How Watkins and Bueckers’ individual matchup mirrors their respective programs’ trajectories, heading into a momentous Elite Eight matchup Monday.
USC freshman JuJu Watkins and UConn redshirt junior Paige Bueckers will compete for a spot in the Final Four of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. PORTLAND, Ore. — The first and only time Paige Bueckers interacted with JuJu Watkins, they sat courtside at a Nike high school all-star event this summer, two humble titans of women’s basketball trying to assert their hold on the game.
Their paths will intertwine again Monday night, top-seeded USC taking on third-seeded UConn at the Moda Center in a titanic Elite Eight matchup Monday night. Each has made the statement they’d once hoped for, sitting back in that courtside seat in New York. Watkins has stamped her claim as the next face of the women’s game; Bueckers didn’t let heartbreak beat her, a former freshman game-changer proving consistent dominance in a return from a season-ending injury.
Deeper, though, the Bueckers-Watkins parallel is reflected within a matchup of two of the most buzz-worthy programs in the women’s game. UConn, the gold standard, arguably the preeminent program in women’s basketball for the last 30 years. USC, tightly-clutching an underdog’s mentality, freshman Watkins leading these Trojans to a return to prominence and their first Elite Eight berth in 30 years.
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