JuJu Watkins scored 32 points and took 16 rebounds as No. 3 USC beat Utah State 118-40 on Sunday, in a home opener that turned into a celebration of her return from a torn ACL. JuJu Watkins also had six assists and five steals at the Galen Center, where fans applauded her during the pregame introductions and gave her a standing ovation when she left the game with 2 minutes 34 seconds left. The win moved USC to 2-0, and she has scored 53 points in her first two games back.
The game was the first at home for JuJu Watkins since she tore her ACL in a second round NCAA tournament game on 24 March 2025. JuJu Watkins missed 20 months with the injury, including the whole of last season, and she returned to the court last week in the season opener against UNLV in Nevada. Watkins scored 21 points in that game, a 100-68 win, and her 32 points on Sunday showed how fast she has settled back into the side.
JuJu Watkins played 27 minutes against Utah State and shot 10 of 19 from the field. She took a career high 16 rebounds, and the 32 points gave her the 22nd game of 30 or more in her college career. It was also her 18th career double-double, and her first game with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds since she had 31 points and 10 rebounds in the 2025 Big Ten tournament, two weeks before the knee injury. USC was 61 points better than Utah State during the minutes Watkins was on the court.
JuJu Watkins and the ovation at the Galen Center
The crowd at the Galen Center made its feelings plain from the start. Fans showered Watkins with applause when her name was read out before the game, and they rose again when she was taken off late in the fourth quarter. The Associated Press described it as a star studded return for one of the most electric players in college basketball, and Watkins was the AP Player of the Year before her injury.
JuJu Watkins went to the locker room midway through the first quarter with what looked like a bloodied nose, then came back and took control of the game. She scored from inside and outside, set up teammates, and picked off passes on defence. Her six assists and five steals matched the scoring as a measure of how much of the game ran through her, and Utah State had no answer once she found her rhythm.
After the game, Watkins spoke about the slow work of getting her feel back. “It was great to be out here again,” she said. “Slowly getting my rhythm back and getting my feel for the game back.” The words fit a player still working her way back to full sharpness, even as the numbers looked like the Watkins of old.
What the win means for JuJu Watkins and USC
USC opened the season ranked No. 3, and the first two games have given the Trojans a strong start. Watkins is the centre of the side, and her return changes how opponents have to defend USC. Utah State could not slow her down, and the margin of 78 points was the widest of the young season for the Trojans.
The schedule now gives Watkins time to build up her minutes. She played 25 minutes against UNLV and 27 against Utah State, and the coaching staff has managed her workload since her return. The next games will test her against stronger opposition, and the early signs are that she is close to the form that made her the AP Player of the Year.
JuJu Watkins and the road back from injury
Watkins tore her ACL in March 2025, and the injury ended her season and kept her out for the whole of the 2025-26 season. Without her, USC lost to Connecticut in the regional final of the NCAA tournament. Her return began with an exhibition game against California, Berkeley, in which she scored 18 points, and she has now played two regular season games since the injury.
The home opener was the next step in that return. JuJu Watkins left the Galen Center with 32 points, 16 rebounds and a win by 78 points, and USC moved to 2-0 for the season.