USC had an outstanding week on the hardwood. Juju Watkins played her tail off yet again, and the Big Ten was watching intently.
Watkins was dialed in against top-ranked UCLA last week. In 39 minutes, she dropped 38 points, 11 rebounds, and eight blocks, with five assists to boot. Her do-everything performance sealed up Big Ten Player of the Week honors.
The USC star followed up her prolific efforts with 17 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in a 69-64 win over Washington. But that effort against the top-ranked Bruins put her on the map yet again.
The Big Ten announced the honor in a release.
Watkins has been widely regarded as one of the brightest young stars in women’s college basketball. In 2023, the former Sierra Canyon High School standout ranked at the top of ESPN’s high school recruiting rankings. USC pulled off a coup when they landed her and second-ranked recruit Mikaylah Williams.
Watkins quickly emerged as one of the best players in the sport as a freshman. She averaged 27.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last year on 40.1 percent from the floor. Thus far this season, she’s scored 24.2 points per game, pulled down 6.9 rebounds per game, and upped her assist and block numbers while seeing a small decrease in her steals per game. Still, marks of 3.6, 2.1, and 1.9 for assists, steals, and blocks is nothing to frown over.
Entering the day, USC is 23-2 and leads the Big Ten in their first season in the conference. Southern Cal, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington all fled the Pac-12 for the Big Ten last summer. While USC didn’t meet the moment on the gridiron, its women’s basketball team sure is on the hardwood. The Trojans are expected to be a significant favorite in the upcoming NCAA Tournament next month. Watkins is a crucial reason why.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022