It’s officially official. JuJu Watkins is going dancing.
Watkins and USC women’s basketball were tabbed as the No. 1 seed in the Spokane 2 Regional as the No. 3 overall seed in the women’s 2025 NCAA Tournament on Sunday. It’s the 19th appearance in the women’s NCAA Tournament for the Trojans, and also the first time the Trojans were given a No. 1 seed in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1980s.
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The Trojans enter the women’s NCAA Tournament with a bit of a chip on their shoulder, as they are coming off a heartbreaking 72-67 loss to No. 1 UCLA in the Big Ten tournament championship game on Sunday, March 9 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
USC will get its March Madness run underway on Saturday, March 22 against No. 16 seed UNC Greensboro. A win against the Spartans would advance USC to the second round, where it would face either former Pac-12 foe Cal or Mississippi State.
Here’s everything Watkins said Sunday after the Selection Sunday show:
JuJu Watkins on USC women’s basketball earning No. 1 seed
When asked for her overall thoughts on the Trojans receiving a No. 1 seed in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Watkins said it is the expectation for the program.
“That’s the expectation. I think we know what we’re capable of. It’s just a matter of knowing who’s next and tackling that day-by-day,” Watkins said Sunday at USC’s Selection Sunday news conference. Sunday marked the second straight season that the Trojans will be a No. 1 seed in the field of 68 under Lindsay Gottlieb, and the sixth time in program history that USC is a 1 seed.
Watkins also spoke to those around the country believing USC is inexperienced heading into the tournament.
“People have their own opinion and you can’t really take that much into consideration. It’s a testament to what we are building and it’s going to take time,” Watkins said. “Every year I think the goal is to break others’ opinions.”
How JuJu Watkins is approaching second March Madness berth
The 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament is the second go-around for Watkins, after USC made the Big Dance last year in her freshman season.
In four games last season in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Watkins averaged 27.5 points per game with 8.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.5 blocks and 1.5 steals while shooting 37% from the field.
So how is Watkins using that experience to prepare mentally for this year’s tournament? Here’s what she said:
“Just continuing to stay locked in. The season’s super long and the plan is to go even longer than last year, (that’s) for sure,” Watkins said. “Just staying locked in and taking it game-by-game. That’s all you can do.”
Why JuJu Watkins thinks USC can make deep March Madness run
Asked why she believes USC can make a deep run in March and play for a national championship, Watkins pointed to the adversity the Trojans have overcome throughout the season.
“The trials and tribulations we’ve been through. This season has not been pretty. There were moments where we could have kind of given up and we didn’t. Think that speaks to our resilience and just our will to want to win and play together,” Watkins said.
USC entered Selection Sunday with the fourth-best odds (+525) of cutting down the nets, as previously noted by USA TODAY.
Watkins also spoke to the way USC has been able to flush a loss this past season, like its loss in the Big Ten title game vs. UCLA, and how that mindset could help contribute to the Trojans’ hopeful long March Madness run.
Following each of its two regular season losses to then-No. 6 in November and Iowa in February, USC went on to have win streaks of 15 (which doesn’t include the forfeit win vs. Northwestern) and nine games, respectively. To win the national championship, the Trojans, of course, have to win six consecutive games.
“It just gives us a chip on our shoulder. It was a battle (with UCLA). It was a good game and (there’s) so much to go back to the drawing board and learn from,” Watkins said. “We’re not letting that hold us back.
“The goal is to continue to push forward. … This is a brand-new season so we’re just wiping the slate clean and we know what we need to do.”
Watkins and USC will kick off their Road to the Final Four and Tampa, Florida on Saturday, March 22 against UNC Greensboro at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: JuJu Watkins talks USC receiving No. 1 seed in March Madness, more
