While we’re infatuated with Unrivaled, Sunday belongs to the sport’s future, with a full slate of NCAAW games featuring top teams and players, including the future of Unrivaled.
Unrivaled investor JuJu Watkins and the No. 4 USC Trojans visit the Indiana Hoosiers (12 p.m. ET, NBC), while Unrivaled NIL signees Paige Bueckers and Flau’jae Johnson also are in action, with Bueckers and the No. 6 UConn Huskies hosting the Seton Hall Pirates (1 p.m. ET) and Johnson and the No. 5 LSU Tigers meeting the Florida Gators (1 p.m. ET, SECN).
Here’s a look at what JuJu, Paige and Flau’jae are up against:
The JuJu Show heads to Assembly Hall
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USC’s previous game was postponed due to Northwestern deciding not to travel to California due to continued threats posed by the LA wildfires; the game was scheduled to be played in the Galen Center on Wednesday, Jan. 15.
The Trojans now hit the road for the program’s first-ever trip to Bloomington and Assembly Hall, one of college basketball’s more historic sites. It seems like the perfect stage for a Watkins masterclass. She dropped 35 points on Penn State last Sunday, her second-highest scoring game of the season. It also was Watkins’ most efficient game of the season, as she shot a season-high 86.7 percent from the field, missing just one 2-pointer and one 3-pointer. She also added 11 boards, five steals, three assists and three blocks to her starry stat line. In short, Watkins, who already was authoring a sensational sophomore season, appears to be approaching a higher gear.
That’s unfortunate news for an Indiana team that lost to Illinois at home on Thursday.
Bueckers is back!
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On Wednesday, Bueckers returned to action for the first time since spraining her left knee against Villanova. After two games off, Bueckers scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds in 23 minutes as the Huskies rolled against St. John’s. Head coach Geno Auriemma offered his characteristic combination of praise and critique when assessing Bueckers’ play, stating:
So I never doubt what Paige can do to impact the game, because I’ve seen it so many times, but I also know she’s not a robot where you just put her in, push the button and anything happens automatically.
Bueckers provided a positive assessment of her return, noting:
I’m just glad to be back out there. Obviously first game back from anything you just want to get your feet wet, get the feel of playing basketball again, the physicality of it, the pace of it. But feeling good.
On Sunday, she and the Huskies host another overmatched Big East foe in Seton Hall. As long as they take the court with the requisite focus, UConn should cruise to another conference win, providing the redshirt senior star the runway required to steadily ramp up her aggressiveness before the big games really begin in March.
Can Big 4 and the Tigers stay unbeaten?
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LSU is one three remaining undefeated teams, with No. 1 UCLA and No. 9 Ohio State joining them in the exclusive club.
And the Tigers should remain in that club after Sunday afternoon’s game against Florida. Although, LSU has shown a slight tendency to play down to lesser competition, escaping with closer-than-they-should-have-been wins over Washington and Stanford. However, if the Tigers do struggle to put the Gators away—especially if they’re looking ahead to a monster matchup against South Carolina on Thursday—that could result in a big game from Johnson, who repeatedly has risen to the occasion when the pressure increases. On Monday, the junior guard dropped 25 points, highlighted by 11 in the fourth quarter, to help put away a pesky Vanderbilt side.
Of course, if trouble emerges in Gainesville, senior forward Aneesah Morrow also will be there to rescue the Tigers. The definition of an automatic double-double, Morrow recently became just the eighth player in NCAA Division I basketball history to reach 2,500 points and 1,500 rebounds for their career.
Game information
No. 4 USC Trojans (16-1, 6-0) vs. Indiana Hoosiers (12-5, 4-2)
When: Sunday, Jan. 19 at 12 p.m. ET
Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN
How to watch: NBC
Seton Hall Pirates (13-4, 5-1) vs. No. 6 UConn Huskies (16-2, 7-0)
When: Sunday, Jan. 19 at 1 p.m. ET
Where: Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT
How to watch: SNY App
No. 5 LSU Tigers (19-0, 4-0) vs. Florida Gators (11-8, 2-3)
When: Sunday, Jan. 19 at 1 p.m. ET
Where: Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL
How to watch: SEC Network
