Who did not like Paige Bueckers go against a freshman JuJu Watkins in the 2024 Elite Eight? The UConn Huskies women’s basketball team going against the USC Trojans is not new. The two teams have been against each other 14 times from December 2007 onwards, in which the Huskies have won 9 games. Their games have often attracted a lot of attention and going by the NBA legend Charles Barkley, the two should follow certain parameters to attract more numbers.

On Wednesday, Barkley, in a chat with Matt Leinart and Jerry Ferrara on Throwbacks reflected on their upcoming pre-season clash. And his recommendations just fit right with fans.

“That should be… it’s somewhere like the Boston Garden or M Square Garden somewhere like that you need that in a big city. It should be like a game of the week, right? You know UConn to Tennessee used to do it every year but if JuJu and Paige are going to play, it should be at the Boston Garden. Or I mean because you know or New York City at the Garden. It should be somewhere special. Not on campus. It should be… they should get all the bells and whistles,” Barkley stated.

The Huskies will be hosting the Trojans during a preseason game on December 21st at the XL center. According to Barkley, the game will attract a lot of attention not only because of their past, but also due to the fact that two powerhouses will be at loggerheads against each other in this matchup.

While JuJu Watkins is projected to be the next Caitlin Clark in the coming years, the Huskies star Paige Bueckers did not declare for the draft this year, to have one more go at her dream. To top that, Bueckers is projected as the number one in the WNBA 2025 draft. To top it all off, JuJu will be looking to avenge the 2024 Elite Eight loss while the Husky will be looking to create memories and win anything and everything that comes in the way of her and the ring. Hence, the clash will be much anticipated.

Therefore, Barkley suggested that it should take place at Boston Garden, Madison Square Garden. Though XL Center has a capacity of 16,294, it will fall short as per Barkley. Meanwhile, Boston Garden has a capacity of 19,580 whereas Madison Square can host 19,812. Plus what helps is that they are in popular cities with basketball enthusiasts that can attract a lot of crowd and also show the spectators the future of women’s basketball as per Chuck’s claims at Throwbacks. And further declaring it as the game of the week will be irresistible for the fans. As for now, Bueckers and Watkins might be prepping up for the coming season. And it will be difficult to predict who wins.

Can Paige Bueckers win over JuJu Watkins?

“Unfortunately, this will not be my last senior night here at UConn,” Bueckers had stated on her senior night in February this year. Addressing what she said was the “elephant in the room,” Bueckers wanted to have another go at the title. This year however she won’t have Aliyah Edwards or Nika Muhl by her side. Therefore, fans are excited to witness that head coach Geno Auriemma will be building the team. One of the most notable players this season could be Kaitlyn Chen, who has a year of eligibility remaining, and Azzi Fudd. Meanwhile, Watkins too has found her companion for the upcoming games.

While Watkins looked to be the lone warrior for the Trojans in the last campaign, this season she would be accompanied by Kiki Iriafen, a Stanford transfer. Though the expectations are high this year, it remains to be seen how Watkins will bond with Iriafen and if the two can form a strong offensive squad. Most likely the California-born will play the role of alpha, whereas Iriafen will be the second fiddle. Therefore going by their past, both teams are equally competent and the game could go to any side.

But hopefully, while it does, Barkley will be excited if the matchup is shifted to a bigger arena, where more fans can see the making of history in action.