Tag: Juju Watkins

Watch Nike’s terrific Super Bowl ad with Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson and 7 other stars

Currently running through a brick wall.

Nike really put a whole bunch of superstar women athletes in a commercial, and it’s glorious.

Let me say the quiet parts out loud: it’s been a long time since I’ve been totally stoked about a Super Bowl commercial. However, I’ll be talking about Nike’s “So Win” commercial for a while.

This thing has some serious heavy hitters, including WNBA elites Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu, tennis great Aryna Sabalenka, college sensation JuJu Watkins, soccer stars Sophia Smith and Alexia Putellas plus Olympians Jordan Chiles and Sha’Carri Richardson. WHAT?!

AD METER 2025: Sign up to rate all the commercials from the big game!

If that wasn’t enough, the ad is narrated by rap sensation Doechii. I’m currently trying not to scream all over again just thinking about it. Here’s Nike’s first Super Bowl ad in over 25 years:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DF32H4aywnq/?igsh=MXVvMW9rZzcweHRzaA==

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Lauren Betts makes her case for National Player of the Year

JuJu Watkins is an amazing basketball player. Lauren Betts, in 2025, has set an even higher standard thus far this season.

If you had to pick one player for the 2025 National Player of the Year in women’s college basketball, who would it be? Los Angeles has two of the top candidates. One is JuJu Watkins of USC. The other is Lauren Betts of UCLA. Given everything we have seen so far this season, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make the argument for JuJu Watkins. This is Lauren Betts’ award to lose at this point. Would anyone seriously debate this? Just consider what Betts did in her most recent game:

The superstar junior scored 24 points over 18 minutes of action in the first half. The Bruins needed all of Betts’ scoring, as they led just 39-34 at halftime on Sunday. Betts went 11-12 from the field and put on a masterclass on how to establish positioning in the post in the first 20 minutes.

Betts totaled the 24 first-half points with only two free throw attempts; Maryland was unable to slow her down. The Terrapins didn’t send too many double-teams at Betts, which was a surprise due to the way she was out-muscling their defense.

This wasn’t the only game Betts completely dominated on UCLA’s just-concluded three-game road trip to the East Coast. In a win over Baylor in Newark, New Jersey, on January 20, Betts delivered a 24, 9 and 9 masterclass (points, rebounds, blocked shots).

The production is great, but what matters about the production is the impact it has on games. Betts is scoring in spite of defenses game-planning to stop her. Her prowess in the paint creates open 3-pointers for teammates. She also finds cutters to the basket for more UCLA points. Her defense, rebounding, power and length are nearly impossible for opposing centers to match up against. Betts is having a large domino effect on just about every game she plays.

JuJu Watkins is similar to Betts in that she has an opponent’s full attention and is often swarmed. JuJu does play excellent defense, too, and she helps out on the boards as well. Yet, Betts plainly rebounds and blocks shots at a higher level than JuJu while scoring over 20 points per game. It’s not as though JuJu is falling short in any meaningful way; Lauren Betts is simply raising the bar.

JuJu Watkins is tremendous and sometimes spectacular. Lauren Betts is managing to eclipse JuJu’s very high standard. It isn’t a question of one player lacking something; it’s a matter of the other player somehow doing even more.

USC women’s basketball gets a lift from bench in win over Purdue

USC needed a boost from the bench against Purdue. Avery Howell stepped up in a big way.

Another game, another victory for USC women’s basketball. This time, the USC bench stepped up, and Avery Howell led the way. On Wednesday, the Women of Troy traveled to West Lafayette and made the Purdue Boilermakers their latest victim. USC outscored Purdue by an incredible 31-2 margin in the second quarter. Thanks to that run, the game was largely out of hand by halftime, with the Trojans cruising to a 79-37 triumph.

It was a relatively quiet night for Juju Watkins, by her own lofty standards at least. Watkins had “only” 16 points and seven rebounds in the victory—tied for her lowest scoring output of the season. Whatever slack needed to be picked up was done by USC’s freshmen. Avery Howell had a game-high 18 points off the bench, and Kennedy Smith added 12 of her own.

On Sunday versus Indiana, the USC bench scored zero points in 27 total minutes. The freshmen who are such a key part of this team — and will be called upon in upcoming big games against Ohio State and UCLA, on the road to March Madness — simply didn’t show up versus Indiana. After a week off, the freshmen reserves lost some sharpness. It was important that they get back on track against Purdue. Howell, who hit four 3-pointers and made six free throws, answered the call for the Women of Troy.

The USC bench, after playing just 27 total minutes against Indiana, played 75 minutes against Purdue. This is more like the standard the Trojans expect to establish on a regular basis.

USC women’s basketball analyst reviews Penn State win, JuJu Watkins’ elite performance

Our USC women’s basketball analyst, CeCe Clay, has another 10-minute video breaking down the Trojans’ 22-point win over Penn State.

