A chink in JuJu Watkins’ armor? It’s been 30 years since the USC Trojans have seen this level of hype surrounding a player. After their first Elite Eight appearance in three decades, the team started off their 2024-25 season with a perfect four-game win streak, but that came to a screeching halt when they faced off against No.5 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish not only handed USC their first loss but also exposed a potential weakness in their star player’s game.

Notre Dame’s head coach, Niele Ivey, was quick to credit her team’s defensive strategy for the win. She called it “relentless defense.” She revealed that the team adjusted their ball screen coverage and picked up Watkins in transition to neutralize her impact. 

“We tried a couple of different things that worked,” she said. Ivey also credited her guards, Sonia Citron and Cassandra Jenkins, for taking turns guarding the 6’1” star and using their size and versatility to throw multiple looks at her. As a result, the Trojans sophomore struggled to get into her rhythm.

Coach Ivey’s breakdown of the game made one thing clear: the 19-year-old’s weakness seems to be how teams can disrupt her flow with intense defense and size mismatches. Ivey explained during the post-game conference, “So we kind of went back and forth and utilized both of their (Sonia and Cassandra) sizes; they’re both versatile guards just throwing multiple sizes at her.”

That strategy worked wonders, especially when it came to Citron, who was tasked with guarding Watkins. She was on the Trojans’ guard like glue from the start, making it tough for her to score.“I thought Sonia did a great job early on,” the Notre Dame HC said.

Praising her defensive effort, she said, “Everybody knows Sonia from her offense, but now you know how great of a defender she is.” It’s rare to see someone with such a strong offensive game lock down the other team’s star player. But we have to give it to JuJu for not giving up.

Despite getting off to a slow start with just five points in the first half, she bounced back and finished with 24 points. The game ended with Notre Dame securing a 74-61 victory. USC’s turnovers were costly (21 in total), and not having Kennedy Smith, their other starting guard, was felt on the defensive end, where Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo went off with 24 points, 5 steals, and 8 assists. But even in the midst of USC’s tough loss, the buzz about USC’s guard was very much evident. 

Snoop Dogg shows immense support for JuJu Watkins

One of JuJu Watkins’ fans, Snoop Dogg, stood out as the rapper came donning a custom outfit to rep the Trojans’ star player. Snoop Dogg, always known for embracing his Southern California roots, showed up wearing a fit that was all about JuJu, and fans couldn’t get enough of it. 

USC’s X account posted a picture of him rocking the look with the caption, “.@SnoopDogg out here reppin JuJu 🔥✌️.” Snoop’s no stranger to showing love for the local teams. As a Southern California native, he’s been a long-time supporter of the area’s athletes, and with JuJu leading the charge, it’s no surprise he’s all in.

Even though the team lost, during the game, you could feel the energy around this USC squad. As much as this loss stings for USC, there’s no doubt that JuJu Watkins will come back even stronger. She’s already one of the most talented players, and with two more years to refine her skills before heading to the pros, we’re only going to see more growth from her.