NCAA scoring record: USC's JuJu Watkins surpasses Caitlin Clark in most points scored by second-year player

JuJu Watkins, who is considered one of the most talented scorers in women's basketball history, is well on her way to breaking Caitlin Clark's all-time scoring record. The USC guard scored 29 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists in Sunday's Big Ten championship game, bringing her season overall to 764 points.

Watkins broke the freshman year scoring record last season, scoring 920 points to clinch second place on the 2023-24 leaderboard. With that, her latest figures (1684 points) surpass Clark's 1662 points across the first two seasons. It took the 19-year-old three more games (65) than the former Iowa Hawkeyes guard (62) to reach the milestone.

JuJu Watkins had a better freshman year run than her current stretch when compared to Caitlin Clark. She is averaging 24.5 points per game this year while the Indiana Fever star averaged 27.0 points in her sophomore year. Nevertheless, Watkins continues to make her case for potentially becoming the all-time scoring leader in both men's and women's college basketball books.

Depending on the Trojans' NCAA tournament journey, Watkins will have more chances to build on her current year. ESPN's bracketology prediction currently sees USC as the top seed in the Spokane region. The final statement on Southern California's March Madness journey will be announced on Mar. 16.

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The road to Caitlin Clark's all-time record only gets tougher for JuJu Watkins

Former Ohio State Buckeyes' Kelsey Mitchell holds the record for most points across the first two seasons of college ball - 1,762 points. She averaged 23.4 points across her junior and senior years, finishing her eligibility with 3,402 career points.

JuJu Watkins, who turns 20 on July 15, is set to play all four years of college basketball since she will be WNBA draft-eligible in 2027. Her usage rate with USC will further aid her on the path of becoming the all-time scoring leader in college basketball. However, Watkins will have to increase her production to clinch the record.

Caitlin Clark marked two of her best seasons in her junior and senior years, combining for 2,289 points. It narrows down to 29.7 points per game over the two year stretch. Watkins' current scoring rate, before the 2025 NCAA tournament, is 25.9 points per game.

Watkins is currently 2,268 points behind Clark's (3,951) record and has presumably 60-80 games left in her college career.