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ESPN Analyst Identifies This Team as Scariest NCAA Women's Basketball Matchup

One ESPN analyst believes this NCAAW team will be a nightmare matchup in March Madness.
Grant Young|
Feb 5, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; A rack of basketballs with the NCAA logo before that start of the UCLA Bruins - Ohio State Buckeyes game at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
Feb 5, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; A rack of basketballs with the NCAA logo before that start of the UCLA Bruins - Ohio State Buckeyes game at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Despite women's basketball superstars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese no longer being in college, this year's 2025 NCAA Tournament has the potential to be among the most exciting in recent memory.

This is because it truly feels like anybody's National Championship to win. Last year, the clear favorites were the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks (who ended up winning), Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes, Reese's LSU Tigers, and the ever-elite UConn Huskies.

But this season brings a plethora of new players who can be considered true contenders to win it all. Some of these are the No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns, UCLA Bruins, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

However, it's JuJu Watkins' USC Trojans squad that seems to be playing the best out of any team right now, which is conveyed by the way they beat the Bruins on March 1 for the second time in three weeks. And not only has Watkins now become the frontrunner for National Player of the Year, but her entire team is peaking at the perfect time.

This seems to be why ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike expressed why these Trojans should be the most feared team any NCAA Tournament squad might have to play against on March 2.

"Respectfully, USC is the last team right now that I'd want to see in the Tournament, because JuJu Watkins can go turbo-mode," Ogwumike said during an ESPN College Gameday segment. When speaking about Watkins and Kiki Iriafen, Ogwumike added, "They have the best inside-outside duo in D-I."

Ogwumike is making several bold claims about these USC Trojans here. But Watkins and Co. might prove her sentiment right by the time this season is over.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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