JuJu Watkins’ supporting cast steps up at Big Ten tournament, making USC very dangerous ahead of March Madness

There’s an idea in basketball that one player can make a team. To be honest, that is often true. A player can come in and elevate a bad team to a higher standing. Often times, the coverage around the USC Trojans and guard JuJu Watkins makes it appear that the Big Ten regular season champions are in the position they are in this March only because of Watkins. Saturday at the Big Ten Tournament, that myth was busted.

The No. 1 tournament seeded Trojans entered Saturday against the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines. On paper, it favored USC heavily with the Wolverines starting three freshmen and the Trojans beating Michigan by 20 points during the regular season. Basketball games are not played on paper.

Michigan brought the same intensity it had Friday when head coach Kim Barnes Arico’s side defeated the Maryland Terrapins by 26 points. The Wolverines gave the Trojans a battle and made the day difficult for the star Watkins.

In the first quarter, Michigan guard Syla Swords led the charge, scoring 10 of the Wolverines’ 15 first quarter points, nearly as many as USC’s 12 points. When the two teams played in the regular season, Swords wasn’t available, so it was an unwelcome introduction for Trojan fans.

“Obviously I’m on the Canadian national team with Syla, so I’ve known her for a while. But I think she plays with a lots of heart, a lot of passion,” said USC guard Avery Howell. “Definitely we knew that was going to be a difference maker for their team for sure.”

Michigan senior Jordan Hobbs joined Swords in scoring with eight points in the second quarter and Michigan built a nine-point lead. This isn’t the part of the story where Watkins turns on another gear and bails USC out of the deficit. Watkins had four points in the first half, going 2-of-9 from the floor and allowing three turnovers.

Watkins started the second half with a midrange jumper to cut the UM lead to two points again but then it went back to the other Trojans. Forward Kiki Iriafen scored 12 points in the third quarter, tying the game twice and giving the Trojans their first lead of the second half with 1:58 remaining in the period.

“With JuJu and Kiki in particular, it’s not just their talent, they just have a fierce, kind of competitive will about them and go ahead and make plays that you can’t really script,” said head coach Lindsay Gottlieb.

For how quiet Watkins was offensively in the first three quarters, Iriafen was loud, scoring 20 of her 25 points before the fourth quarter against a Michigan team that had every right to be competing with the Trojans. USC also got help from Kennedy Smith and Rayah Marshall, who each had nine points.

Swords ended the game with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and went a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line. Fellow freshman Olivia Olson added 13 points and nine rebounds. Michigan has a team that will be dangerous in the Big Ten, and nationally, for years to come. However, the fourth quarter of Saturday was all about USC.

The fourth quarter is when Howell got going. Normally known as a three-point shooter, the Canadian freshman had a rough time beyond the arc, going 2-of-8, so Howell impacted the game in other ways.

“I think today obviously Ju [JuJu Watkins] and Kiks [Kiki Iriafen] are getting guarded really hard, so there was more opening for me to get shots,” said Howell. “I wasn’t super hot from three today, so I tried to get other things to work out, leaking out, getting layups. Malia [Samuels] found me around the rim a couple times. I knew that fourth quarter was going to be huge for our team, and I just tried to show up in any way I could.”

Howell scored eight points in the frame, including an attack to the basket that came with a bonus shot from the free throw line. It was one of four and one opportunities for the Trojans in the quarter.

Howell’s late scoring was only behind Watkins who added 11 points, which made the difference in the 12-point win.

Now, there was a reason Watkins did not have as big of a game, compared to some other performances on the year. Although, scoring 20 points with 11 rebounds is a fantastic game for most players in the country, but Watkins is not most players.

When Watkins got the ball across mid court, Michigan players were there waiting for her, making life difficult for the sophomore superstar who’s a frontrunner for National Player of the Year.

“It was probably frustrating,” said Gottlieb about her star guard. “She was getting trapped and doubled when she’s with the ball in her hands. Tried to get her some looks kind of underneath the defense, but there were a lot of bodies there.”

With Watkins mostly neutralized for three quarters, the team showed up and when Watkins broke free in the fourth, it combined with her teammates to show a USC team that is well conditioned to handle adversity and succeed with or without Watkins.

USC and Michigan were tied with 6:29 remaining in the game, their second tie of the quarter. USC went on a 14-point run over less than three minutes to put the game to bed.

“I think the fourth quarter burst is a couple different things. A, I think we have elite athletes that are in good shape,” said Gottlieb. “I also think our players are insanely competitive and they do have a will to win.”