As USC women's basketball team star JuJu Watkins has been recovering from a torn ACL, the star is looking to help the Trojans reach new heights in the 2026-27 season. season. With USC women's basketball guard in Watkins returning to the court, the latest rankings have been released, which reveal where the Trojans are ranked in the preseason.
Displayed by On3 Sports, the USC women's basketball program is ranked third in the nation, only behind South Carolina in first and UConn in second. Despite the UCLA Bruins winning the national title last season, though losing many stars to the WNBA, the team is at No. 11 in the rankings while South Carolina, who made the final game, gets the top spot.
UConn made the Final Four, which led them to the second spot, but when it comes to the Trojans, they would lose in the second round of the March Madness tournament, dropping to South Carolina.
USC women's basketball star JuJu Watkins looks to bring back her impact
Missing the entirety of last season, Watkins is looking to get back to the production of her two seasons with the USC women's basketball team. In the two seasons, she's averaged 25.5 points, seven rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 41.2 percent from the field and 32.2 percent from three-point range.
Nick Kosko of On3 Sports went into the Trojans' ranking of third in the nation, saying that while the “first thought” around the program is Watkins, there are others to help her.
Article Continues Below“Watkins is the star, coming in after averaging 23.9 points per game last year, but eyes should be on Jazzy Davidson as well,” Kosko wrote. “Davidson and Saniyah Hall finally getting to play with Watkins should excite fans out west. Pania Davis, who transferred in from Florida State, provides the post down low and a big presence for USC going into the year.”
At any rate, it remains to be seen how Watkins will play after a long injury recovery.