"She's the female Michael Jordan": College hoops fans go gaga over JuJu Watkins as USC cruise to victory
JuJu Watkins and the No. 6 USC Trojans extended their winning streak to six games on Sunday, trouncing the Elon Phoenix 88-30 at Galen Center. Watkins scored a game-high 26 points for the Trojans, who improved their overall record to 10-1.
Watkins shot 7 of 18 from the field and knocked down 11 of her 12 free-throw attempts against Elon. She also stuffed the sheet, recording five rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes of action. It was the fourth time this season that Watkins produced a 20-5-5 stat line.
Watkins has scored at least 20 points in 10 of the 11 games she has played for USC thus far this season. Her defense also stood out over the weekend, as she recorded three steals and two blocks against the Phoenix.
College hoops fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to react to Watkins' latest masterclass.
"She’s the female Michael Jordan and will go down as the GOAT," one fan claimed.
"She will easily be accepted into the WNBA sorority. One thing Juju Watkins will never have to do is bend the knee and kiss the ring," one fan wrote.
"JuJu Watkins' defense is what will separate her when she supplants Clark for best player," another fan shared.
Some fans weren't happy, though, that the USC coaches kept Watkins in the game late in the second half despite the Trojans enjoying a huge lead at that stage. They were holding an 81-27 advantage with 5:19 remaining in the fourth quarter when Watkins suffered an ankle injury during a rebounding battle.
"JuJu Watkins getting injured while they were up 50. USC coaches should be ashamed of themselves. Hopefully she’s okay," one fan posted.
"I blame USC coach for keeping JuJu Watkins in the damn game up 50," another fan chimed in.
"That's all great and everything but the coach needs to know when to pull her out of the game because that is just not okay," one fan said.
JuJu Watkins racking up the stats in sophomore season for USC Trojans
JuJu Watkins has been a vital cog for USC on the offensive end, leading the Trojans in scoring and assists this season. The sophomore guard is averaging 24.7 points and 3.7 dimes through 11 games. She is the nation's third-leading scorer, trailing only Florida State's Ta'Niya Latson and Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo in that department.
Watkins showed her offensive brilliance in the win over California Baptist on Dec. 3, scoring a season-high 40 points. She got it going from beyond the arc, knocking down a career-best nine 3-pointers against the Lancers.