NCAAW: What to look for on Sunday from JuJu Watkins, Paige Bueckers

On January 20, 2025By Littum

While we’re in love with Unrivaled, Sunday belongs to the future of the sport, with a full slate of NCAAW games featuring top teams and players, including the future of Unrivaled.

Unbeatable investor JuJu Watkins and no. 4 USC Trojans visit Indiana Hoosiers (12 p.m. ET, NBC), while undefeated NIL signees Paige Bueckers and Flau’jae Johnson are also in action with Bueckers and No. 6 UConn The Huskies host the Seton Hall Pirates (1 p.m. ET) and Johnson and No. 5 LSU Tigers face the Florida Gators (1 p.m. ET, SECN).

Here’s a look at what JuJu, Paige and Flau’jae are up against:

The JuJu Show goes to the Assembly Hall

USC’s previous game was postponed due to Northwestern deciding not to travel to California due to continued threats from the LA wildfires; the game was scheduled to be played at the Galen Center on Wednesday, January 15.

The Trojans are now headed for the program’s first-ever trip to Bloomington and Assembly Hall, one of college basketball’s more historic sites. It seems like the perfect scene for a Watkins masterclass. She dropped 35 points on Penn State last Sunday, her second-highest scoring game of the season. It was also Watkins’ most efficient game of the season, as she shot a season-high 86.7 percent from the field and missed just one 2-pointer and one 3-pointer. She also added 11 boards, five steals, three assists and three blocks to her stellar stat line. In short, Watkins, who already authored a sensational sophomore season, appears to be approaching a higher gear.

That’s unfortunate news for an Indiana team that lost to Illinois at home on Thursday.

Bueckers is back!

Connecticut vs. St. John's — Paige Buecker.

On Wednesday, Bueckers returned to action for the first time since spraining her left knee Villanova. After two games out, Bueckers scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds in 23 minutes as the Huskies rolled against St. John’s. Head coach Geno Auriemma offered his characteristic combination of praise and criticism as he assessed Bueckers’ play, indicates:

So I never doubt what Paige can do to impact the game because I’ve seen it so many times, but I also know that she’s not a robot where you just put her in, push the button and everything happens automatically.

Bueckers gave a positive assessment of her return, notes:

I’m just happy to be back out there. Obviously first game back from something, you just want to get your feet wet, get the feel of playing basketball again, the physicality of it, the pace of it. But have a good time.

On Sunday, she and the Huskies host another overmatched Big East foe in Seton Hall. As long as they take the court with the necessary focus, UConn should cruise to another conference win, giving the redshirt senior star the trajectory needed to steadily increase her aggressiveness before the big games really begin in March.

Can the Big 4 and the Tigers stay undefeated?

LSU is a three-remaining undefeated team with the No. 1 UCLA and no. 9 Ohio State join them in the exclusive club.

And the Tigers should remain in that club after Sunday afternoon’s game against Florida. Although LSU has shown little tendency to play down to lesser competition, escaping with closer-than-they-should-have-been wins over Washington and Stanford. But if the Tigers struggle to put away the Gators — especially if they look ahead to a monster game against South Carolina on Thursday — it could result in a big game from Johnson, who has repeatedly risen to the occasion when the pressure mounts. On Monday, the junior guard dropped 25 points, highlighted by 11 in the fourth quarter, to help put away a pesky Vanderbilt team.

Of course, if trouble arises in Gainesville, senior forward Aneesah Morrow will also be there to bail out the Tigers. The definition of an automatic double-double, Morrow recently became just the eighth player in NCAA Division I basketball history to reach 2,500 points and 1,500 rebounds for their careers.

Game information

No. 4 USC Trojans (16-1, 6-0) vs. Indiana Hoosiers (12-5, 4-2)

When: Sunday 19 January at 12 A.M

Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN

How to watch: NBC

Seton Hall Pirates (13-4, 5-1) vs. no. 6 UConn Huskies (16-2, 7-0)

When: Sunday 19 January at 13 A.M

Where: Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT

How to watch: NEW app

No. 5 LSU Tigers (19-0, 4-0) vs. Florida Gators (11-8, 2-3)

When: Sunday 19 January at 13 A.M

Where: Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL

How to watch: SEC network