Behind USC’s glossy 2024-25 season run lies a fire even hydrating for 12 hours couldn’t cool. A YouTube vlog, filmed hours before the Trojans clinched their win against UCLA for the regular season title, captures sophomore phenom Juju Watkins in a rare, unfiltered moment—one that’s less about breakfast debates and more about burying rivals.

It was a USC guard, Kennedy Smith’s view of ‘a day in a Trojan’s life’ on her vlog, until it wasn’t. While she joked about scrambled eggs and Paradise binge-watching, Watkins’ off-camera growl toward UCLA cut deeper than any pre-game pep talk. 

The clip drops the bomb mid-vlog chaos. As USC awaited taking to the court, Watkins’ voice sliced through the chatter with a deadpan “Bro, I hate UCLA.” The line lands moments before USC’s 80-67 win, where she torched the Bruins for 30 points.

Watkins’ grudge isn’t for show. UCLA has taken 9 of their last 13 games. Only since the past four have the Trojans gained winning momentum, and the sophomore guard wasn’t letting it slip. “You want to do your best,” Watkins said. “You don’t want to let anybody down.”

Four of USC’s eight made triples were hers, each a dagger. She drilled one in the first quarter, another in the second, then misfired twice from deep in both the third and fourth. When her three wasn’t falling, she bulldozed inside, scoring five buckets in the paint. She went 10-of-22 from the field en route to her 30 points, marking yet another dominant performance against UCLA. The Bruins had no answers for her last month when she torched them for 38, and they had no answers this time either.

With USC now eyeing a deep NCAA tournament run, rivals are learning: Juju Watkins doesn’t just want wins—she wants receipts. “I’m confident,” Watkins said, as reported by Beth Harris of the Associated Press. “The work speaks for itself so as long as we continue to stick with the process we’ll see success.” USC and UCLA will play their first games Friday in Indianapolis, with a potential rematch looming.

JuJu Watkins Makes NCAA History as USC Takes Down UCLA Again

JuJu Watkins just keeps making history.  With the win, USC locked up the Big Ten regular season title and completed a season sweep over their biggest rival. And Watkins? She added her name to NCAA history books again.

This marks the fourth straight game where she’s dropped at least 30 on UCLA. The only other player to do that this century? Caitlin Clark, who had 10 straight 30-point games against Nebraska and five straight vs. Maryland during her Iowa career.

The sophomore guard has already earned National Player of the Year honors from The Athletic and remains in the running for several major national awards, including the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, which she won last year.

Throughout the season, Watkins dominated the Big Ten weekly honors, securing Player of the Week seven times, including the final award of the regular season.

“I think what doesn’t get talked about with JuJu enough is the amount of just attention she gets from scrutiny and positive, it’s a lot,” Gottlieb said. “But, her ability to focus and say, ‘What do I need to do to for me to be at my best and for the team to win?’ Those are mental aspects.”

UCLA, now 27-2 overall and 16-2 in Big Ten play, finishes the regular season in second place. Their only two losses? Both to USC. Just last season, in the final year of the Pac-12, these two teams tied for second behind Stanford. This year, USC stands alone at the top. And Watkins is leading the charge, making history along the way.