Women's Fastbreak On SI

JuJu Watkins and Cheryl Miller Share Telling Courtside Embraces Amid USC Win vs UCLA

USC Trojans legend Cheryl Miller had multiple moments with JuJu Watkins during USC's March 1 win vs. UCLA.
Grant Young|
Feb 13, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) celebrates as the clock runs out in the Trojans win over the UCLA Bruins at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
Feb 13, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) celebrates as the clock runs out in the Trojans win over the UCLA Bruins at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The No. 4 USC Trojans women's basketball team completed the second half of a dominant 2024-25 regular season sweep over the No. 2 ranked UCLA Bruins on March 1 after an 80-67 win.

The Trojans appear to be peaking at the perfect time, as they have now won seven consecutive games since their February 2 defeat to the Iowa Hawkeyes, including two wins against their arch-rival Bruins. And per usual, superstar sophomore JuJu Watkins led her team to victory, as she scored 30 points on 10 of 22 shooting from the field to go along with 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals.

As fantastic as this game was for Watkins, it's still the second best game she has played against UCLA this year, as she amassed a historic stat line in her first contest against UCLA: 38 points (including 6-9 from three-point range), 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and a whopping 8 blocks during their February 14 showdown.

As a result, Watkins has arguably become the frontrunner of the Naismith Player of the Year award.

One former USC player who knows a thing or two about National Player of the Year is Cheryl Miller, who won three consecutive Naismith Player of the Year awards from 1984-1986.

Miller was sitting courtside (next to her brother and former NBA superstar Reggie) during Saturday's game, and there were several moments where her and Watkins embraced. One of them came as USC was putting the final nails in the coffin against the Bruins.

During Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb's postgame interview, the camera caught Watkins and Miller hugging and sharing a few words in the background.

Perhaps Watkins will join Miller as not only a Naismith Player of the Year but an NCAA National Champion this season.

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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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