How to watch JuJu Watkins vs Hannah Hidalgo as No. 3 USC takes on No. 6 Notre Dame: Streaming details, TV channel and more stats explored
Two of college basketball's biggest names, JuJu Watkins and Hannah Hidalgo, will face each other on Saturday at Galen Center. Fans can catch the two point guards in action on NBC at 4:00 p.m. EST. The USC-Notre Dame game will also be live streamed on Peacock.
Watkins enjoyed a historic run with the Trojans as a freshman as she led them to their first Elite Eight appearance in 30 years. This year, the pressure on the sophomore is immense as she is expected to lead USC to its first national championship since 1984.
Playing in a new conference this season, Watkins' second year is off to a great start as she is averaging 21.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists after four games. She made history during the 81-50 victory over Santa Clara on Friday as she crossed her 1,000 career points mark in the third quarter.
JuJu Watkins now has 1,006 points, and she achieved it in 38 games, two fewer than Caitlin Clark. Cheryl Miller is USC's scoring leader with 3,018 points and she crossed the mark in 58 games.
"I'm not taking anything for granted," Watkins said after the game, via ESPN. "Very blessed to be in this position. This is great, something to build off and continue to work on."
Meanwhile, Hannah Hidalgo is averaging 23.7 points and 7.3 rebounds after three games with the Fighting Irish this season. The sophomore had 28 points, seven rebounds and six steals against Purdue on Nov. 10. She averaged 22.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 4.6 steals during Notre Dame's Sweet 16 run last season.
JuJu Watkins and Hannah Hildalgo set to lead college basketball to new heights
Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark were the biggest names in women's basketball during their time with the LSU Tigers and Iowa Hawkeyes. The two brought immense attention to the sport, breaking viewership records every time they played.
With Reese and Clark now in the WNBA, the baton has been passed to JuJu Watkins and Hannah Hildalgo, among others. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley talked about the rise in women's college basketball with Reuters in October.
"There are household names," Staley said. "Everybody knows JuJu. Everybody knows Hannah Hidalgo, MiLaysia Fulwiley. The future is incredibly bright.
"I do think the decision-makers of our game, they're going to put us on, they're going to put women's basketball on, they're going to put us center stage because the numbers are real."
What are your predictions for the game between the Trojans and Fighting Irish? Let us know in the comments section.