When USC and Connecticut met in Elite Eightimmediately after JuJu Watkins» After a devastating knee injury last March, it didn't take long to see how much USC missed its superstar. As hard as the Trojans fought, it was simply too much for the Huskies to handle without Watkins.
That thought, nine months later, has not gained much traction at USC due to a solid 7-2 start. At least until Saturday, when the top-ranked Huskies gave a rough reminder by completely demolishing the 16th-ranked Trojans. 79-51, at homewhere they had yet to lose this season.
“It’s not good,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “It’s a shame to be beaten on home court.”
Of course, Connecticut has yet to lose a game since early February of last year. They won their nine games on Saturday by an average margin of 39 points, dominating everywhere they went.
It only took a few minutes on Saturday to see that we were in for a similar beating. When it finally ended, less than two hours later, USC had trailed in almost every category. The Huskies shot 18% better from the field. They dominated in the paint (44 points to 22) and on the boards (41 to 33) and forced seven more turnovers than the Trojans, who struggled to handle the Huskies' defensive pressure.
“The number one team in the country came here today,” Gottlieb said, “and they’re really good.”
They were definitely too many for a team still looking to succeed like USC. With no interior presence or stability on the perimeter, the Trojans had no answers when everything fell into place for the Huskies, whose coach took the time after the game to wax poetic about how his team was down by 11 points.
The same wasn't entirely true for the Trojans, who got 30 points from veteran pair Kennedy Smith and Londyn Jones and then some.
Watkins, who has missed the entire season, could only watch from the end of the bench as the star freshman who took the field in her absence struggled on Saturday. Jazzy Davidson The last month has been amazing as she settles into her new role as the Trojans' undisputed top weapon.
But the freshman looked anything but poised on Saturday as Connecticut covered her early and often. Davidson missed her first five shots and managed to make just three of 13 overall for 10 points, her lowest total since USC's loss to South Carolina.
“Having this experience early in her career will only make her better,” Gottlieb said.
By the time Davidson made her first shot of the day early in the second quarter, the Trojans had already dug a 12-point hole. By the time USC scored another goal, Connecticut's lead had grown to 19.
In the final seconds of the first half, Davidson was looking for one last shot to the 22. When she finally got up on the floater, Connecticut forward Sera Williams was waiting for her. She punched the freshman back in the face and Davidson fell to the floor as the bell rang.
It turned out to be a fitting image of a day to forget for USC.
It was ugly from the start. Connecticut harassed USC with full-court pressure that led to turnovers on the Trojans' side. Once they managed to cross half court, the Huskies swarmed the perimeter, leaving USC without many open shots.
The Trojans managed to hold off the defending champions for some time. They led 9-8 at 5:14 in the first quarter. But then Connecticut's defense stepped up. The shots stop falling. The Huskies finished the first quarter on a 15-0 run as USC was unable to score for five minutes.
“The game has definitely changed,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “It felt like we were locked in.”
Davidson hit a run in the top of the second to end the slump, but the Trojans' offense cooled off again. Connecticut then held USC scoreless for six more minutes and then scored another run to extend the lead to 22 at halftime.
Any hope of a miracle comeback faded just minutes after halftime when Connecticut went on the attack again. It was nearly five minutes into the third quarter before Londynne Jones finally made the Trojans' first shot of the half.
By then there was no longer any doubt about where the Sabbath was heading.
The question now is why a catastrophic loss, the biggest since January 2023, would leave them with the bulk of the Big Ten roster starting in just two weeks. No. 4 UCLA awaits Jan. 3.
“You can learn a lot from games like these,” Jones said. “We can't do anything about the past. What are we going to do moving forward?”
