JuJu Watkins returns as No. 3 USC women rout UNLV 100-68
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The gist
USC senior guard JuJu Watkins scored 21 points in her first game in 588 days as No.
Her return, plus a 118-40 home rout, makes the Trojans a team to watch.
Background
JuJu Watkins is a senior guard for No. 3 USC women's basketball and was the 2024 USBWA Freshman of the Year (an award for the nation's top first-year player). She was injured March 24, 2025 and missed the entire 2025-26 season, entering this season with 1,709 career points through 67 games. Her return is the reason the Trojans' opener drew attention: USC scored 100 points in a season opener for the first time since 1985-86, the last time the program reached the Final Four. The USC men, ranked No. 21, also opened with a 95-63 win over Milwaukee at Galen Center.
How it unfolded
- Nov 2, 2026No. 3 USC women beat UNLV 100-68 in a Hall of Fame Series game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas; Watkins scored 21 points in 21 minutes in her first official game in 588 days.
- Nov 2, 2026No. 21 USC men beat Milwaukee 95-63 at Galen Center, led by Adonis Ratliff's 25 points and Alijah Arenas' 21.
- Nov 7, 2026USC announced its women's home opener against Utah State for Sunday, Nov. 8 at 5 p.m. PT at Galen Center on Big Ten Network.
- Nov 8, 2026Watkins had 32 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and five steals in No. 3 USC's 118-40 home win over Utah State.
Key terms
- Final Four
- Describes a college basketball team suited to the single-elimination NCAA tournament played mostly in March.
- Big Ten Network
- An American sports television network dedicated to collegiate sports of the Big Ten Conference.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- ESPN Insights noted USC scored 100 points in a season opener for the first time since 1985-86, the last time the Trojans reached the Final Four.
- Caution
- USC men's coach Eric Musselman said his team had 198 passes, a couple short of where he wants, while calling 25 assists in a college game an incredible number.
- Support
- USC freshman center Darius Ratliff described his first college game as eye-opening and said the team got in the lab and produced.