2025 storylines to watch as women’s college basketball heats up
UCLA is the only undefeated team, but USC and JuJu Watkins loom in the new-look Big Ten. The SEC is still strong, while Notre Dame and TCU also look like contenders for the Final Four.
USC women’s basketball’s JuJu Watkins continued her strong sophomore season with another highly productive performance in USC’s 71-60 win over No. 1 UCLA on Thursday night.
Watkins, who entered the game averaging 23.9 points and 6.9 rebounds with 3.5 assists per game this season, nearly singlehandedly carried the Trojans to a win over the No. 1 team in the country Thursday night. Watkins logged 38 points, and USC finished with just one other player with double digits in the contest (Kiki Iriafen, 11 points). In addition, Watkins completed a double-double late with her 10th rebound (she would add one more), and she logged five assists as well.
The 6-foot-2 guard emerged as one of the top players in college basketball early as a freshman last season, as she finished her first college year averaging 27.1 points per game. Although she has taken a small step back in production as a sophomore, she’s still easily one of the top contenders for player of the year, with Thursday’s performance further catapulting her up the list of favorites.
Here’s a look at Watkins’ full stat line from the Trojans’ 71-60 win over the Bruins on Thursday:
JuJu Watkins points tonight
Here’s Watkins’ full stats against UCLA:
- Points: 38
- Rebounds: 11
- Assists: 5
- Shooting: 12-26 (6-9 3-point shooting)
- Steals: 1
- Blocks: 8
- Fouls: 1
JuJu Watkins stats
Here are Watkins’ year-by-year stat averages in college:
- 2023-24: 27.1 points and 7.3 rebounds with 3.3 assists per game on 40.1% shooting. 2.3 steals and 1.6 blocks per game.
- 2024-25 (Entering Thursday): 23.9 points and 6.7 rebounds with 3.5 assists per game on 43% shooting. 2.2 steals and 1.7 blocks per game.