USC women’s basketball is still a work in progress. There are facets of basketball in which the Trojans need to improve as they continue with their season. However, the Women of Troy are doing a lot of things right. At 16-1 and 6-0 in the Big Ten, their season is very much on schedule in the middle of January. JuJu Watkins definitely played like a superstar this past Sunday against Penn State, hitting 13 of 15 field goals and pouring in 35 points while also pulling down 11 rebounds. That’s elite ball. USC women’s basketball analyst Cece Clay, who is working with us on our Trojans: Wired podcasts during this women’s hoops season, has produced another 10-minute TikTok game review segment on her channel.

CeCe looks at JuJu Watkins’ majestic performance and highlights how well she and Kiki Iriafen played against Penn State. Iriafen scored 28 points, meaning that she and JuJu combined for 63 of USC’s 95 points. That’s the 1-2 punch the Trojans hoped for when this season began.

As we noted above, however, this is still a team which has not reached its ceiling. There are ways for this group to improve. CeCe focused on a few items, one key pressure point being the need to stop the ball and contain opposing guards on the dribble.

Get that and a lot more in this detail-rich, analytics-filled analysis from CeCe. Be sure to check out our latest podcast in which CeCe provides an additional evaluation of the Penn State game. We also talk about the week off this team will get due to the postponement of the game against Northwestern. We include a final segment on this Sunday’s upcoming road game versus Indiana.

USC women’s basketball cruises past Penn State, JuJu Watkins scores 35

JuJu Watkins hit 13 of 15 shots against Penn State. Seems pretty good.

USC women’s basketball came home to Los Angeles a few days ago after a long road trip to the East Coast. USC players returned to a grieving L.A. community grappling with the enormity of devastation created by the wildfires which have caused so much loss in the city. A number of Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers games have been adjusted on the NBA schedule. The same goes for the Kings in the NHL. USC and Penn State went ahead with their game Sunday evening in the Galen Center. JuJu Watkins wanted to entertain USC fans. She certainly did that and more.

Watkins poured in 35 points on 13-of-15 shooting. The magnificent, superstar-quality display lifted USC to a 95-73 win over Penn State. The victory pushed USC to 6-0 in Big Ten play, half a game ahead of 5-0 UCLA and Ohio State. The Trojans are 16-1 on the season and look like a team which will contend for a No. 1 seed in the Women’s NCAA Tournament. USC’s floor for a March Madness seed appears to be No. 2. It’s hard to see this team being anything less than a No. 2 seed on Selection Sunday.

What will help USC contend for a No. 1 seed and a Big Ten championship is Kiki Iriafen playing well. JuJu Watkins led the charge for USC against Penn State, but Iriafen joined the fun, scoring 28 points in one of her better performances this year. JuJu and Kiki combined for 63 points. Anything close to that on a regular basis will make USC a very, very tough out in March.

USC’s scheduled game on Wednesday against Northwestern has been postponed. The Trojans get a week off. Players will get a chance to do community outreach in Los Angeles at a time when sports is secondary to everything else happening in this city.

Who says USC women’s basketball can’t win the Big Ten in Year 1?

USC women’s basketball looks the part. There’s not a lot else to say.

On Wednesday night, USC women’s basketball earned another top-10 victory, taking down No. 8 Maryland on the road 79-74. It was the second time this season the No. 4 Trojans took down a top-10 team on the road, having previously beaten No. 7 UConn. USC is one of three Big Ten teams still undefeated in conference play, along with No. 1 UCLA and No. 9 Ohio State.

Obviously, there is still a ton of basketball left to be played, but at this point, the question must be asked: Why can’t the Women of Troy win the Big Ten in their first season in the conference?

A year after winning the Pac-12 Tournament and advancing to the Elite Eight, USC looks even better this season. Juju Watkins, Kiki Iriafen, and Kennedy Smith are all averaging in double figures, while Rayah Marshall continues to be a rebounding machine. Right now, the Trojans look like one of the best teams in the country.

The schedule is not going to be easy. USC still has to play five more games against opponents currently in the top 25, including two rivalry showdowns with top-ranked UCLA.

Right now, the Women of Troy look every bit the part of a team capable of cutting down the nets in Indianapolis come March.

Stars show out for USC women’s basketball at first-ever Big Ten home game

USC pulled in over 8,000 fans for its first-ever Big Ten women’s basketball home game against Michigan. There was star power in the Galen Center crowd, too.

On Sunday evening, USC women’s basketball defeated Michigan 78-58. The game was close early, but the Trojans pulled away late thanks to a big second half. It was a historic night for the program, as the Women of Troy played their first ever Big Ten home game. Fittingly, numerous stars showed out at Galen Center for the occasion.

USC legend Cheryl Miller has become a regular at Trojans’ home games during the Gottlieb era. Of course, she was on hand for the program’s Big Ten premiere.

