The rematch we’ve all been waiting for is finally over! The No. 7 USC Trojans and the No. 4 UConn Huskies, both rocking impressive 10-1 Records (with their only losses coming against Notre Dame), battled it out at the XL Center in Hartford! Remember the last time these two met? The Huskies clinched the victory—but the Trojans were determined not to let history repeat itself, and they bagged the victory. 

By halftime, the Trojans led 42-29. They stormed out of the gate with a 24-15 first quarter and kept the pressure on in the second, outscoring UConn 18-14. The Huskies and Bueckers, meanwhile, were still searching for their spark. But the USC’s star guard was on fire. 

Eventually, No. 7 USC walked out of Hartford with a gutsy 72-70 win over No. 4 UConn. Watkins was unstoppable, scoring 25 points, including clutch free throws down the stretch. Paige Bueckers gave it her all for the Huskies, dropping 22 points, but it just wasn’t enough.

USC built an 18-point lead in the third quarter, only to watch it evaporate as UConn clawed back. Watkins’ late-game heroics, including a block on Bueckers followed by a between-the-legs bucket, sealed the deal. But, along the way, the Huskies star guard picked up her third in the second half, and head coach Geno Auriemma? He. Was. Livid. 

He stormed the sideline, yelling at the refs like they’d personally insulted his coaching legacy. At one point, he even dropped an “Are you [expletive] me?” for the ages, with assistant coach Jamelle Elliott literally pulling him back. It’s safe to say that it was an iconic Geno meltdown moment. 

And why wouldn’t he? This was THE game of the season, and it had everything—a rematch of last year’s Elite Eight, two National Player of the Year contenders battling it out, and, obviously, the constant comparisons between these two stars. However, the audience got its favorite rivalry moments, and it is going to be the talk for a while now.

JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers’ unforgettable moment

Late in the fourth quarter, Paige Bueckers and the Huskies had somehow managed to find their way back from an 18-point deficit, and it looked like they might just pull off the ultimate comeback. With 4:30 left on the clock, the spotlight was firmly on Bueckers and Watkins. 

The projected no.1 WNBA draft pick drained a clutch three-pointer that gave UConn a temporary lead. She turned to Watkins with an icy stare that screamed, “Game on!” The crowd went wild. But Watkins wasn’t about to let her moment slip. The back-and-forth between these two stars summed up the intensity of the game perfectly, and in the end, it was Watkins who delivered the final blow.

USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb once said, “The way the country’s going to see USC women’s basketball is really different than it was four months ago.” And she was right. The sophomore sensation was the backbone, and it was no shocker.

She has been rewriting the record books since she stepped onto the NCAA stage. She smashed Caitlin Clark’s record for hitting 1,000 career points in just 38 games (Clark did it in 40). And if that’s not enough, her jersey is now hanging in the Naismith Hall of Fame. 

This win cemented her brilliance further. JuJu has proven time and time again that she’s the real deal, and with USC and UConn now even in their rivalry, the stage is set for another epic clash. Who’ll come out on top the next time they meet?