JuJu Watkins destroys No. 1 UCLA with epic performance for USC

USA Today

14-02-2025

JuJu Watkins destroys No. 1 UCLA with epic performance for USC JuJu Watkins is elite in masterclass display versus UCLA
USC beat Ohio State several days ago despite the fact that JuJu Watkins went just 5 of 21 from the field. In order for USC women's basketball to defeat No. 1 and unbeaten UCLA on Thursday, the odds were low that the Trojans could pull off a win with their best player struggling to make shots. Sure enough, JuJu Watkins was not about to lose to UCLA. The Los Angeles native takes these games against the Bruins personally, and that was all JuJu needed to return to the elite level of performance she expects from herself.
After struggling for several games, JuJu Watkins once again played like the superstar player she is. USC's defense was tremendous in the final 17 minutes against UCLA, powering the Trojans to a 71-60 win over the Bruins. However, JuJu Watkins carried USC. She put this team on her back, and the Women of Troy would not have prevailed if JuJu had remained in her prolonged shooting slump.
JuJu Watkins put the past few weeks behind her. She achieved a mental reset and played with her customary confidence once again. Hitting early-game 3-pointers was all she needed to regain -- and maintain -- the right frame of mind on the court. JuJu never really cooled off. She remained the best player on the floor for nearly all 40 minutes. UCLA's National Player of the Year candidate, Lauren Betts, dominated the middle third of this game, but it was all JuJu in both the first and fourth quarters. USC's best player bookended this game with dazzling brilliance, and now USC -- at 12-1 in the Big Ten -- owns first place in the conference over the 11-1 Bruins.
There's a lot to unpack about JuJu Watkins' performance. We will do that and then add some reactions from fans and evaluate what this win means for USC women's basketball:
Superstar
38 points, 11 rebounds, 8 blocked shots, 5 assists, 6 made 3-pointers, 8 made free throws. Holy moly! JuJu Watkins dominated virtually every facet of this game. Offense, defense, shooting, hustle plays, passing, rebounding -- JuJu did it all. It's as great a performance as you will find anywhere in women's college basketball this season.
Put on the cape
JuJu really was Wonder Woman or SuperGirl or whatever comic-book heroine you prefer. She was the only USC player to score in the second quarter. She scored 30 points before any of her USC teammates had scored 10. (Only one teammate, Kiki Iriafen, finished with at least 10 points. Kiki scored 13.) JuJu kept USC in this game before the Trojans' defense locked up UCLA in the fourth quarter.
Rest makes best
JuJu Watkins was struggling the previous few weeks because she had just one day off between games. We say one day off, not two, because when one day on a calendar is occupied by travel from one game location to another, it's not really a rest day. Travel is difficult. A true rest day is when an athlete can just stay in her room and relax. USC was flying from Los Angeles to Iowa to Wisconsin and back to LA over the past few weeks. The Trojans played a lot of games without much of a break. JuJu looked physically and mentally fatigued.
This UCLA game was played after a four-day layoff, and with USC not having to travel anywhere. Rest was the best thing JuJu Watkins could have asked for. She looked like a completely different player.
Lindsay Gottlieb
Lindsay Gottlieb played JuJu Watkins only 26 points on February 5 at Wisconsin because she knew she needed JuJu to save some energy for the February 8 game versus Ohio State. Gottlieb accurately sensed that she needed to give JuJu some physical relief during the grueling stretch on USC's schedule. Once JuJu was able to get through the Ohio State game, she was able to rest up and refuel. Gottlieb expertly managed JuJu's workload the past few weeks, and deserves great credit for that.
JuJu Watkins, the UCLA killer
Check this out: JuJu Watkins has played four games against UCLA. In all four games, she has posted a minimum of 27 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, and 2 steals. That's crazy. JuJu Watkins lives for these big LA moments. She relishes beating UCLA more than just about anything else.
USC is doing remarkable things
USC beat Ohio State -- a top-20 team -- by 21 points despite JuJu Watkins going 5 of 21 from the field, and despite the fact that the Trojans coughed up 23 turnovers. That seems impossible, but USC pulled it off.
Thursday against UCLA, the Trojans won by 11 over the No. 1 team in the country even though Kiki Iriafen and Kennedy Smith combined to hit just 5 of 22 shots. Again, it doesn't seem possible, but the Trojans did it.
First place in the Big Ten
USC now moves half a game ahead of UCLA in the Big Ten women's basketball race. The Trojans didn't win the Big Ten title, but they avoided falling behind by two games to the Bruins. It's a near certainty at this point that the Big Ten title will be decided in the USC-UCLA rematch on Saturday, March 1, in Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus.
NCAA Tournament seeding
USC made a big argument for a No. 1 seed in March Madness. USC is not a lock -- far from it -- but if the Trojans can beat UCLA a second time, they just might get that No. 1 seed. USC will definitely play UCLA a second time. The Trojans might play UCLA a third time at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. Whether they get a third crack at the Bruins or not, the Trojans will significantly improve their No. 1 seed odds if they beat UCLA a second time.
Next game demands total focus
USC needs to get plenty of rest on Friday before flying up the coast to Seattle on Saturday. The Trojans need to be mentally fresh -- and prepared -- for the Sunday road trip at Washington. No letdowns, no complacency. The Trojans will need Kiki Iriafen, Kennedy Smith, and the rest of their lineup to perform well after JuJu Watkins carried the team against UCLA. If USC can avoid an upset loss in Seattle, the Trojans will be in LA for the rest of the regular season and should be able to enter the UCLA rematch on March 1 with everything to play for.