The NCAA is missing one of it’s biggest stars this March, as Juju Watkins continues to heal from ACL surgery. It was only in the second round of last year’s tournament that Watkins went down with the injury, ending her season too early and sitting her out for the next. It’s hard not to think about what we are missing out on when thinking about Watkins not being involved in this year’s March Madness tournament.
One thing is for sure: when Juju Watkins does come back, it will be epic. In the meantime, here are some of her best moments.
When Juju scored 38 points to beat UCLA:
One of the best parts of Juju’s first two seasons at USC was definitely the rivalry between her team and their neighbours, UCLA. The fate of having both of these teams be so strong at the same time made this rivalry so incredibly thrilling to watch, and every game was must-see action. Not just being conference foes, but both being schools in LA turned up the intensity well.
One of the best performances Watkins had in a game against UCLA, and also so far in her career, was on February 14, 2025. Both USC and UCLA were barrelling toward the postseason as Big-10 favorites and National Championship contenders. The games they played in the regular season would set the stage for an intense clash in March, but were also just thrilling games on their own.
Going into this game, UCLA was the No. 1 team in the country. Watkins went in there, scored 38 of her team’s 71 points, and completely dominated the second half. Her teammates did not make a shot for half of the game. She added 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 8 impressive blocks as a guard to lead her team to victory.
Watkins scores 51 points against Stanford
Juju’s 38 points against UCLA is not her career-high, either. In her freshman season at USC, Watkins scored an incredibly impressive 51 points in a game against Stanford. Mind you, this was a Stanford team that still had Cameron Brink on their roster, making this achievement even more impressive for the freshman.
Her 51 points in this win ended up being the highest point total for any Division I player that year, and set a new USC single game record. To this day, it is her career-high in points in a single game.
When Juju led USC to the FINAL PAC-12 Championship
There have been a lot of changes in college conferences over the past few years, and one of the biggest was the dissolution of the PAC-12. Juju Watkins played in the PAC-12 for just one season, her freshman year, and capped off the legacy of the iconic conference with a bang.
When the season ended, Watkins led the Trojans to a conference title, becoming the last school to hold the trophy before the league folded. It was USC’s first conference title in a decade, and they went on to make it to the Elite 8 in March Madness. She ended up winning Freshman of the Year both in the PAC-12 and nationally.
If all of these incredible achievements, records, championships, and wins all happened in just two seasons for Watkins, there is no telling what could be in store for her next year. 2026-2027 could be her last season in college as well, depending on whether she decides to use her redshirt year of eligibility or just head to the WNBA in the 2027 WNBA draft. Watkins is the kind of player who makes you soak in every second you get to watch her thrive, and we are so excited to see the comeback journey she embarks on.
