USC Women's Basketball: Gilbert Arenas Thinks JuJu Watkins Would Make "Lunch Meat" of Caitlin Clark

Alex Kirschenbaum | Mar 30, 2024

Iowa's Caitlin Clark (22) tries to get to the basket while guarded by Colorado's Tameiya Sadler (2). / Saul Young/News Sentinel/USA TODAY

Superstar USC Trojans wing JuJu Watkins has enjoyed quite the freshman season thus far in 2023-24. She's led the club to its first Sweet Sixteen berth as its best two-way player. The 6'2" shooting guard has already been named a First-Team All-American by the Associated Press and the USBWA, as well as the USBWA National Freshman of the Year and the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. She's also made the All-Pac-12 Team, the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, and the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

Across her 32 games with her hometown team, Watkins is averaging 26.9 points on .407/.326/.843 shooting splits, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.6 blocks per contest. She's also been shortlisted for this year's Naismith and Wade trophies.

She's actually the second-leading scorer in all of women's college basketball this year, behind just one person: Iowa Hawkeyes senior point guard Caitlin Clark, the most single-most prolific scorer in college hoops history. On their show Nightcap, former NBA All-Star point guard Gilbert Arenas and Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe broke down how Watkins would fare against Clark in a potential clash. The two could play against one another in the Final Four. They'd have to make it that far first, though. Both teams will suit up in the Sweet Sixteen today.

Gil says Caitlin Clark is lunch meat for JuJu Watkins 😮‍💨 @ShannonSharpe @ShannonSharpe pic.twitter.com/NuEjnacgmD

— Nightcap (@NightcapShow_) March 28, 2024

"If JuJu was allowed to come out in the draft, [the Indiana] Fever will regret that they took Caitlin Clark No. 1. Caitlin is great. She's not JuJu," Arenas said. "If they match up in the tournament, 1,000% JuJu's going to pick her up full court." 

Sharpe went further, unpacking the size differences between the two All-Americans.

"You look at the way she's built, and you look at the way Caitlin Clark is built, I mean she can take contact, she can play through contact," Sharpe responded. "She has an adult body as [an] 18-year-old."

Arenas went on to unpack how tough a defensive opponent Watkins would be for Clark.

"She's super athletic. She will pick [Clark] up full court," Arenas noted. "They're going to have to set a whole bunch of screens to get JuJu off her. And if she ever tries to guard JuJu, it's lunch meat."