USC star’s Michael Jordan shrug does not age well in March Madness loss to UConn

Forward Kiki Iriafen was leading USC's charge in March Madness after JuJu Watkins went down with an ACL injury.

USC star’s Michael Jordan shrug does not age well in March Madness loss to UConn

USC star Kiki Iriafen brought out a Michael Jordan shrug

Kiki Iriafen transferred to USC to try and win the NCAA Championship. Along with JuJu Watkins, the combination was turning out to be dangerous. This made them a favorite to breeze through March Madness.

They dominated their opening round game with a 46-point win. The next game was also expected to go a similar route. But five minutes into the game, JuJu Watkins collapsed to the floor writhing in pain. She had torn her ACL and was carried out to the medical room.

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Iriafen and the rest of the players stepped up and blew Mississippi State out of March Madness with a 96-59 win. They continued their winning run in the round of Sweet Sixteen and looked poised to battle hard against Paige Bueckers and UConn.

Once the ball tipped off, UConn jumped out to a lead. But Kiki Iriafen and her teammates started to claw back. With four minutes left in the first quarter, she received the ball, dribbled left and launched a shot. It went in, giving USC a 11-5 lead.

As soon as the ball went through, the senior forward brought out the Michael Jordan shrug. it seemed to indicate that she was enjoying toying with UConn and scoring at will. However, it was the last of her made field goals.

She did go to the foul line two more times and converted all four of her free throws. But UConn stepped up their defense and ensured the soon to be WNBA star did not have a great night. She finished with just ten points as USC lost this Elite Eight matchup 64-78, which means Iriafen’s shrug did not age well.

Will this loss impact Kiki Iriafen’s WNBA draft stock?

Before JuJu Watkins ended her season, Kiki Iriafen was essentially playing second fiddle. She was supposed to be the star to play alongside Watkins, but USC’s game plans usually start and end with the superstar guard.

This had an impact on the forward’s draft stock. Before this college season started, Iriafen was a lock in for the 2nd overall pick. As the season progressed, she started sliding down the board. Then after the Dallas Wings won the WNBA Draft lottery, her draft stock looked confusing.

Had the Los Angeles Sparks won the lottery as many expected, Iriafen sliding to the Wings at No. 2 was the most obvious choice. When that changed, the Wings traded for NaLyssa Smith to be their next forward. It meant, Iriafen’s landing spot was a question mark.

After Watkins went down, Kiki Iriafen became the de facto team leader, and her performances helped improve her stock. Then Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles‘ decision to stay in college gave another boost. Teams will be looking for both fit and need. Therefore, despite this lackluster performance, it is unlikely she will drop further than 4th.

Paige Bueckers’ lighting up March Madness ahead of WNBA draft

Kiki Iriafen might not have had the best of times facing the tough UConn defense. Her soon to be WNBA draft partner, Paige Bueckers on the other hand, had another night to remember. She was just coming off after setting her name into the Huskies history books.

Against USC, she knew it was not going to be that easy. Early on in the game, Bueckers did not have much role to play on the offensive front. Rather, she focused on her defense as she tried to execute head coach Geno Auriemma‘s gameplan.

Once the defense started to reap dividends, Paige Bueckers took over. She came off screens, dribbled her way away from defenders, found gaps to exploit and ended up scoring a game-high 31 points. She was impressively 50% from the field and 80% from free throws.

USC had no answer for that efficient display. If anything, this will go on to pile on the understanding that the Minnesota native is one of the best players. She will likely change the fortunes of the Dallas Wings next WNBA season.