Troublesome 20 Hours for USC as JuJu Watkins & Co. Collapse in AP 25 Rankings

The best team in program history. Ranked No. 4. A 12-game winning streak. Led by generational talent JuJu Watkins. These were the bets as USC entered the game against Iowa. Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes came unranked after five straight losses in January. Everything pointed to the Trojans rolling through Carver-Hawkeye Arena, right?

Well, the Hawkeyes had other plans. And they had the perfect fuel—Caitlin Clark. On her jersey retirement day, Iowa showed up in full force, riding an emotional wave to a massive 76-69 upset. And for USC? It was a gut punch that hurt even more just 20 hours later.

Because by the time Monday rolled around, the new AP rankings dropped. And boom—USC was no longer No. 4. Just 20 hours after their 5:00 PM ET defeat to Iowa, the 1:00 PM AP poll update hit, knocking them down three spots.

One bad game and they tumbled three spots and now sit at No. 7. 

Trojans surely didn’t expect to take an L in Iowa. But, you know what? Maybe they should have seen it coming. Because Hawkeyes weren’t going to let CC’s big day end in disappointment. Whether it was the ‘Caitlin Clark Effect’ radiating from the stands or just sheer determination, Iowa played some good basketball. And the Trojans got caught sleeping—again.

Iowa came out firing, holding USC to a shocking four points in the entire first quarter. By the time Watkins found her rhythm, the damage was done. The Trojans clawed their way back, even taking a lead into halftime after a massive second-quarter surge. 

But in the fourth quarter, Lucy Olsen dropped 15 points, closing the game out in front of a sold-out, electrified Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It was Iowa’s biggest post-Caitlin Clark win. And even though Watkins still put up 27 points even scaring the Indiana Fever star herself, it wasn’t her best shooting day. 

So, her efforts weren’t just enough, especially not when USC let their slow start dig them a hole too deep to climb out of.

Same story, different game: JuJu Watkins & Co.’s road slow starts continue

If you’ve been following USC lately, you know this isn’t a one-time thing. This team has made a habit of starting slow on the road, and it’s becoming a real problem.

Just look at the pattern. 

On December 21, USC faced UConn and built a nearly 20-point lead, only to let it slip away before barely holding on for a win. On January 14, they fell behind early against Indiana before rallying back. A similar story unfolded on January 19 when they took on Purdue, starting slow but recovering with a huge second quarter. Then on January 26 against Maryland, they once again found themselves in an early deficit, forcing yet another late-game scramble.

And now, the Iowa game.

A 23-4 first-quarter deficit was just brutal. Sure, USC went on a 17-1 run and even took a six-point lead in the third quarter. But when you spend the entire game trying to climb out of a hole, every mistake gets magnified. And that’s exactly what happened. Iowa took advantage of USC’s foul trouble, capitalized on key turnovers, and never let the Trojans regain control. 

So, although they did end up winning all the other ones, this one must be a wake-up call for them. 

And look, it’s February. They still have this month to fix this before March Madness. Because a slow start in the NCAA Tournament is a whole different beast. You don’t get second chances in March. One bad quarter and your season could be over.

USC has the talent. They have JuJu Watkins, Kiki Iriafen, and more good players. But if they want to make a deep run, they cannot keep digging themselves into these early deficits. Let’s see if they figure out how to start games strong in the next ones.