In the world of college basketball, where rivalries and drama unfold as much off the court as they do on it, an unusual twist has taken center stage. Fans of the USC Trojans are now caught in a whirlwind of speculation and conspiracy theories, thanks to a seemingly small action—Juju Watkins unfollowing her teammate, Dominique Darius, on social media. What started as an innocuous gesture has blossomed into a full-blown controversy, as fans dig deeper into the dynamics of the Trojans’ locker room. The question now lingers: is there more to this than just a social media snafu?

The intrigue began with an anonymous fan’s post on X, which quickly gained traction. They speculated that Juju unfollowed Dominique because of a perceived lack of support during the team’s tournament run. “Juju Watkins unfollowed Dominique Darius because during the tournament run, every time Juju scored, Dom never cheered for her,” the fan claimed. “She only hyped everyone else, it’s even in the YouTube video. Juju peeped it and unfollowed.”

This theory added fuel to the fire, but it was only when another fan took the next step and searched for Dominique’s name in Juju’s follow list that things really took off. To their shock, no results came up. This discovery seemed to confirm the suspicion that there was indeed some tension between the two.

Dominique Darius, who has had a tumultuous journey with USC, unwittingly fanned the flames once again when she announced her decision to transfer to Syracuse University’s women’s basketball program. The move was significant, given Darius’s background as a four-star recruit and the daughter of former Syracuse football star Donovin Darius. Despite her high-ranking status, she had only played a limited role with USC, averaging 2.5 points per game during the 2023-24 season. In contrast, her most productive year came during the 2021-22 season at UCLA, where she averaged 5.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

However, her transfer, along with her vlogs, has fanned fan speculation on the formation of cliques in the USC roster.

Fans react to alleged locker room drama in USC with JuJu

One fan watched the said video and stated, “I knew it! I peeped that before the game they high-five everyone on the team and Dom never high-fives Juju. It was in one of her videos where she wore the meta glasses.”

The video in question comes from Domnique Darius’ YouTube channel, titled “WE ARE PLAYING IN MARCH MADNESS!! 😱.” In the comments, one disgruntled viewer wrote, “You hype everyone except Juju,” and well, to cut the long story short, when the highlights of USC Women’s Basketball were being shown on the jumbotron, Domnique noticeably stopped clapping and cheering whenever Juju scored—time stamp 7:28. This moment is now fueling allegations about the tension between them.

Another fan commented, “Weird for basically a walk-on to be bitter like that,” pointing out that Domnique had redshirted before the season even started to save her last season of eligibility. It’s an interesting perspective, considering her playing time.

However, if you watch Dom’s Q&A with Viv from three weeks ago, both players said they were transferring—before the season even ended. When asked if they were sad the season was over, Viv responded, “I don’t care about the season because I didn’t get to play.” That speaks volumes about the frustration that likely existed within the team. College careers are short, and when players don’t get the minutes they expect—especially at a big-name school like USC—it can feel like wasted time. Domnique played 19 games, starting none, averaging just 8.7 minutes per game, with 2.5 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.5 assists. The frustration with limited opportunities could explain the tension.

Another fan said “Idk yall being messy this is all speculation”

True it might just be speculation but if one just takes a look at Domnique’s vlogs, it reveals clear cliques forming within the team: Group 1 was Domnique, Vi, Kiki, Clarice and Malia. Group 2 was Rayah and Aaliyah, while Group 3 featured Kennedy, Juju, and Rayah. This separation within the team was evident, especially with limited minutes for some players due to Coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s reliance on Juju.

Speculation on team chemistry heated up more after a conversation in which Dior, a fan on social media, pointed out, “Why’s Avery Howell and Dom on live and Dom talking about how she did so much for the team but never got the credit?”

Another fan said, “Crazy how many fake people were in that locker room that all used JuJu for their advantage when it was convenient. They won’t be missed.” It’s easy to call people “fake,” but the reality is that chemistry issues were obvious, and it was no surprise when USC had four players enter the transfer portal right after the season ended.

As one fan wisely said, “That is mad petty lol,” acknowledging that while these behind-the-scenes drama might seem petty, sometimes we have to remind ourselves that college athletes are just that—college students, with all the ups and downs that come with growing and learning in the spotlight.