JuJu Watkins Gets Laughs Over Reason for Lack of USC Big Ten Championship Hat

The most compelling matchup in this final weekend of the 2024-25 NCAA women's basketball regular season was when the No. 4 ranked USC Trojans faced off against their arch-rival UCLA Bruins, who came in to the game as the country's No. 2 ranked team.

Given that USC handed UCLA its first loss of the season on February 14, many people believed the Bruins would manage to get revenge in the second half of this regular season series, since it was on their home court.

But that ended up not being the case, as USC produced an emphatic 80-67 win that was largely owed to the sensation performance that sophomore star JuJu Watkins put together, which included her scoring 30 points while also filling the stat line with 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. As a result of this win, USC won the Big Ten Conference regular season championship.

The new frontrunner for National Player of the Year has become iconic for the tight bun she wears while playing. And when Watkins (who wasn't wearing any Big Ten Championship apparel) was asked about her lack of Big Ten title gear when speaking with the media postgame, she had a bun-related response.

"Well, I don't really wear hats, because I got the bun," Watkins responded while pointing up to her hair, per the USCAthletics YouTube account. This prompted much of the media room to start laughing.

"And then we were spraying water, so I was soaked, and I had to change," she added.

JuJu Watkins smiled and pointed to the bun when asked why she’s not wearing a Big Ten Championship hat.

“I don’t really wear hats,” she said with a laugh. pic.twitter.com/qqt0c4hKuS
— Keely Eure (@keelyismyname) March 2, 2025

Trojans fans are hoping Watkins will get more opportunities to reject wearing championship apparel this season.

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