Kiki Iriafen vs. Ayoka Lee is the most intriguing matchup of the Sweet 16

When JuJu Watkins went down early in USC's second-round game against Mississippi State with a torn ACL, the team needed someone to step up. Kiki Iriafen was that someone.

The 6-foot-3 forward scored a season-high 36 points on 16-for-22 shooting in the victory, taking over with Watkins sidelined and reminding everyone why she has been viewed, at times, as a potential WNBA lottery pick.

But things get a lot tougher very soon for USC, as the Trojans face Kansas State in the Sweet 16. The Wildcats are also led by a dominant big in Ayoka Lee and like the Trojans, Kansas State is in the midst of adjusting their rotation because of an injury.

For K-State though, that adjustment is one of re-inserting a now-healthy player into the fold. And that player? It's Lee, whose return last weekend was the shot of adrenaline that the program needed to get to the Sweet 16.

It all sets up the most interesting matchup of this week: Iriafen vs Lee.

The most interesting matchup of the Sweet 16

Before landing at USC this season, Kiki Iriafen was establishing herself as a star at Stanford. After playing sparingly in her first two seasons, the 2023-24 season was a breakout campaign for Iriafen, who averaged 19.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. Paired with Cameron Brink, Iriafen and the Cardinal suffered a surprising loss in the Sweet 16.

As for Lee, various injuries have impacted her time at Kansas State, including missing a full season with a knee injury. This year, she suffered a fractured foot in January that knocked her out for the bulk of K-State's conference schedule. The result was that the Wildcats went from battling TCU for the conference title to finishing fourth in the Big 12.

Lee made her return in the first round against Fairfield, playing 15 minutes and scoring 17 points. She scaled that up to 28 minutes against Kentucky, scoring 16 points while tying her season-high of 18 field goal attempts.

Now, we get a Sweet 16 matchup where the two best players on the floor are both adjusting in some way. Lee will likely be asked to play the most she's played since the injury and has by far her toughest individual matchups, as the Trojans can alternate throwing Iriafen and Rayah Marshall at her. Can Lee find a way to dominate inside against USC's size? Will her foot hold up? How many minutes can Kansas State realistically expect from her?

And then on the USC side, Iriafen has to show that her star showing against Mississippi State was for real. With Watkins sidelined, the fate of the Trojans lies in Iriafen's hands. Other players will need to step up as well, but if Iriafen can't figure out how to score with Lee guarding her, USC won't win this game.

It's unclear how often these two will be matched up directly on each other, but they both enter the Sweet 16 shouldering massive responsibility. There's no more compelling storyline than how these two star players will need to adjust on Saturday night to get their teams to the Elite Eight.