USC Trojans Partner With Chipotle Before NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament

The USC Trojans women's basketball team and Chipotle have a partnership throughout the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. Fans can choose from any Trojan on the Chipotle app to order the player's favorite bowl from stars like JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen.

Angela Miele | Mar 18, 2025

USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) drives Friday, March 7, 2025, agains the Indiana Hoosiers during the Big Ten women's tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. / Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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The USC Trojans women’s basketball team is the No. 1 seed in the Spokane Regional 4 in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. USC star guard JuJu Watkins has been making many big moves with name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals since her arrival into college basketball, but now the entire USC Trojans women’s basketball team has their own Chipotle bowl on the Chipotle app.

Fans and customers can select their favorite player’s bowl from Watkins to Kiki Iriafen, to freshman Avery Howell’s bowl. Each bowl ranges in price based on the contents inside as part of their “Fight On” digital menu. There are 15 menu items for fans to choose from.

Not only is this fun for customers and fans of the USC Trojans, it is a great promotion for the NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament. It is the first time that Chipotle has launched a digital menu for an women's college basketball team. It will be available throughout the Women of Troy’s run in the tournament.

“Each new entree on the ‘Fight On’ menu represents how these elite athletes trust Chipotle for proper nutrition, especially as their collective intensity ramps up in March,” Chief brand officer Chris Brandt said in a statement.

“This sisterhood of the USC Women’s basketball team and each player’s drive to be the absolute best version of themselves are the reasons why they are a real championship contender.”

Chipotle has been working with the USC Trojans throughout the 2024-2025 season as part of the brand’s Real Food for Real Athletes platform. Each student athlete on the team has a VIP card which gives access to free Chipotle. Real Food for Real Athletes initially began in 2019, supporting athletes of all levels.

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One example of an order is “The JuJu Watkins Bowl.” It contains white rice, Chipotle Honey Chicken, tomato salsa, fajita veggies, cheese, guac, and sour cream. The bowl is meant to represent what Watkins’ go to Chipotle bowl is.

Watkins is no stranger to big-time partnerships through NIL deals. It was recently announced that Watkins joined Mondelez, the parent company behind brands such as Oreos, Chips Ahoy!, and RITZ. She will be featured in commercials for Mondelez throughout March Madness along with Arizona guard Caleb Love and Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad as the headliners.

The USC Trojans women’s basketball team will play their first tournament game on Saturday, March 22. The No. 1 USC Trojans will face the No. 16 UNC Greensboro Spartans.

Feb 8, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb talks to guard JuJu Watkins (12) during the second quarter at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Women of Troy are entering the tournament with a chip on their shoulder. USC is coming off a loss against the UCLA Bruins in the Big Ten Championship game, and have voiced their open frustration about being the fourth No. 1 seed in the tournament.

“This was not on my bingo card to be a little bit, you know frustrated after being a one seed and it’s not, you know, an arrogance of any kind. I think there’s a lot of really good teams and you’ve got to play the first game in front of you and earn your way from there and that’s what we’ll do,” USC Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.

USC is one of the top teams in college basketball, and managed to sell out crowds even while being the away team. The Trojans will return home to Galen Center to face UNC Greensboro. Fans at home can enjoy their favorite USC players' Chipotle Bowl of choice as they watch the game.

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