Did USC’s JuJu Watkins prove herself as national Player of the Year in statement win?

LOS ANGELES — The celebrities were out at the Galen Center as USC hosted its undefeated crosstown rival UCLA in a top-10 showdown. Vanessa and Natalia Bryant were in attendance, as were Flea, Issa Rae, Kevin Hart, and Los Angeles Sparks Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby. Not to mention actor Sanaa Lathan, who JuJu Watkins personally shouted out postgame for her iconic role as a Trojans basketball star in “Love and Basketball.”

No matter how many icons dotted the sidelines, it was Watkins who was the star. The best and brightest in Los Angeles came to see her put on a show, and Watkins delivered.

“It’s really a dream come true,” Watkins said of playing on this stage. “And when you have people like that show up, you can’t disappoint.”

The sophomore finished the night with 38 points, 11 rebounds, and eight blocks in USC’s 71-60 victory. It was her second-highest scoring total of the season (behind her 40 points against California Baptist) and her career-best in blocks. Her previous high was five rejections. She became the first Division I player to post 35 points, 5 blocks and 5 assists in a game in the last 20 seasons.

Entering Thursday’s matchup, Cori Close stumped for her star Lauren Betts as the Big Ten and national Player of the Year, saying, “I really do believe she’s been the most consistently impactful player on both sides of the ball.” It was fitting that Watkins had her finest performance of the season showing her versatility on both ends, punctuated by being able to help shut down Betts.

Watkins affects every facet of the game in every area of the court. Early on, she helped USC build an early lead with her jumper. Perhaps because Watkins had been shooting poorly from long range – she had made eight 3-pointers in her last six games on 22.9 percent shooting – the Bruins chose to go under on screens to guard against her drives. Every time a defender gave her the extra space, Watkins launched, making 6 of 7 3s in the first half.

By the time she had made her fifth triple, she had 19 points, outscoring UCLA on her own to put USC up 14. After the Bruins clawed back and tied the game with a minute left in the second quarter, she isolated on Londynn Jones and elevated for her sixth make to keep the Trojans ahead at the break.

“We’ll be talking about this with our coaching staff years from now,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said after the game, “JuJu’s just heroic shot-making and effort and intensity, especially coming after the million questions she gets when it’s not perfect out there.”

As the tenor of the game changed, Watkins evolved in real time. UCLA threw four different defenders at her in single coverage in the first half, and she found her way past each of them. Gabriela Jaquez could be moved with a screen, freshman Kendall Dudley bit on Watkins’ fakes, and Janiah Barker wasn’t disciplined enough to keep track of Watkins’ movement.

Watkins had some initial difficulty with Londynn Jones despite nearly a foot advantage in height, as Jones used her speed and fast hands to disrupt Watkins’ handle. The USC sophomore had to keep the ball a little higher and get to her shot more quickly. In the fourth quarter, Watkins finally figured out Jones’ reaching pattern and baited her defender into fouling her on a rip-through; those free throws kickstarted a 9-0 run that decided the game.

Watkins also figured out more ways to impact the game defensively. Early on, she was flying at Jones to close out at the 3-point line, knowing that Jones is a better shooter from outside the arc than in. However, those aggressive closeouts gave Jones the time to step into pull-up jumpers with no contest. Watkins was more measured in the second half, avoiding the urge to leap and get out of position so that Jones couldn’t dribble past her. With the jumper no longer available to her, Jones tried to drive at Watkins, but Watkins was easily able to contain those forays to the rim.

Gottlieb also called on Watkins to be more active in help defense in the second half, as Betts was getting too comfortable in isolation. She told Watkins she needed to be smart about when to bring the double, but Watkins had already picked up on Betts’ tendencies.

“Betts is just an anomaly, so it was just important that (the bigs) knew the guards had their back as well, and we’re all linked together,” Watkins said. “I was able to get my hands on a lot of Betts’ shots when it came down to the stretch of it. Just any way I can help out defensively, I’m down to do it.”

In addition to Betts, Watkins rotated over multiple times to get rejections on Kiki Rice, backing up Kennedy Smith, who was applying aggressive ball pressure on Rice at the point of attack. All of those blocks created transition opportunities the other way, and Watkins was impossible to stop with a head of steam. In addition to her seven free throw attempts in the second half, Watkins also had three assists in transition, all resulting in layups.

The Bruins came into the game with a plan to make Watkins beat them from distance. When she proved capable of doing that, they tried to deny her the ball altogether. That forced Watkins to create possessions with her defense, forcing turnovers and getting out in transition. Whatever move the Bruins made, Watkins had a counter. She delivered the last blow, spearheading a 24-8 fourth quarter with her playmaking on both ends of the floor.

this sequence >>> pic.twitter.com/PH3KyIG7Xo

— USC Women’s Basketball (@USCWBB) February 14, 2025

“It has been a tough couple weeks for me, but I’m just staying true to the process,” Watkins said. “There’s a lesson in everything and I think that is to always stay joyful in the course.”

In her second season, Watkins hasn’t had the exclamation points that defined her first, be it the debut game against Ohio State or dropping 51 in Maples Pavilion against Stanford. But she has still produced at the highest of levels and affected winning in a way that few else can, building on her first-team All-America campaign from a year ago.

Thursday was her headliner, a marquee performance to highlight her case for the national Player of the Year. No better time or place to showcase her skills than in a rivalry game against the No. 1 team in the country.

(Photo of JuJu Watkins: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)