JuJu Watkins’ triumphant return and 3 other takeaways from opening night of the women’s college basketball season

The 2026-27 women’s college basketball season tipped off Monday with a largely uncompetitive slate of action. The only ranked matchups on the schedule were No. 1 South Carolina and No. 20 Maryland in Paris, and a matchup of No. 12 North Carolina and No. 21 Oklahoma.

South Carolina kept tight hold of its stature as the country’s top team by holding off a furious late Maryland comeback in a 101-93 win while Oklahoma’s offensive identity showed in a 91-79 win over UNC. 

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Nine of the the AP top 10 teams in action cracked the century mark: No. 1 South Carolina (101), No. 2 UConn (100), No. 3 USC (100), No. 7 Louisville (119), No. 8 Vanderbilt (112) and No. 9 LSU (129). 

JuJu Watkins back for balanced USC 

All eyes were on JuJu Watkins taking the court for the first time in 588 days after injuring her ACL in the 2025 NCAA tournament. She delivered with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and an emotional post-game interview. No. 3 USC defeated UNLV 100-68 in the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. 

The redshirt senior showed flashes of her typical self in 25 minutes of action, but is still fresh off the injury. Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said Watkins is on a minutes restriction. 

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“I think she physically looks great, explosive-wise and all that,” Gottlieb said. “It’s just finding that rhythm.”

Unlike her first two seasons when Watkins scored at least 30 in 22 games, she won’t need to take over as regularly as she did for the Trojans to have success. 

Sophomore 6-foot-2 guard Jazzy Davidson and freshman 6-3 wing Saniyah Hall, the No. 1 recruit in the class, can help carry the load for a balanced offensive attack. Davidson scored 23 on a standout 10-of-11 shooting from the field, plus 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. In her debut, Hall had 22 points while shooting 7-of-8 with 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

They looked every bit their No. 3 ranking, and worthy of a return as national champion…

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Author : Cassandra Negley

Publish date : 2026-11-03 16:16:00

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