JuJu 2.0: Watkins returns as USC challenges reigning champion UCLA

Women's college basketball's best returning player and the sport's reigning national champion call one city home.

With JuJu Watkins back on the court for No. 3 Southern California, leading one of the 350-plus teams aiming to unseat No. 11 UCLA, Los Angeles is the epicenter of the women's basketball universe in 2026-27.

An All-American in 2023-24 and 2024-25, Watkins led USC on consecutive runs to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans' second Elite Eight appearance in as many years came at a high price, however, when Watkins sustained a torn ACL in their 2025 second-round win over Mississippi State.

Not only did the injury deny Watkins a showdown with Paige Bueckers and eventual national champion UConn, it consumed her 2025-26 season. After 19 months out of the spotlight, Watkins gets to play again on Monday when USC faces UNLV in Las Vegas.

The 6-foot-2 wing told reporters ahead of the season opener that she "might shed a tear" when she scores her first basket. Considering she made her collegiate debut in the same city -- and scored 32 points in a win over Ohio State in 2023 -- history suggests Watkins will not have to wait long for that emotional moment.

The wait for the Trojans' first meeting with their crosstown rival and the defending national champion is much longer.

USC and UCLA play the first of two Big Ten contests on Feb. 7 at Pauley Pavilion -- the same place where the Bruins tip off their campaign on Monday versus Lehigh.

When UCLA last got together in the house John Wooden built, it was in April to celebrate the program's first NCAA championship. Lauren Betts, Gabriela Jaquez and Charlisse Leger-Walker punctuated the welcoming ceremony with the same dance routine they unveiled in Glendale, Ariz., at the culmination of a dominant Final Four.

All three Bruins stars are now in the WNBA along with standout point guard Kiki Rice. UCLA did not land anyone on the 10-player preseason All-Big Ten team -- a squad that includes USC's Jazzy Davidson and Watkins, the unanimous choice for Player of the Year.

The roster turnover in Westwood might help contribute to Bruins coach Cori Close saying she does "not at all feel like a target is on my back.

"That's up to somebody else to decide," Close said during her media availability ahead of opening week. "We're just trying to relentlessly pursue a championship-level process."

Close cited Mike Macdonald, head coach of the Super Bowl LX-winning Seattle Seahawks, for providing inspiration for UCLA's day-to-day focus. Close has also championed the legacy of Wooden, the iconic leader of 10 men's national championship-winning teams.

Wooden's teams became so dominant in part through their ability to replace outgoing stars with new players ready to step in. The 2026-27 Bruins will look to do the same thing with high-potential youngsters like Sienna Betts.

The sister of Lauren Betts, Sienna came to UCLA last year with blue-chip billing.

"The standard's the standard," Sienna Betts said at the Bruins' media day. "It doesn't matter what group it is, we know what process it takes to get to a championship level."

Although the last name on the back of the jersey is the same, spectators can expect a much different type of Betts making plays on the court this season.

While her sister was a star center, Betts is a hybrid forward with the ability to shoot from outside and create off the dribble as effectively as she attacks the interior.

"I loved playing the point-forward position in high school, and I'm excited to show that on the college level," Betts said. "But obviously it's hard. There's growing pain. I have a bigger role this year."

UCLA will not tip off the campaign lacking for significant collegiate experience. Transfers Donovyn Hunter (TCU) and KK Bransford (Notre Dame) come from programs that reached the Elite Eight last season.

The new-look Bruins have plenty of high-stakes opportunities to mesh in the three months leading up to USC's visit. Their nonconference schedule includes a trip to Tennessee, an Elite Eight rematch with Duke in Phoenix and a rematch of April's national title game against preseason No. 1 South Carolina.

The top-ranked Gamecocks also face Watkins and USC on Nov. 15 in what figures to be the most anticipated showdown of the early season. South Carolina marks a significant measuring stick for Watkins, Davidson (the 2025-26 Big Ten Freshman of the Year) and 6-foot-1 wing Saniyah Hall, the No. 1 overall recruit in the freshman class.

It should also be a telling indicator of the overall development of Trojans basketball -- one half of the epicenter of the college basketball universe.

"The whole time I've been here, I've believed in this system. I've believed it when nobody really cared," Watkins said. "I've always seen the vision ... and people kind of recognize what we're doing here and the culture we're building."

--Kyle Kensing, Field Level Media