Paige Bueckers' UConn vs JuJu Watkins' USC garners 2.23 million viewers leaving fans in a frenzy: "Going up against college football playoffs"

A matchup between the then-No. 4 UConn Huskies and then-No. 7 USC Trojans starring Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins was bound to have plenty of eyes on the Saturday showdown. What some wouldn't realize is how much attention the game got as it made history and competed with the College Football Playoff.

On X on Tuesday, Front Office Sports reported that 2.23 million people watched the game, making it the most-watched women's college basketball game on any network this season.

"USC’s 72-70 win over UConn averaged 2.23 MILLION viewers on Fox—the most-watched WCBB game on any network this season," FOS tweeted.

Fans reacted to the viewership numbers, being surprised that the game garnered plenty of attention with JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers headlining the event despite the CFP going on for college football.

"Going up against the college football playoffs pulling these numbers? everybody watches women’s sports," one fan said.

"It’s almost as if Women’s Basketball is growing in popularity on its own thanks to multiple emerging stars," another remarked.

"Women's college basketball is a better watch if you're interested in true competition than the NBA. They truly benefitted from having the NFL on Fox game as a lead in," one posted.

Other fans hoped that the matchup allows for more women's college basketball games to be on national broadcasts more often.

"Using this viewership, I hope WCBB gets more prime-time slots!" one fan wrote.

"Crazy viewership numbers! Hope ESPN's next Men's NCAA tournament game reaches close to that number," another said.

"It would have been higher if they weren't competing against college playoff football," a fan posted.

How JuJu Watkins, USC fared against Paige Bueckers, UConn

It was an intense battle between the Trojans and Huskies that went down to the wire, with USC coming out victorious 72-70.

JuJu Watkins led the way with 25 points, six rebounds and five assists on 9-of-16 shooting, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. Kiki Iriafen followed suit with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds on 8-of-19 shooting.

Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong combined for 44 points, but it wasn't enough as the Huskies struggled from beyond the arc and the free-throw line. They converted on 26.1% of their chances from 3 and were only successful on 58.8% of their free throws, playing a big role in their second loss of the season.

JuJu Watkins and No. 4 USC will play one more game to finish up the 2024 slate, hosting the No. 23 Michigan Wolverines at the Galen Center on Sunday at 10 p.m. ET.