn to a 33-6 record and a Final Four appearance. They were eventually defeated in the Final Four by Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Watkins, on the other hand, scored 27.1 points per game as a freshman.

What else do we know about this home-home series?

The excitement surrounding this matchup cannot be overstated and, according to Michael Mulvihill of FOX Sports, is heightened by the fact that the first game of the series features an NFL opening credits.

If that doesn’t scream “Game of the Year,” then nothing does.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USC and UConn women’s basketball teams announce must-see games starting in December