Miller was not the only former USC athlete on hand, though. Legendary USC quarterback Matt Leinart, who led the football team to two national championships and won the 2004 Heisman Tropny, was also in the house.

On the coaching side, current USC men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman made the familiar trip to Galen Center. Musselman’s Trojans are currently 9-4 on the season, and will continue Big Ten play with their own matchup against the Wolverines on Saturday evening.

It was not just sports figures who showed up, however. Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea was also in the house.

Between the crowd and the victory, it was a great night for the Women of Troy. USC will be back in action on New Year’s Day when they host Nebraska.

Honors roll in for Juju Watkins after USC takes down UConn

JuJu Watkins played like a superstar against UConn and was richly rewarded for her performance.

On Saturday night, the USC women’s basketball team earned a statement victory over UConn on the road. Following the performance, accolades and recognition have begun to come in for the Trojans. At the center of it all has been star sophomore guard Juju Watkins.

On Monday, Watkins was named the Big Ten Player of the Week. On Tuesday, she followed that up by earning national player of the week honors from both the AP and USBWA.

It was Watkins’ second time this season earning both honors. It is obviously still very early with the vast majority of conference play yet to be played, but at this point, she is widely considered the favorite to win Big Ten player of the year.

With the victory over UConn, the Trojans also rose to No. 4 in the AP Poll. The three teams ahead of USC are No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 South Carolina, and No. 3 Notre Dame.

With their nonconference slate complete, the Women of Troy will now gear up for the heart of their Big Ten schedule. Up next is a matchup with No. 23 Michigan at Galen Center on Sunday night.

USC women’s basketball’s victory over UConn proves last season wasn’t a one-off

USC showed real staying power in women’s college basketball by beating UConn. The Trojans are here to stay. They’re not going anywhere.

On Saturday night, USC women’s basketball took down UConn 72-70 in a highly-anticipated, top-10 showdown.

It was a statement victory for Lindsay Gottlieb and the Trojans. Coming off of last season’s Slite Eight run, USC entered 2024-2025 with the program’s highest expectations in decades. However, in their only other game of the season against a top 15 opponent, the Women of Troy were upset at home by Notre Dame.

Heading into Saturday’s matchup, the 2024-2025 USC team had yet to prove that they could beat an elite opponent. Against UConn, the Trojans did just that, putting together a gutsy performance to grind out a victory on the road in a hostile environment.

In addition to earning a major resume boost, USC made a statement by beating UConn. They proved that last season’s run to the Elite Eight was not a one-off.

Last season was obviously an incredible one for the USC women’s basketball program. While the expectation was that the Women of Troy would build off of that success, you can never be certain of such in today’s landscape of college sports. While USC returned superstar Juju Watkins and added several key players in the transfer portal, the Trojans did lose three of five starters from last year’s team.

Saturday night, however, but to bed the notion that the Women of Troy would be a one-hit wonder. By taking down the sport’s premier program of the past two decades, USC proved that this program under Gottlieb is a force to be reckoned with. And if the current trend is any indication, that will be the case for years to come.

Paige Bueckers stared down JuJu Watkins as UConn-USC birthed the year’s best women’s basketball rivalry

Paige Bueckers mean-mugged JuJu Watkins, but the USC star got the last laugh.

A lot of folks were watching football on Saturday, and for good reason. There were two NFL games on crucial to the playoff chase, and three College Football Playoff games.

But the folks who tuned into FOX on Saturday night for a star-studded and highly anticipated women’s basketball clash were not disappointed. In every way, UConn versus USC delivered.

Aside from this non-conference matchup being between two teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll, and two teams expected to compete for spots in the Final Four, the Huskies’ battle with the Trojans featured two of the best players in the country in Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins. The two of them, along with Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, will likely finish in the top three for the National Player of the Year race.

The battle between Bueckers and Watkins more than lived up to the hype as the two of them traded baskets, assists, big-time plays and signature moments.

For Bueckers, one of them came during the third quarter, when she drained a 3-pointer with Watkins closing in on her. Bueckers then stared Watkins down after the ball swished through net in a swaggering way that only Bueckers could.

Earlier in the quarter, Watkins stuffed Bueckers’ shot and then scored on her on the other end, showing off her elite athleticism, instincts and unwillingness to back down from Bueckers.

And Watkins had the last laugh as her Trojans won a down-to-the-wire thriller in the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, 72-70, giving USC some redemption after losing to UConn in the Elite Eight last year. Fans absolutely loved to see two of the sport’s biggest stars clashing again.

In this one, Bueckers finished with 22 points, two assists and three rebounds, while Watkins had 25 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks. An argument could be made that Watkins outplayed Bueckers on her home floor.

But what is inarguable is that the matchup between them more than lived up to the hype.

If we’re lucky, this is only the beginning of a budding rivalry between USC and UConn. If we’re really lucky, we’ll see these two face-off again in March Madness for the second consecutive season.

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