JuJu Watkins gets big-league test against Colorado
JuJu Watkins has had a lot of special, memorable and unique games in her freshman season at USC. The game she played at Colorado on January 21 in Boulder was unique in a very bad way. That game against Colorado was the only game out of 24 in which JuJu Watkins fouled out. Not only did she foul out; she fouled out with nearly six minutes left. USC fought well but imperfectly with JuJu out. The Trojans had a chance to lead or tie in the final minute but ultimately fell short, 63-59.
As USC plays Colorado in a rematch on Friday night in Los Angeles, Watkins will definitely be motivated — not just to win, the central goal, but to prove a point and to show the discipline she lacked against Colorado. There’s a lot to consider about JuJu Watkins entering this game. Let’s take you through some of the most interesting JuJu Watkins plot points against Colorado, helping you to watch for certain details during Friday night’s game:
THE ANSWER
JuJu Watkins’ worst game of 2024 was the Washington game, in which she went 8 for 27 and could not defeat the Huskies. In the very next game, JuJu dropped 51 points on Stanford, her best game of the year. Watkins has already shown she can bounce back. She will try to do that against Colorado.
DISCIPLINE AND ALERTNESS
JuJu Watkins has to make sure not to pick up cheap fouls against Colorado. She also needs to make sure she doesn’t get baited into bad decisions or calls by officials. More on this below:
JAYLYN SHERROD
In the USC-Colorado game, CU guard Jaylyn Sherrod stood in the middle of the court, seeing that JuJu was jogging down the floor but was looking for a pass. Sherrod positioned herself so that Watkins would catch the ball and then bang into Sherrod for an offensive foul. The play actually should have been called a defensive foul on Sherrod, because she didn’t allow JuJu to come down with two feet and make a secure catch. However, the referee called it an offensive foul. The call was bad, and Sherrod didn’t execute the play as well as she could have, but Sherrod was banking on the ref making a bad call. The payoff was getting JuJu out of the game. The risk was worth the reward. In that sense, Sherrod made a street-smart play. JuJu has to make sure Sherrod doesn’t bait the officials into bad calls that put her in foul trouble.
FREE THROWS
JuJu took only five free throws on Sunday, when she went 6 of 32 from the field. When she lost to Colorado on January 21, JuJu went 8 of 22 from the field and took only four foul shots. JuJu needs to find a way to get at least 10 free throws in this Colorado rematch, if not more. JuJu getting to the foul line is a sure sign she and USC are doing well.
FIND PADILLA
If Colorado takes away JuJu, she can’t force shots. Kayla Padilla has been shooting well for USC in recent weeks. If JuJu can draw defenders and find Padilla for open 3-pointers, USC could put Colorado’s defense in trouble.
SLUGFEST
USC beat Oregon State twice despite not scoring 60 or more points in either game. USC lost to Colorado in a 63-59 street fight. Expect another low-scoring game, with neither team scoring 65 or more points. USC has to be able to win another defensive battle, especially if JuJu’s shot isn’t falling.
Having JuJu on the floor in the final six minutes will help.
