The second-ranked USC Trojans pulled a solid fourth quarter stretch to advance to the Big Ten Conference Finals after an 82-70 win over the Michigan Wolverines.
Sophomore guard JuJu Watkins was a force throughout the game as she led the way with a double-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds (one offensive), three assists, and three steals in 37 minutes.
Watkins struggled to keep possession as she turned the basketball over six times and was in foul trouble with four fouls. She shot the basketball at a decent rate, making 7 of 17 field goals, missing all three 3-point attempts and went 6 of 9 from the free-throw line.
Watkins shot the basketball poorly outside of the restricted area as she was just 2 of 9 outside of the restricted area. Below is the full box score for her performance against the Michigan Wolverines.
USC Trojans looking to win the national championship
The USC Trojans have one of the biggest stars in college basketball and are looking to win the national championship for the third time ever and the first time since the 1984 NCAA Tournament.
Winning the Big Ten Conference Tournament will give the USC Trojans an automatic bid and almost ensure a seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Below are the betting odds for the top 10 teams in the NCAA Tournament:
- UConn Huskies (+300)
- South Carolina Gamecocks (+310)
- USC Trojans (+550)
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+550)
- UCLA Bruins (+600)
- Texas Longhorns (+650)
- LSU Tigers (+3000)
- NC State Wolfpack (+4000)
- TCU Horned Frogs (+7000)
- Kansas State Wildcats (+7500)
The USC Trojans are one of the best in the country and it helps that the program is fifth in college basketball with a +22.8 point differential and the best in the entire NCAA with 7.1 blocks per game.
It all depends on how the NCAA Tournament bracket falls out and what happens in terms of the seedings. The USC Trojans have showcased what it needs to win the national championship and it all depends on how they do for the rest of the season.
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