USC Women's Basketball Articles - Page 2

USC women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins has another trophy to add to her growing collection after winning the 2024-25 John R. Wooden Award, which is given to the most outstanding player in college basketball. Watkins has officially swept the Player of the Year honors, claiming both the Associated Press and Naismith College Player of the […]

When JuJu Watkins tore her ACL, the entire NCAA basketball world was in shock. USC women’s basketball took a massive hit with their sophomore guard being ruled out for the remainder of the tournament. However, Watkins joined College Gameday and explained her thought process heading into the recovery process. “I’m a firm believer in everything […]

USC women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins was named The Associated Press Women’s Basketball Player of the Year on Thursday, becoming the first player in Trojans’ history to receive the award. Watkins, a sophomore, accepted the honor via Zoom from Los Angeles. “I’m just so honored to be recognized in this fashion,” she said, as reported […]

USC women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins has added more hardware to her collection. After Watkins tore her ACL in the NCAA tournament, she won the 2025 Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year. The sophomore guard led the Trojans to first place in the Big Ten, as well as the regular season title. She also […]

USC women’s basketball standout Kiki Iriafen has secured an endorsement deal with Skechers Basketball two weeks before the 2025 WNBA Draft. Iriafen will play in the SKX Nexus when she takes the court as a professional for the first time, according to media personality Nick DePaula. The basketball sneaker is marketed as a breathable low-top […]

USC women’s basketball superstar JuJu Watkins was all smiles after the Trojans’ 67-61 Sweet 16 victory over Kansas State. It has been an emotional week for one of this sports’ brightest stars. Watkins tore her ACL in the second round against Mississippi State and has a long road to recovery ahead of her. While the […]

Although USC women’s basketball is without JuJu Watkins, it didn’t phase head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. She knew that her team was a No. 1 seed for a reason. While Watkins is a major proponent of that, her team is still one of the best in the country. Funny enough, they won the Big Ten regular […]

USC women’s basketball rolled without JuJu Watkins for the first time in March Madness. But hit a rare feat not seen since 1984. This feat even involves another iconic basketball star from the Land of Troy. USC is heading to consecutive Elite Eight appearances after knocking off Kansas State 67-61 Saturday in Spokane. The last […]

The NCAA tournament without JuJu Watkins looks unfamiliar since her ACL injury. To compensate for the loss, USC women’s basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb has inspired the team to soldier on without their star player. All eyes will be on USC as they prepare to take on Kansas State in the Sweet 16 on Saturday night. […]

Although upset with JuJu Watkins’ injury, Lindsay Gottlieb does not want to see fans aiming their anger at Mississippi State’s Chandler Prater. While Prater was involved in the play that hurt the USC basketball star, Gottlieb does not believe the fifth-year senior had any desire to cause the injury. Gottlieb said that she appreciates the […]

UConn women’s basketball head coach Geno Auriemma is no stranger to seeing elite players fall to injury and had empathetic words to offer USC women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb after star JuJu Watkins went down with a season-ending ACL tear. “I feel terrible for JuJu personally, knowing the players I’ve had that had to […]

UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers understands how brutal it was for JuJu Watkins to suffer a season-ending injury, having gone through one herself. Watkins tore her ACL in the USC Trojans’ second-round matchup against the Mississippi State Bulldogs this past Sunday. With her on the sidelines, it puts the Trojans’ title chances in danger as […]

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo are among those lamenting the absence of USC women’s basketball JuJu Watkins from the NCAA Tournament after her season-ending knee injury earlier this week. The sophomore guard, who averaged 27.1 points per game, will miss the remainder of March Madness, leaving a noticeable void in […]

Chelsea Gray can relate to what USC Trojans star JuJu Watkins is going through with her ACL injury, having dealt with a similar situation herself. Gray appeared as a special guest on an episode of the Run It Back podcast on Tuesday. She had dislocated her knee during her junior year at Duke which caused […]

Despite losing star sophomore JuJu Watkins to a season-ending knee injury in the opening minutes, USC women’s basketball advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 with a 96-59 win over Mississippi State on Monday night, led by Kiki Iriafen’s 36-point performance. Watkins went down on a fast break just five minutes into the second-round game […]

The USC women’s basketball team has earned a reputation for having resilience, depth, seasoned coaching, and the ability to compete at a high level. Despite the unfortunate injury to star JuJu Watkins, the team still possesses the traits needed to have a legitimate shot at winning the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Losing a player as dynamic […]

When JuJu Watkins tore her ACL on Monday, the USC women’s basketball program and the entire country were in shock. One of those was NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. He’s raved about Watkins’s game ever since she stepped onto the USC campus. He took to X (formerly Twitter) and posted a heartfelt response to […]

It was a painful time for the USC women’s basketball team as JuJu Watkins was injured early into Monday’s game against Mississippi State. While the team won the game 96-59 in the second round of the NCAA tournament, the Trojans star in Watkins will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL as […]

USC women’s basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb addressed her players with an emotional and inspiring locker room speech following a dominant 96-59 second-round win over Mississippi State in the NCAA Tournament, a win that was overshadowed by a serious injury to star guard JuJu Watkins. Watkins, an Associated Press All-American and leading scorer for the top-seeded […]

On Monday night, the powerhouse USC women’s basketball suffered a huge blow when their best player, JuJu Watkins, went down with what looked like a serious knee injury. And after taking care of business in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against the number nine Mississippi State Bulldogs, 96-59, the Trojans’ worst fears were […]

