"It's about to get spicy": Fans react as Paige Bueckers vs JuJu Watkins rematch potentially on the cards after USC, UConn end up in same region

When Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins met last time in December, it became the most-watched women's hoops game of the season, drawing an average of 2.23 million viewers. The Trojans beat the Huskies 72-70 in a battle of two of the game's brightest stars.

And with UConn and USC being slotted into the same region on Selection Sunday, a potential rematch could be even bigger with fans already hyping up the showdown.

The Trojans got a 1-seed in the Spokane regional 1, with UConn earning a 2-seed, which sets the stage for a tantalizing Elite Eight contest if both teams advance that far.

Hoops fans on X/Twitter reacted excitedly to @trendyhoopstars' post about the news, anticipating a Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins Part II.

"It’s about to get spicy!," one wrote.

"This is a matchup worth looking forward to! USC and UConn are both traditional powerhouses in women's basketball," another said.

"Didn’t want them in the same bracket 😭," one fan added.

"Bro this match up will be one for the books again," one posted.

Here are some more responses:

"Yaw really messed up on them meeting in the final 4 @MarchMadnessWBB," one fan angrily wrote.

"JUJU IMA NEED YOU TO REMEMBER WHAT SHE DID TO YOU LAST YEAR," another chimed in.

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Paige Bueckers vs JuJu Watkins head-to-head record

Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins faced off for the first time during last season's March Madness when UConn beat USC 80-73 in the Elite Eight.

Freshman Watkins scored a game-high 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough, as Bueckers led UConn with 28 points, 10 boards and six assists to punch the Huskies' ticket to the Final Four.

The rematch came earlier in December during a regular season matchup. It was another close contest, but this time Watkins and the Trojans came out on top, defeating Bueckers and UConn 72-70.

The head-to-head record between the two stars now stands at 1-1 as their rivalry continues to grow.

USC (28-3, 17-1 Big Ten) won the conference regular season title but lost in the final of the Big Ten Tournament to UCLA. JuJu Watkins, a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard, leads the Trojans in scoring at 24.6 points per game — the second-highest average in the country.

Meanwhile, Paige Bueckers and UConn won the Big East regular season and tournament titles, thanks in large part to the former national player of the year's stellar play. Bueckers is averaging 19.0 points, 4.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.