WATCH: JuJu Watkins gets the crowd hyped up after leading USC Trojans to first Sweet 16 appearance in 30 years

The last time the No. 1 USC Trojans advanced to Sweet 16 was in 1994 under coach Cheryl Miller. Now, exactly after 30 years, coach Lindsay Gottlieb and JuJu Watkins have led the team to their 11th Sweet 16 appearance. They have done so by beating Kansas Jayhawks 73-55 on Monday.

Watkins made the winning jumper at 1:04 minutes as the crowd at Galen Center erupted in joy. You can watch the video here:

JuJu Watkins led USC with 28 points, 11 rebounds and five assists while McKenzie Forbes added 20 points. Coach Gottlieb said later:

“Ju was spectacular. They had to change and go to zone because of her attacking early on.” (via ESPN)

Forbes, a graduate transfer from Harvard, spoke about playing at Galen:

“It's just been really fun to see this place come back to life. We didn't want to leave the court. They had that place jumping.”

JuJu Watkins added:

“I really wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

Jayhawks failed to put up a fight as USC took an easy win

JuJu Watkins scored the first seven points of the game as Kansas failed to contain the freshman guard. In the first half, the Jayhawks were forced to 12 turnovers, which gave away 16 points. Kansas coach Brandon Schneider later addressed this, saying (via ESPN):

“The difference in the game was points off turnovers. Uncharacteristically, we turned the ball over quite a bit in the first 15 minutes of the game.”

“Their physicality not only wore down Taiyanna, but wore down our team a little bit. Even when we could get to the rim it was hard to finish,” Schneider added.

Smya Nichols scored 22 points and center Taiyanna Jackson added 10 points and took 18 rebounds. The game came close in the third quarter as the scoreboard read 47-45, but the Trojans were quick enough to turn things in their favor. With the loss, the Jayhawks are now 0-6 against a No. 1 seed in March Madness.

The tip-off also had some famous people in attendance as 2022 Heisman winner Caleb Williams, Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller, former NBA player John Wall, former USC quarterback Matt Leinert and football coach Lincoln Riley were all seen cheering for the Trojans.

Up next, the USC Trojans will play against No. 5 Baylor in Oregon on Saturday for a berth in Elite Eight.