The No. 1 seed USC women’s basketball is playing against the No. 9 seed Mississippi State Bulldogs in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament Monday night. However, it seems that USC star sophomore JuJu Watkins will not be able to finish the contest after suffering an apparent lower-body injury in the first half […]

Lindsay Gottlieb, USC women’s basketball head coach, gave a candid assessment of why her team was ‘rusty’ in their NCAA Tournament opener after the Trojans routed UNC Greensboro 71-25 in the first round on Saturday at Galen Center. “Our players had a good energy about them beforehand,” Gottlieb said, per Los Angeles Times reporter Ryan […]

In the first round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament, USC easily handled UNC Greensboro but almost suffered the biggest loss of the entire competition. While star JuJu Watkins suffered an injury scare in the third quarter, the Big 10 Player of the Year insisted after the game she has no concerns. Despite limping into […]

USC women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins showed remarkable toughness and perseverance in Saturday’s NCAA Tournament game versus UNC Greensboro, but she also probably gave fans a big scare. The unanimous All-American guard rolled her ankle in the fourth quarter of the Trojans’ 71-25 trouncing of the Spartans and limped off the court, via CJ Fogler. […]

It is not often that a women’s college basketball player breaks through to mainstream media attention, but USC’s JuJu Watkins firmly fits that mold. Ahead of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, all eyes will be on Watkins and the Trojans as they seek their first national championship since 1984. Watkins is not the only star of […]

As the start of the NCAA Tournament approaches, women’s college basketball fans are hyping themselves up and making their “player to watch” picks. First Take analyst Stephen A. Smith is among those anticipating the high level of talent that will be displayed, and he’s making it known that he’ll be showing love to USC’s JuJu Watkins. […]

Stephen A. Smith is no stranger to confrontation, and this time he’s calling out USC women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. The day after Selection Sunday, Smith was asked about Gottlieb’s response to the Trojans’ placement as the fourth overall No.1 seed on an episode of First Take. The sports commentator did not mince his […]

USC women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb went off on the selection committee for her team’s March Madness draw. The Trojans received the fourth No. 1 seed and will now headline a loaded Spokane region. The program is led by superstar guard JuJu Watkins, who has made history several times this season. With a stellar […]

USC women’s basketball superstar JuJu Watkins has a habit of making memorable and historic moments, and she’s continued that trend heading into March Madness. After putting up 31 points against Indiana, 20 points versus Michigan, and 29 points on intracity rival UCLA throughout the Big Ten Tournament, Watkins has set a Trojan record for the […]

USC sophomore JuJu Watkins has signed an exclusive multi-year NIL deal with Fanatics and the company’s trading card division, Fanatics Collectibles. The agreement, which covers memorabilia and trading cards, is the first of its kind for a female college athlete. The deal will include items like autographed photos, basketballs, trading cards, and game-worn apparel, all […]

USC sophomore standout JuJu Watkins is leading the Trojans into the NCAA Tournament as the national player of the year favorite, which gives the squad at least a decent chance to make a significant impact, if not contend for the championship. The Trojans’ odds of success among a stacked group of competitors hinge heavily on […]

USC guard Juju Watkins is no stranger to receiving recognition for her talent. The superstar sophomore has already started to rack up accolades for this season, including one that was a unanimous decision, and she’s on the shortlist for many others. Watkins was outshone only by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese for the Player of […]

UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close believes both the Bruins and the Trojans deserve top seeds in the NCAA Tournament after No. 4 UCLA defeated No. 2 USC women’s basketball 72-67 in the Big Ten Tournament championship game Sunday in Minneapolis. The Bruins overcame a 13-point deficit and held USC to just four field goals […]

USC women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb praised the competitive drive of her top players like JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen ahead of Sunday’s Big Ten championship game against rival UCLA, emphasizing the qualities that have carried the Trojans through their conference tournament run. “I think our players are insanely competitive and they do have […]

Days before the Big Ten tournament, USC women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb issued a challenge to her team. In the following days, the team has responded to her call. They took down the Michigan Wolverines, 82-70 in Saturday’s contest. As a result, they will await the winner of Ohio State and UCLA basketball. There […]

USC women’s basketball enters the Big Ten Tournament as the top seed after sweeping rival UCLA and winning the regular-season title. Despite their success, head coach Lindsay Gottlieb is urging her team to stay focused on the immediate challenge rather than looking ahead to a potential rematch with UCLA in Sunday’s championship game. “You’ve got […]

USC women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins’ dominant performance in the No. 4 Trojan’s 80-67 victory over No. 2 UCLA on Saturday night caught the attention of basketball legend Magic Johnson, who was among those praising the Trojans’ star after the game. Johnson, a longtime supporter of Los Angeles basketball, acknowledged Watkins on social media following […]

JuJu Watkins continued her dominance against UCLA women’s basketball, scoring 30 points in No. 4 USC’s 80-67 win over the No. 2 Bruins on Saturday night. The win secured USC’s first Big Ten regular-season title in its debut season and extended Watkins’ historic streak against UCLA,  that which reflects an historic streak set by former […]

USC women’s basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb had high praise for star JuJu Watkins following the Trojans’ 80-67 win over No. 2 UCLA on Saturday night, calling her a player with “stuff no one can teach.” Watkins led No. 4 USC (26-2, 17-1 Big Ten) to its first Big Ten regular-season title, scoring 30 points while […]