Paige Bueckers dominates South Dakota State; USC Superstar JuJu Watkins Tears ACL in USC Demolition of Mississippi State

Two of college basketball’s brightest were to take the floor and dominate on Monday night in the women’s NCAA Tournament Round of 32. While University of Connecticut star Paige Bueckers scored 34 points on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in UConn’s 91-57 rout, the University of Southern California’s JuJu Watkins, who was surely set to dominate the Mississippi State Bulldogs, tore her ACL after just five minutes of play. Fortunately for the Trojans, senior forward Kiki Ariafen held things down, erupting for 36 points (9 rebounds) on 16-for-22 shooting in the Trojans’ 96-59 win. 

UConn got off to a slow start against the 10th-seeded Jackrabbits, trailing 12-8 early. Bueckers then got hot, hitting a pull-up jumper, a triple, and converting an and-one all in the span of a couple minutes as the Huskies took a 16-14 lead with 38.8 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. Bueckers capped the quarter with a step-back at the buzzer from the left wing. 19-14 Huskies after one. 

Bueckers continued to dominate in the second quarter, hitting a fade-away to open the quarter and moments later a straight-away triple that widened the gap to 12 at 32-20. With 3:35 to go in the half, Bueckers connected from the mid-range elbow and half a minute later used a pump fake to get into the mid-range before pulling up from the elbow for her 21st point of the half. She finished the half 8-for-12 from the field, and in total made 14-for-21 in 29 minutes overall with 4 steals and 4 assists as the Huskies cruised into the Sweet 16. Senior guard Azzie Fudd added 17 points on 6-for-12 from the field (3-for-5 from 3-point range) and 6’2 freshman forward Sarah Strong scored 15 points with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Bueckers, who averaged 19.2 points on 54% shooting in the regular season, has a smooth, fundamental game that allows her to get to her spots on the floor. Her assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.8-1.3 was the best in the country, and her 50/40/90 percentages make it the first time a player has done so while leading the country in assist to turnover ratio. 

UConn faces the 3rd-seeded Oklahoma Sooners at 5:30 PM eastern time from Spokane on Saturday. 

In the late game on Monday night from USC’s Galen Center, Trojan superstar JuJu Watkins just five minutes into the game was driving to the basket from the right hand side and was bumped by the Bulldog’s Chandler Prater. Watkins’ right knee bent and crumbled, and she was carried off the floor. 

The loss of Watkins is not just massive for the Trojans, who at 30-3 (17-1 at home) were banking on a duo of Watkins and Ariafen to take them far in the tournament if not all the way, but is major for women’s NCAA basketball as a whole. 

Last season, when Caitlin Clark brought new eyeballs to the women’s game, Watkins was the star freshman who many believed would unseat Clark as an NCAA player and who many still believe may end up being the better pro. Regardless, the senior vs. freshman was a fun debate last season.

Watkins, who averaged 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists (43%) in 2024-25, at 6’2 has such a unique and complete skill set for a player her size when 6’2 women usually play primarily in the paint. Watkins, who put up seven games of 30+ points this season - including 40 points on 12-for-18 and 9-for-11 from 3-point range against California-Baptist on December 3 - is a Los Angeles native who has put USC, a traditional football school, on the map when it comes to basketball. Her complete repertoire of shooting, ball-handling and size truly make her a special talent. 

The tournament has Bueckers, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, Louisiana State’s Aneesah Morrow, Ariafen, UCLA’s Lauren Betts (who in UCLA’s 84-67 win over Richmond became the first UCLA player with 30 points and 10 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game) and the likes of South Carolina’s MiLaysia Fulwiley to bring viewers in. 

Still, not having JuJu on the floor will hurt. USC faces the Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday at 8:00 PM eastern time in Spokane.