She started the sport by nailing a three-pointer in lower than a minute, calmly dribbling into the enamel of a swarming UCLA protection and throwing it down with a shrug.
She ended the sport by blocking a Gabriel Jaquez shot so fiercely, the ball bounced again off Jaquez’s head and out of bounds.
Moments later, USC’s JuJu Watkins added a closing stroke to a different masterpiece after being joyfully faraway from an eventual 80-67 blowout.
She danced to the bench, hugged everybody in sight, then marched purposely in entrance of a UCLA scholar cheering part that had been serenading her with, “Air-ball” chants for many of the second half.
Dealing with her tormentors, she caught out each arms, screamed, and curled her palms sarcastically asking for extra noise. Then she walked away shaking her fist and pointing to her workforce as if to inform everybody to close up and hear.
Don’t you recognize that JuJu Watkins is the perfect ladies’s faculty basketball participant on the planet?
Can’t you see that USC is headed for its first nationwide championship in 41 years?
Sure, and sure, and grasp on for what might be a JuJumping March.
“The work speaks for itself,” stated Watkins.
It definitely did on a Saturday evening amid a crammed and deafening Pauley Pavilion setting that the Trojans dealt with like a day at Venice Seashore.
“We’re not done,” stated Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb after her workforce clinched its first convention championship of any kind in 31 years. “There’s a lot more.”
That “more” ought to embrace a nationwide No. 1 rating and a tourney No. 1 seeding for a fourth-ranked workforce that’s higher than the three groups above it — together with a UCLA workforce it has overwhelmed twice by a mixed 151-127 rating.
UCLA’s Lauren Betts, left, and USC’s Rayah Marshall go after a rebound throughout the second half Saturday.
(Mark J. Terrill / Related Press)
“Just really pissed off we didn’t show up and do our jobs,” stated Shut, who actually crumpled up the stat sheet and left it in a mangled ball in entrance of her.
Although the Bruins have misplaced simply twice, it looks like they’re critically trending downward, their coach questioning their dedication and their finest participant Lauren Betts as soon as once more barely displaying up in a giant recreation.
Alternatively, it looks like USC goes in the wrong way, heralded switch Kiki Iriafen lastly feeling snug as Watkins’ sidekick, Rayah Marshall and Clarice Akunwafo dominating inside, and Talia von Oelhoffen working the present.
Their solely losses are to Notre Dame in November — does any faculty basketball recreation depend in November? — and at Iowa throughout the Caitlin Clark celebration recreation.
On a impartial flooring, this workforce might be not going to lose once more, not with the NBA-style changes of former professional Gottlieb and sufficient depth that 9 ladies made massive contributions Saturday evening.
And, in fact, they’ve JuJu.
USC guard JuJu Watkins (12) will get a shot off regardless of the perfect efforts of UCLA middle Lauren Betts, left, and guard Kiki Rice on Saturday evening at Pauley Pavilion.
(Mark J. Terrill / Related Press)
She scored 30 on Saturday evening, scored 38 of their first assembly this season and, based on ESPN Stats & Information, she is barely the second participant in 25 years to attain 30 or extra in not less than 4 straight video games towards an opponent.
The opposite participant? Caitlin Clark, in fact.
However Watkins is larger than Clark, she handles contact higher than Clark, and he or she simply makes use of extra of the court docket than Clark.
This isn’t saying JuJu Watkins has had an even bigger influence than arguably the most important star in ladies’s basketball historical past. However she’s definitely this season’s Caitlin Clark, and completely worthy of being named participant of the yr forward of main candidate Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame.
If nothing else, JuJu Watkins is the good participant in America. In her second season beneath the nationwide highlight, rising from cult hero standing to mainstream downtown murals, she has matured right into a considerate and interesting pressure of nature. Her confidence is barely outdone by her humor. Her depth softened solely by her smile.
After Saturday’s recreation, she was requested why she wasn’t sporting a Large Ten championship baseball cap like her coach.
“I don’t really wear hats,” she stated, pointing to the trademark coiffure on the highest of her head. “Because I’ve got the, uh, bun.”
She was requested about taking part in higher in massive video games, and he or she gave a disarmingly trustworthy reply.
“I think I’d be remiss to say that playing UCLA doesn’t motivate me extra,” she stated. “That’s an aspect.”
When is the final time you’ve heard a university child use the phrase “remiss?”
I requested her if the followers tagging her with the title “Airball” fired her up. She started laughing earlier than I even completed the query.
“That definitely did fire me up,” she stated. “When I airballed, I couldn’t help but smile. I love the atmosphere here, even though they’re not on our side.”
Simply don’t ask her to clarify her greatness. Like all the nice ones, she received’t, or she will be able to’t.
“You learn to do your best. You don’t want to let anybody down. I didn’t want to let coach down,” she stated. “So whatever I can do to do that and just go out there and have fun. I’m just out there playing, really.”
Simply on the market taking part in. Proper.
USC guard JuJu Watkins, left, will get a slap on the behind from former USC star Cheryl Miller after making a shot towards UCLA.
(Mark J. Terrill / Related Press)
At any time when issues felt tense Saturday, she took over. At any time when the group was at its loudest — louder than any UCLA males’s recreation has been in a number of years — she is the 6-foot-2 finger to the lips.
She flows like Kobe. She forces like LeBron. She’ll suppose nothing of taking the ball the complete size of the court docket between 5 defenders for a layup. She’s unafraid to dribble into site visitors and jack up a three-point try simply seconds into the shot clock. And when she shoots an airball just like the third-quarter miss that impressed the group to rename her? She shrugged and smiled in disbelief as she hustled again down the court docket to play protection.
She breaks all the principles. She makes all the principles. And in what ought to scare another workforce with title aspirations, this season she has severe assist.
When the Trojans misplaced to UConn within the Elite Eight final season, Watkins scored 29 and the opposite 4 starters have been 13-for-44 taking pictures from the sector.
On Saturday evening, Watkins scored 30 and the opposite 4 starters shot 17 for 31.
Her supporting solid makes a distinction. Specifically, the roaming, rangy Iriafen makes a distinction.
“These two are unguardable,” stated Gottlieb. “I think they’re both playing their best basketball now, which is scary. We just know there’s no matchups for them.”
There’s not less than one workforce on the market that can’t match up, and that may be UCLA.
After spending many of the season because the top-ranked workforce within the nation, the Bruins aren’t even the perfect in their very own neighborhood.
USC ladies’s basketball as soon as once more owns Los Angeles, and is led by a star who may quickly personal the basketball universe.
Just like the Trojans coach stated, they’re not achieved, there’s much more.
Much more.
